PARLIAMENT OPENED

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 78, 28 June 1928, Page 5

PARLIAMENT OPENED

SPEECH FROM THE THRONE

~.,., PAST YEAR REVIEWED.

',~ IMPROVED PROSiPBCII^. N£> iMPOBTAJNT LEGISLATION. i i,. : '(Special to "Post*). ' ;r ' '' -. j • -WELLINGTON, This Day. ■« Parliament was opened this after-3 noon. ..The speech from the Th?oitc> by His,- Excellency the Governor-Gen-eral was as under:— 7 Gentlemen of the Leg-is-, lathe Council, and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives: It is .with pleasure that I again,.meet you in Parliament assembled., . ,- "My visit;!?, during the recess, to, different parts. of the Dominion,. ;which T had not visited, before have, further convinced me of the loyalty of the people of this Dominion to the, <? rown i and I have much appreciated, the warmth of the welcome, that, has ;been., extended to me. • i . i •'. ■: - ,'•: ! ■ v'IO 4 WORLD PEACE. .Since I last met you, a most im-_" portaht step towards the peace and , security of the world has been taken'by the Government of the United'States of America' in their proposal for a' multi-lateral treaty

lor the' renunciation' of war. The principal 5 articles : 6t the proposed

treaty aref ''(l)'The high contract-

lng parties' solemnly declare in the

peoples that - they condemn recourse to war for the solution of international con'trovefsies and 1 renounce it as an i|is<rtinient of national policy in their

delations witli' one another. "(2) The" high cotitractihg parlies agree that't'he settlement or solution of all disputes 'or conflicts of nature or of whatever origin they ■may be which may arise amongst them shall never be sought except by pacific means." An invitation to become, an original party to the treaty has been extended to New Zealand by the United States through His, Majestys Government in Great 3rita£n<; Mty Ministers have, in rep)y,. expressed their warm apprecia-

the invitation, and their, readiness, in co-operation with His Majesty's Government in other parts off the Empire, to associate tljemselyeisi with the Government of the United. States in this movmeent to add greater security to the peace of the world, and to share in any negotiatipns leading to the conclusion of. the ; proposed treaty.

■„ '..!..'.UNREST IN SAMOA. ' I regreij say that owing to the" disaffection of, a section of the popu-"* lation the administration of the mandate oyer Western. Samoa has caus-' ed some anxiety. „ As a result of various .complaints and grievances alleged against the ! Administration it was Qonsidered advisable last year to apppVnt.a Commission, of Inquiry, &i&Bistiiig of the Hon. the Chief jusiicelof New Zealand (Sip Charles 1 Skerrett) and, Judge MdCormick, of ine Native Land Court, to visit Sainoa' and'investigate the complaints on the spot. Th e result of a long and careful inquiry was to vindicate 4vhe Administration, but,, . unfortunately, the unrest has continued. Up-i on the expiration of'MajOT-General Sir George Richardsons' term of; office Administrator he was ap?, pointed as one of the representatives of New Zealand to attend the permanent' mandates commission of the." League Of Nations. Colonel S. S. Allen, C.M.G., D.S;O., was appointed to'succeed Sir George Richardson as Administrator of the territory, and took .up his duties in May last. The : policy bf 'the Administration is, and always'has been, to exercise the ut-. most possible patience consistent with'the due observance of the law..

y.MH AMERY'S, ,VISIT. ,| A notable. „ event during the year; was the visit of the Right Hon. L.,. S. Amery', Secretary of State for the, Dominions, v,; His discussions with Ministers on various matters of importance-and his personal contact with all sections of the community gav& his visit a special value. . r <<* ■INDUSTRIAL CONFERENCE. •■ The National.lndustrial Conference-/ which ; was seV r up to consider problems affecting labour and industry, met during the recess. On some matters the conference came to a unanimous conclusion and their recommendations are now receiving the careful consideration of my Ministers. On other matters, where unan-r

imity was not reached, the confer-

ence dealt with much information

j which had been carefully thought v out 'and prepared, and on which valuable discussions took place. I Throughout all the proceedings there Was. a spirit of harmony and mutual forbearance, and it is clear that from this aspect alone the confer-

1 ehcei. marks a step forward in our industrial relationships. It is conhoped that the conference 'has laid the foundation for friendly .discussion in the future, regarding the many difficult problems that arise in our individual life. It ,i s a noteworthy fact, and one which shows employers and employees, that the period of depression through •which this country has recently pass- ' ed,, and from which it is now happily tonierging, has also been a period of .industrial peace.

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH. * -The; measures passed last session, dcjaling with the Agricultural College, J-tojgether with the Activities of the (Oouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research, already have been fruitful of; results, which promise well for the lasting benefit of our primary and secondary industries, and several important co-operative research enterprises have been inaugurated. In 'this, much assistance has been given by the Empire Marketing Board, as a result of the visit of Mr Amery. My linkers feel that in the application of scientific methods in the cultivation of our land and to the welfare and treatment of stock, there is a practical means of increasing producwhich is so essential to the prosperity of this Dominion. •

& \ FINANCE FOR FARMERS. . The subject of farmers' finance, which was given much consideration during the last two .sessions, resulted in two measures ivl&h have been placed on the Statute Book, providing for long term mortgages and rural intermediate credit. These measiires ■ are now in working order, and it » anticipated! that much benefit will accrue to the country by the facilities now given, to the working flvrmer to obtain credit on reasonable terms, 'and at a- low rate of interest. Mr Speaker: and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives: I am pleased to be able to reter to the satisfactory change during the last twelve months in the economiL«d trade position of the Dominion. Aided by a good! reason and letter prices, both the volume land ke of our exportable products show a; satisfactory increase. The.,e iac toV 'together with the opening, up make the outlook for The future distinctly and hbuld do much to --7 e^Xa +»W have been nvucn *u> fL during «• Repression of the last two years. S ! THE FINANCES.

T The operations of the) public finances for the year ended March las, "gave a surplus of £179.177 of revenm, fyei- expenditure. The estimates for the preset year are being subject, ed: to'the closest scrutiny, with a view Ho "Continued economy and con. trol 'over, administrative expenditure. Fdr the purpose of promoting the poTTcy of development in connection public works. railways and hydro-electric power a loan amounting. +o' £5,000,000 was Tssued in London during Mav. This issu e wa;s at 4* per cent., discounted at £94 4s and its -successful notation marked a notible break in interest rates, thus indicating, I am pleased to, state, improved financial and trade prospects 'affecting the Empire generally. : Along with this issue For new money a conversion offer was made >up to- £500,000 of the New Zealand '■Consolidated stock of £'21,000,000 maturing in iNbvember, 1929. holders to receive £lO4 10s of new A\ per cent, stock in 'exchange for their 4 per cent, holdings. The amount offered was immediately taken up.

: - \ ■:'•:'■ ''■■■-■, TARIFF REVISION. The revision of the tariff last year rendered material assistance to Mew Zealand industries, and the increased preference granted to British manufacturers has been well received in Great Britain. As a further evidence o£ New Zealand's desire to as.sist Empire trade, concessions amounting to many thousands of ppunds were made in the duty on articles in, everyday use by the community. ; During, the recess, the Australian Minister of Customs, the Hon. Mr Pratten, visited the Dominion for the purfose of discussing trade ami tariff, relations between the Commonwealth and the Dominion. Although the discussions which took place ; .wer,e. not fruitful of any immediate results, it is believed that a. better understanding has been reached on various, administrative " ILt *-Jjties that had arisen from time to time. It was with deep regret that the rieople ,of.' New Zealand! learnt of the sudden death of Mr Pratten shortly aifter his return to Australia.

Honourable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council; and Gentlemen of the House oi' Representatives': Much consideration has been given to the provision; on a contributory and universal basis, of pensions for old age and widowhood, and of in-

surance against sickness and invalidity. In order to give reasonable benefits under any such scheme which would necessarily be compulsory, and assuming that the financial liability would be born by the State, employers and employees in equal 1 proportions, it is estimated that the annual charge on the State would be not less than £325,000, leaving twice that amount to be borne by the employers and employees. This liability of the State would be in addition to the gross sum of £1,314,632 now expended annually,"* for old age arid widows' pensions, which latter payment would have to continue for many years to come. ' Although it is recognised that the principle of such a scheme as sound! and would remove many anomalies in our present pensions law, my Ministers hesitate, in view of the stress under which many industries have been

carrying on because of the prevailing unemployment and the economic conditions generally, to impose this additional burden. Apart from the financial aspect, it has also to be considered whether the conditions that led up to the establishment of the systems now operating in certain closely populated and industrially developed countries exist hi New Zealand to the extent that would warrant the initiation of a similar system. Consideration must also be given to the effect of .such a scheme on the existing voluntary organisations, such as the National Provident Fund, the Friendly Societies, the hospital and medical services and other institutions which are already in eixstence i n this country and deal, with different phases of the problem. While welcoming any discussion on the subject, my Ministers have come to the conclusion that all the different points involved require mature consideration, and opportunity should be afforded for the examination of the information collected by a Commission in Australia which has been sitting for the last three years and which has recently made its report. ..

BRITISH NATIONALITY

It is proposed this season to amend the British Nationality and Status of Aliens (in New Zealand) Act, 1923, by adopting part II of the British Nationality Act, Status of Alien s Act, 1914. This will bring the Dominion of New Zealand into line with all other countries of the British Empire, which have now adopted part II of the Imperial Act. The effect of this adoption will be that anyone upon whom British nationality has been conferred in any part of the British Empire will become a British subject in every part of the Empire, and consequently anyone whom) New Zealand admits to the status of British nationality can claim that status in any other part of the Empire. The Acts relating to public reserves and domains, rabbit nuisance, divorce and auctioneers, have been compiled and reconstructed, and these measures will be put before you for consideration- Consolidations' of t|he Acts relating to Magistrate's Courts, education reserves, post and telegraph, inspection of machinery,, noxious weeds, public works, kauri gum, orchard .and garden diseases, have been prepared, and will also be submitted to you.

CHARGES ON! LAND. Under our existing law provision is made for local authorities acquiring charges on land, for payment of various services performed by them. Tho existence of these charges has caused difficulty to people dealing with land ! and n measure will be introduced providing for the registration of all such charges. MENT ALi D EFiCiENO Y. The report on mental deficiency and its treatment, furnished by tho In-spector-General of Mental Hospitals, has been considered, and remedial legislation will bo submitted for your consideration. THIRD PARTY RISK. i In view of the largo inereaso of motor traffic and the. number of (accidents which have occurred on the road, it has been considered by my Ministers desirable that all those who own car s should at the same time as thoy pay their annual registration and transfer fees pay lan additional sum sufficient to provide an insurance against what is known as the third party risk. The details and working of this proposal will be set out in the Bill which will be duly ! submitted to you. NEW LEISLATION.

Bill s will also bo submitted to you dealing with municipal corporations, companies, property law, police force, State fire insurance, licensing, cinematograph films, land for settle-i ments, Now Zealand tjhiversity, and other matters. I commend all these matters """to your earnest consideration, and pray that Divine- Providence may so guide your deliberations that the result will ho for the good of the Empire, and of lasting benefit t° fcho people of this Dominion,