THE COMING SESSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22834, 19 March 1936, Page 10

THE COMING SESSION

IMPORTANT BILLS READY NO CAUSE FOR MISGIVING PRIME MINISTER'S ASSURANCE (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, March e lB. The Prime Minister, Mr M. J. Savage, said to-day that there would be 1 * five or six major Bills ready for presentation when Parliament met. The first would deal with the monetary problem. The mass of the people had every reason to look forward to the work of Parliament with hopeful feelings. Probably some people were looking forward to the session with misgivings, Mr Savage said, but he could assure the people as a whole that there was not the slightest reason for dread with regard to Labour legislation. He said there was no intention to call upon employers to pay out more than their industries could stand. The Government, however, would not allow any steps to be taken to defeat the object of its legislation, such as deliberate delay in taking cases to the Arbitration Court. Mr Savage also said that he might introduce a Fair Rents Bill. The Government intended to tackle the question of adjusting town mortgages as well as farmers' mortgages. Mr W. J. Lyon (Waitemata) will move and Mr W. T. Anderton (Eden) will second the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives. A WORKING INSTITUTION Commenting on the work of the session, the Prime Minister, Mr M. J. Savage, stated that the Government's aim was to turn Parliament into a real working institution. Members would not be asked 10, come to Wellington to cool their heels while waiting for legislation to be prepared. In the past there had been a lot of delay in getting down to business, but that would be avoided in future. For instance he saw.no reason why weeks. should be spent discussing the Address-in-Reply. Peronally, he would be quite happy if the debate were confined to the speeches of the mover and the seconder, so that members could turn their attention to the big problems. Parliament's job was to discuss in an intelligent manner the big problems of the day, not to spend days in discussing trivialities. In the past there had been ' an inclination to avoid discussion" of the major problems, but if he had his way that would be done away with. He was satisfied the people were looking to Parliament for action rather than words, and the people would not be disappointed. AN EMPIRE COUNCIL

The Prime Minister said he was looking forward to the day when the representatives of the people in the countries making up the British Commonwealth of Nations would meet at one table and settle the problems that confronted the Empire. He visualised some form of Empire Council. It would not matter if the representatives of the Empire took 12 months to reach their decisions. It would be time and money well 6pent. Whatever way they looked at the position they could not avoid the conclusion that some form of consultation such as ho had suggested would be necessary. There was the question of inter-Empire trade. For instance; if the nations of the British Commonwealth were to arrive at a ' oornmon basis on trade they would go a long way towards settling not only the population question but the military question as well. RENTS ON EQUITABLE BASIS Mr Savage, referring to the Government's intentions in regard to rents, said he was fully riware of the position in the main centres, and the Government had not lost sight of it. The Government would see to it that rents as well as everything else were on an equitable basis, a'nd if it were necessary to do so it would not hesitate to introduce legislation on the subject. The Rent Restriction Act at present in operation was practically useless as it had no real meaning, and probably the Government would bring in a Fair Rents Bill or some other measure aimed at overcoming the difficulty. There would be little use in giving the people more money and other benefits if those benefits were going into the pockets of the landlords seeking to take advantage of the position. The people could rest assured that the Government would watch the position most carefully.