THE COMING SESSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13942, 29 June 1907, Page 10

THE COMING SESSION

MR ERASER, M.H.R., INTERVIEWED.

HOW, TO IMPROVE THE ARBITRATION ACT.

Mr W. Frasor, M.H.R., returned from Gore by tho second express yesterday, and was interviewed in tho train by one of our reporters.

ioucliing t-ho Governor's spscch, ho remarked that the only new things appeared to he the Land Bill, labour laws, and tariff revision; and it would, of course, bo impossible to say .nuch about these matters until the bills came before the House. As for the proposed exaltation of New Zealand from tho status of a colony to that of a dominion, tho question could not bo seriously discusscd. It was not the name that mattered, but what the nation provrd itself to be—colony or dominion. As long as tho people endeavoured to mako the very best of their national opportunities, it was useless to look round to more pretentious designations than those, already in vogue. What ho noticed particularly was tho omissions, For instance, there was no reference to any proposal to deal with the subject which for many a long year past hail been discussed—namely, a proper system of local government. That was a' matter which would fake almost a session by itself. Mayhap tho Government considered il had no timo to deal with it in tho coming srss'on, but he certainly thought something should have been stated in regard lo it. IRRIGATION* IK CENTRAL OTAfiO. He certainly thought 1 hat Ihe spceeli should have contained something to indicate wlnt the Government proposed to do in the matter of ''rrigation in Central Otago. This was a question which meant virtually the life bleed of that great inlying part of tho province. When the estimates came before tho House, they would perhaps ho e-nligltencd in regard to what, tho Government intended doing in respect to irrigation, but apparontJy tho full importanoo of the matter had not yet been grasped. There were largo aroas of potentially most valuable land in Central Ctago that could be -utilised for productive purposes, only if a scheme of irrigation wero adopted. In those aro»9 which foimorly wero mere sandy wastes, when, irrigation had been tried, wonderful results had been obtained during 20 ye*s past. Good crops of grass, oils, turnips, and other valuablo products lrnl been laiscd by this means. If tho Crown lands in that great district wero to be made use of profitably it, would only Im> by means of the application of water. Expert opinion would have to lie obtained, and the whole matter gone into in a painstaking and thorough mantcr. Tho question wa.s one of such importance that it was really surprising that some mention had not boon made of it. NATIVE T,A>-ns. With regard to the Native land question ' it was impossible, to say until one saw the report from the commission as to what wa l . contemplated what was possible to be done, but '( was an exceedingly im-lort-ant question, inasmuch as there was a very large area of land whioh the Natives could not possibly use themselves. The question arose as to how tho land could be probably used by Europeans without in any way injuring the Natives' rights thereto, and Parliament, should certainly direct its attention to it. It was a burning question in the North Island. THE LAND QUESTION'. Tu regard to the proposal to deal with tho land question in the form of three hilte, it would virtually mean lhat there would be three sets of speeches on the same subject instead of one. Tho subject matter of the three hills would be found so intertwined, so inextricably mixed, that it would be found impossible to refer to one without also treating of the others. Hi is might, prove to be contrary to the standing orders of the House. As a member speaking to one itom on the order paper was barred from speaking on others, somo curious complications would in all probability arise. THE AUBITRATION ACT. An important matter that, wouid come before tho present Parliament would he a revision in certain directions of the labour laws. Tho Arbitration Act would requiro attention. Tho unfortunate affair tho slaughtermen's strike was a case in point. A system of fining men for breaches of the act and of imprisoning those who did not pav their fines could -lot 1» said to be satisfactory. It seemed to him—he had not gone fully into the matter, but, speaking generally—that it would be advisable, beforo a union was recognised as such Wider tho Arbitration Act, to make it imperative that it should give evidence of ability to meet fines, and in tho second place t.hot- any unionist who might decline to be bound bv tho mandate of his union not to strike, but did so on his own initiative, should be compelled to retire from fhe union. He thought the men should be liable to be fined as at present, but. disagreed with the alternative of imprisonment. A much bettor alternative to nonr payment of a fine would be to make the men ineligible to bo taken back into the union until the fine was paid. Thoy woulo" thus lose all the benefits of preference of employment, under the act. In tho event of the union taking back men who had been fined for a breach of the act before thov had paid tho fine, the union would, under such circumstances, become liable. Of courfo tb:«c were only rough suggestions; the matter would require to 1* carefully worked out in detail, but. they at least indicated the manner in which lie fines could bo enforoed without resorting to imprisonment.