THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11841, 3 May 1909, Page 5

THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY.

PRE-SESSIONAL MANIFESTO

COMING LEGISLATION FORE

SHADOWED

(Per Press Association.)

I INVERCARGILL/ bust night. An outline of the legislation to be brought before Parliament m the coming session Avas given by the Premier m his speech here last evening. , Speaking of the Government's policy, j Sir Joseph Ward said that the aim tint •session would bo to place on the Statute ' Book some important measures '.that! would, m his judgment, bo of immense service to the country, and among the more important would be the National Annuities Bill and the Land Settlement Finance Bill. They- will ask the Hpiise: to." effect m the existing laws "a number of amendments found necessary to facilitate either another operation or Avider sphere of usefulness, including important .-intendments m our Defence Acts. Tliey would also provide such legislation as might be requisite to enable our publicservice m many branches to be carried, on more economically and efficiently.; The chief desire was not to .pass a large ma.«s of new legislation, but to restrict their efforts to improving and perfecting by Avell-discussed' and considered amendments the operation of existing measures. Thus they Avould fulfil the intention of the Government declared by him at Palmerston North m October. CLOSER SETTLEMENT. The Premier went on to enlarge on the benefits of the National Annuities Bill. The Land Settlement Finance Bill was not to take the place of the Lands for Settlement Act. On the con trary, the two Avould bo Avorked together for closer settlement m New Zealand. To fulfil its purposes the areas must be smaller than liitherto, and fuller facilities Avould require to be given to men Avithout means to get orTthe land. Aggregation must be moro stringently prevented. Increased facilities must be giA r en to Avilling and suitable town and city dAvellers to get on the land. Tp pface two such measures as those referred tb on the . Statute Book m one session m any part of the Avorld Avould be regarded as a great achievement; ' STAMP DUTY EVASIONS. The first amendments of our. existing law* Avould • relate to tfye Succession Duties Act. Successful evasions Avere taking place, involving a loss of large sums "m duty. It was fair that Avhere a. large fortune was 'left and those who had done nothing to earn it, and where; as was usually theVcase, the growth of the, . fortune had, beery .."due to the pro-" gress pt- the country rather than of any special effort on the part of the. testator, the beneficiaries, cpiild well afford to pay increased- death -duties.'. Succession duties would be, devised, for the purposes of, preventing evasions . = and requiring, a widow succeeding to large estates to pay 'duty, of making entail estates lirtble to death .'d-Ufty, of : . distinguishing the rate of duty according to the Avhole amount of estates, to the nearness pr remoteness m blood bf the beneficiaries, and the amount left to any particular beneficiary. From these qhangcr* of our law, '{particularly m rpgard to tho detecting and preventing evasion'?, a. very large increase of revenue Avould be secured.

PRISON RFJFORM. The Ncav- . Zealand Tsystcm was out of date, and 20< years bchihditbfe English system and most' of the systems m Australia. , The system failed to effect reform, Avhile it AA'as found, to be a heavy burden upon the State! The average net cost of prisoners m New Zealand, after deducting Avhat they earn, was .£SO 12s 2d each. The loss wt»fj confined to the gaol systems. Tho tree-planting sliowfd a net profit '.over all cost of £15 14s 3d each. The figures 'of *' recommitments seemed to proved -.that 22 per cent, only from tree-planting camps had fallen, a? pgninst 52 per cent, who have fallen of those Avho have been committed to the gaols. The Government would bring its prison system up-to-date by closing the smaller gaols, by making the reformation of -the prisoners a princi pul purpose, by making prisons .-'■ more .., self-supporting without Domingo into competition Avith froe labor., by classifying the g'aols,'developing the tree-planting stations. establishing reformatory farms where lads, yoii 113 men, and first offenders \ybo had fallen into anyo^A^cious Avays m iho cities Avould be taught the farming industry and make competent farm hands. •Such a farm would be rstablishndnear Wanganui. at the Moitmahaki experimental station, and another Avould be established m •the South island, m a suitable loiialitv. BANKRUPTCY LAWS. The Government was nt present con-> sidering many suggestions which have been made to improve the bankruptcy laws. The principal- are: as folloAvs: The compulsory registration of all private assignments, a rpvieAv of the sysv tern of rejiiuneration of official assignees and deputies, abolition of contractors' liens iii cases where nroykions ,fpr these j liens tended to, speculative andunßound trading, alterations of the laAV as tp I fraudulent preference, -restrictions m the | landlord's preferential claim for rent, i protection of Creditors m the case of the sale of a business as a goin,-? , concern, the administration of bankrupt estates without unnecessary publicity ; for example, the names of creditors and the amount of their respective losses y abolition pf public examinations, as being useless and expensive; compulsory keeping of specified books of tteco'unt ; insolvent estates of deceased persons to be administered under tlie Bankruptcy Act,; bringing back all absconding debtors at the public expense, m pursuance of honest trading. Tt was under contemplation as to Avhiether the Public Trustee and his officers throughout the country should not be utilised ax official assignees. The most important of the«ej matters would be embodied m a 'Bill and introduced this year. ,

OTHER /LEGISLATION! The existing law on false descriptions would be amended to attack .the giowi ing practice- of false trade descriptions.; If a Bill consolidating and. amending the Patent - Designs and Trade Marks .Act; (adopting the o provisions of the recent Acta of 1905 and .1907) were, introduced this year, the proposed legislation m connection with the repression of. false trade" descriptions would .find a place iri the ' Bill- ,",-; V ' . , The .Goyerhrneht was considering the. expediency pf amending the (Companies' Act, bringing the laAV. into line Avith the! Imperial Companies? Act,, 1906.. In this direction provision Avould, bo made, allowing the re-iiisue 'of debentures which; jiiid be^h hypothecated, invalidating de-. b^ftturos"' issued as 'security . -, for a past detjt'#thin, four months of liquidation, so •pUtiing- companies m the same posi; Ijyoii -as .private traders under tlie Bank-. J-.V-ptcy; Act, 'providing that companies li'-bjch-*' did not iHaxie. a prospectus on il^ir, formation shall file with the regis, t-^ttr • a statement :u lieu of, a . prospectus, and. making better provision, for the registration of all securities given by companies. Tho Friendly Societies .Consolidation Bill Avould aNo be amended m certain directions. T mprovement« would be made m our Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act, 1908. and , amendments would be made m the existing Act to remove the doubt "which tifose: as to the rate of paying of teachers' salaries under the legislation of last year. Some re-, vision of the Workers' Compensation for ! Accidents Act was lieeetfsary, oparticula'rly with regard 1 to the difficulties Avhich arose as to. tho medical examination of Avorkmen, and ns to the disease "pnbiimoconomiosis." Provision Avould bo made for more closely folloAving the recent English legislation m this matter, and a fiill opportunity would be given to those interested -'< to deal with the proposed amendments before they became laAV. Numerous amendments of the Municipal Corporations .Act were being considered, Avith a vieAv 1 to amendments of tlie existing . laAV being mad?.

v MAIN ROADS: FORESTS. * Tin's session legislation Avould be introduced defininrj- the main roads of tho Dominion, m order ''that they may bo taken over by the Government, and provision Avill also be mnde for all other rorfcta to be maintained by the. local authorities.

As a measure pf assistance ,to the forest supplies of the future, the Forestry Department was co-operating with the prison camps, and through careful

conservation of existing forests andAvidespraid tree-planting, a reasonably sufficient provision would be made for the future forest needs of the Dominion. There was no poAver at present . for the resorves to be removed from the Crown Forests Reserves Act, and legislation would be introduced to enable these reserves to be treated similarly to Crown lands reserves, and provision would also be made for the preservation of Crown forests.

Further amendments of the law would be made m the Destitute Persons Act, the Habitual Drunkards Act, the Police Act, and for administrative reform m the public service. ' RAILWAY EXTENSION.

. Legislation Avould be introduced for making provision for the completing and equipment of raihvay lines m A'arious portions of the Dominion where the people express their readiness and Avilling-'n-ess. to undertake such responsibilities, m return for the all-important work on railway extension. Li cases where an examination made impartially by reli : I able officers showed that a deficiency ,of revenue Avas likely to occur, the protection of ensuring the deficiency being made np should be put into practical operation. "I do not wish it to bo, inferred that a railway line should com : mence to earn interest, say, at the rate of even 3 per cent., from its inception," said Sir Joseph, "but it is not m the interests of the country that a system bf making costly railway- lines should be alloAved to be continued Avhere it can be reasonably ascertained beforehand that there Avould be no probability of them paying a comparatively Small rate of interest." The matter, he said, was one of sufficient importance to engage the close attention of Parliament, and that opportunity would be given during the coming session. , i After speaking at some length on the question of naval defence, the Premier* m conclusion, said : "I hope that I liave TiJaeed before you information that Avill 'be of interest to our people. There could be little doubt that excepting m the eyes of the! extremely prejudiced partisans, the financial results of the year Avere of an exceedingly gratifying', character." He looked forward to* the coming session of Parliament. Avith.thej hope tliat work Uponthe lines of progress he had indicated Avould be carried! out.- He preferred to have less ! lerjis- : lation, but Avhat was done of a good and useful character. He felt entitled to say that if NeAv Zealand people continued to display those splendid characteristics of industry and effort, the remarkable progress Avhich the Dominion had made for some years past '/would still go on. If the country's financial operations were .pursued Avith caution, -there Avas no- reason, why they should riot look forward Avith confidence to the further prosperity and development pf the Dominion and the increasing com-! fprt of ita people. A vote of thanks and confidence Was earned.w ith cheers.