END OF SESSION IN SIGHT

Southland Times, Issue 23024, 19 October 1936, Page 6

END OF SESSION IN SIGHT

Several Bills Passed Last Week INTRODUCTION OF NEW MEASURES more compensation FOR WORKERS (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, October 18. Although a fairly leisurely pace was set in the conduct of Parliamentary business during the week just past, the end of a long and arduous session is now almost in sight. Two Government Bills, the Main Highways Amendment Bill and the Railways Authorization Bill, were passed last week and several local Bills were also cleared off the Order Paper. However, for the greater part of the week the House of Representatives seemed more or less to be marking time and waiting for the appearance of the final batch of legislation which will complete the first year’s instalment of the Labour Government’s programme. The House was not called on to sit long hours last week. Quite apart from the fact that there were two separate adjournments out of respect to the memory of deceased legislators, reports from select committees occupied the attention of members for a considerable proportion of the total weekly sitting time, and the introduction at this stage of the session of such measure as the Dentists Bill provided further proof that the Government for the time being was not anxious for undue legislative haste. Nevertheless the introduction of four new Bills and the partial rewriting of the Industrial Efficiency Bill by way of amendments has built up the Order Paper to a marked extent. Fresh legislation is certain to be introduced during the coming week, and doubtless the racewill be livened up in an endeavour to terminate the session by the end of the month.

Compensation for Injured Workers.

The most important items which appeared last week were the Workers Compensation Amendment Bill and amendments to the Industrial Efficiency Bill. The former measure, according to the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, represents only a preliminary approach to the subject, and more far-reaching proposals concerning compensation for injured workers will be placed before the House next year. However, the amendments to be made this session are important enough. The rates of compensation are to be increased, a new method of assessing the basis of compensation is to be laid down, and the whole scope of the original Act is to be widened. As a result of the fact that members on both side of the House are now showing an obvious desire to return to their homes, it is not likely that the Bill will be debated at any great length, although its passage is bound to be contested by the Opposition, who will doubtless regard its provisions ,as a further additional burden on industry. , , When the Bill was introduced the Minister was asked if he could give any estimate of the possible increase in insurance ; remiums which would be brought about by the new scale of compensation, and he promised to refer to this matter in detail during the second reading debate.

Amendments to Industrial Bill.

The amendments to the Industrial Efficiency Bill introduced on Friday by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, also proved to be of considerable importance. Part II of the Bill, dealing with the operation of industrial plans, has been recast almost in its entirety, so that a plan affecting a particular industry must be approved by a majority of those concerned in that industry before it can be put into operation. This will remove to a large extent the objections of the Opposition that an industry itself was to have no voice in shaping of proposals likely to affect its future existence. Another provision of importance is the arrangement by which levies will be imposed at a rate sufficient to allow for the compensation of an industry which may suffer loss of trade or which may be forced out of existence as a result of the operation of the industrial plan. When the House began the committee discussions on the Industrial Efficiency Bill on Friday afternoon the full text of the proposed amendments was not available to members. Accordingly there was a lengthy debate on the Short Title, notable chiefly for a display of Government indignation against the criticism of the Bill made at Dunedin by Viscount Elibank, president of the Empire Chambers of Commerce. The committee stages may be resumed early this week, and as urgency will probably be taken one sitting day will probably be sufficient for the passage ot the Bill, which has already _ been before the House for a long period.

“Washing-up” Bills.

There was nothing of note in the two “washing-up” Bills which were introduced last week, and a third measure of the same type, the Local Legislation Bill, will probably be introduced this W Several other Bills, one or two of which are likely to be treated as urgent, will also appear, and although Labour Day falls to-morrow week there is a distinct possibility of a Saturday sitting in order to clear the decks. Although the Labour Government, with its commanding majority, has certainly been responsible for speeding up the usually slow-moving Parliamentary machine, it was found that there are definite limits to the speed with which legislation can be enacted. Before Parliament sat this year there was considerable talk of the smoother conduct of its business. It was stated that the old excuse of delay in the Law Drafting Office would not be allowed to stand, and that if the Law Drafting Office could not keep pace with the work its staff would be increased. This is one aspect of the business of the Government in which the Labour Party has been forced to alter its views; it has come to realize that law drafting is a highly specialized task and that even trained lawyers are not necessarily expert law draftsmen. The hurried or slovenly drafting of legislation can mean haste without speed as far as Parliament is concerned, as Parliament itself must sanction amendments to the law. While the Law Drafting Office still cannot keep pace with the passage of legislation, the Government has not been afraid to recognize that efficiency of work is preferable to the speed with which it can be enacted.