The Wanganui Chronicle. “NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1924. THE GOVERNOR’S SPEECH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19048, 27 June 1924, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. “NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1924. THE GOVERNOR’S SPEECH

One very regrettable fact in connection with the Speech with which His Majesty’s representative yesterday opened the Parliamentary session is that, in the ordinary course of events, it was the last occasion on which His Excellency Admiral of the Fleet Lord Jellicoe will officiate in that capacity in this Dominion. No more distinguished son of the Empire than Lord Jellicoe has ever held vice regal office in New Zealand, and it is no reflection upon the many able and estimable men of high Imperial standing who have preceded him in that office to say that not one of them succeeded in so quickly and so completely winning his way to the hearts of the people. The regret which His Excellency expressed at the severance which his approaching departure renders inevitable will be reciprocated whole-heartedly and unanimously by the citizens of every class. It must have afforded His Excellency no little satisfaction to know that his concluding pre-sessional utterance was one in which he was able not only to look back upon a record of substantial legislative and administrative achievement attained by the Parliament of the country in years, of unprecedented stress and strain, but to forecast, on behalf of his ministers, a full and progressive programme of legislative work for the months ahead. The altered aspect of Imperial policy relative to inter-Empire trade consequent on the accession to power of a Labour Government in Great Britain, the recent visit of the special service squadron of the Royal Navy, and the opening of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, are subjects to which tactful and fitting allusion was expected to be made. Concerning those matters His Excellency, speaking for the Gov-

ernment, said no more and no less than the circumstances and import of each required. It is, of course, in what may be termed its domestic features that the Speech affords its greatest interest to the people of the Dominion, and from this point of view even the severest critics of the Government must admit that it is far from a barren utterance. _ To begin with, it gives us the assurance that very satisfactory progress has been made for the relief of soldier settlers by the revaluation board and committees which were established by the legislation of ' last session, and that as a result of the generous concessions which have been made in rent, interest, etc., the majority of the discharged soldiers settled on the land will be enabled to look forward to success with renewed hope. Then, in relation to the much-discussed ending of the moratorium, it is shown that in addition to having already facilitated through the Advances Department the financial readjustments which the withdrawal pf that protective law will render necessary, the Government i« providing a further legislative safeguard for borrowers whose circumstances may require a further temporary extension of the period of grace. In the matter of prospective legislation, there are to be measures to consolidate the land laws and simplify land titles by bringing them all under the provisions of the Land Transfer Act, to constitute a fruit export control board, and to deal with a variety of important matters several of which are specifically enumerated by His Excellency. The fact that there is to be a thorough investigation of the national railway service by highly competent experts is confirmed, as is also the re- ‘ cently published announcement that the taxation commission in a unanimous report with persumably recommendations which will afford a basis for an equitable readjustment of the incidence of our national taxes. Incidentally, and probably one of the most pleasing announcements of the Speech, is the promise of a further measure of relief in our present heavy burden of taxation. On the whole, the Speech may be said to foreshadow a continuance of sound progressive policy in regard to practically every aspect of our national life.