PARLIAMENT^ FINAL SESSION OPENS

Chronicle (Levin), 26 June 1946, Page 5

PARLIAMENT^ FINAL SESSION OPENS

-Press Assoclation

COLOURFUL CEREiONY MARKED OCCASION Governor-General's Speech From Ihe Throne

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON^ June 26. The final session of the twenty-seventh Parliament opened with the usual colourful eeremony this afternoon. Public interest in the occasion is being heightened by the fact tha't the Speech from the Throne is being delivered by the recentlyarrived Governor-General, Sir Bernard Freyberg. A nineteen-gun salute heralded Their Excellencies arrival at Parliament Buildings, where a large crowd was assembled (ion the lawns to await their arrival. After inspecting th,e guard of honour, Sir Bernard Freyberg, who was attended by the Chiefs of Staff, was escorted by the Black Rod into the Legislative Council Chamber. He then commanded the Black Rod to summon the House of Representatives. The Speech from the Throne was then handed to Sir Bernard by the Leader of the Legislative Council (Hon. A. McLaglan). The galleries were packed for the occasion.

Honourable Members of the Legislative Council and Members of the House of Representatives. I feel it a great privilege to have this apportunity of adclressing you for the first time in Parliament assembled. I am deeply sensible of the honour conferred upon me by His Majesty the King in enabling me to associate myself as His Majesty 's representative with this Dominion, which has so long and justly prided itself on its traditions of loyalty to the Throne, and its unswerving devotion to the British Commonwealth and the principles of democracy. I have been very much moved by the warmtli oi the welcome everywhere extended to me and to Laay Freyberg. It is rny earnest hope that I may, by God's will, be permitted to assist in some measure the forwarding of the prosperity and I the development of the Dominion. Contribution to Victoi*y I have eome to New Zealand at i the conclusion of a struggle on[ which the fate of the British Com- i monweaith depended, and it is withi great inspiration that I look back! 011 the strength and determination with which the people of this Do- i minion, Maori and Pakeha alike, j engaged in the struggle against! aggression. In the year which has j passed since Parliament last opened, final victory was achieved with I the capitulation of Japan after sixj years of strenuous efiort, anxiety and sacrifice. The people of Ncw ) Zealand gave thanks to Ahnigiity , God and rejoiced that they could j tuni ouce niore to the ways of ! peace. It is fitting on this occasion that ! I should record the undying grati- j tude of the nation towards ail tnose j who fought and worked, and in j diverse ways contributed so selfless- : ly towards the attainment of vic- ' tory. It shall not be forgotten that : for the sake oi their feliow countrymen, and in the cause of freedom ; and justice, so many of the bravest ' of the two races, Maori and Pakeha, ; gave up their lives. It is, I know, ' the" fervent desire of all that the j gratitude of the nation should find.l expression in practical form, and that all possible assistance should , be rendered to those who have re- | turned, and to the dependants of ' those who have fallen. ; To this whole-hearted resolve must be added the pledge that the people of New Zealand will do their utmost to ensure that there will be "no recurrence of the tragedy of war, which has engulfed the world for six long and terrible years. Technically tlie state of war still exists, and it is indeed most disappointing that the annistice regime should be so proionged, and that the final] treaties, which should usher in the state of peace, should still be unde- 1 termined. My Ministers share to ; tlie full the disquiet engendered by ; the la'ck of uhity which has char- i acterised the peopies who were so ' united in the aehievement of a common cause but a few months ago, and because they are convinced that the maintcnance of p.eace ] throughout the world is as vitally ; impcutant as was the aehievement ; of victory. Attaining Lasting Peace i My advisers continue to make 1 their iullest contribution - towards . the attainment oi a just and las-1 ing peace. To this end my Govern-j ment pledged itself to uphold and! carry out the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, wliicli was signed a year ago today. Throughout the period since tlie cessation of hostilities my Ministers have devoted much care and attention to the problems associat- , ed with the conduct of' interna-i tional affairs. My Prime Minister] attended tne first session of the General Assembly of the United j Nations, lield in London in Janu- j ary and February of this year, andi his report will be placed before you at a very early date. , Oue- of the matters to be dis- 1 cussed at the second part of thej first session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, which- is to rneet in New York in September, will pe that of trusteesliip i-n accordance with the pro^visions of the Charter of the United Na-tions. It is necessary for New Zealand, after discusion with the "states directly concerned," to submit a trusteeship agreement, which will replace the League mandate for Western Samoa. This document will be placed before you at as early a date as negotiations with the other states permit. Prime Ministers' Conference My Minister of Finance, the" Rt. Kon. Walter Nash, represented New Zealand at the conference of Prime Ministers recently held in London, at which were discussed problems relating to the international situation, the proposed peace treaties,

British Commonwealth relations and defence and the advantages to be derived from co-opera.tion on economic and welfare matters in ihe South Pacific, and in Southeast Asia. Mr. Nash is at present engaged in discussions on fhiancial questions, and on the prices of New Zealand products. On his way back to this country it is ancicipa.ted that he will conclude with the United States Government a final settlement covering outstanding lend-lease and reciprocal-aid transactions, upon which agreement in principle has been reacned, and the drafting of which is nearly complete. Mr. Nash .will also continue discussions with th'e United States authorities on the mutual use of island bases in accordance ' with my Government's desire to be tiosely assoeiated with the Government of the United States and other Commonwealth Governments. Famine Tragedy In the responsibility for defence in the Pacific there is one problem, ihe seriousness of which has never oeased to cause deep concern to my Government, and the deepening hadows of which have long suggested the inexorable approach of cata.stroplie. Following close on the privations of war, one of the worst Lamines in history is threatening with starvation hundreds of millions of human beings in India, in China, in Eiu'ope and in almost every corner of the globe. By good fortune our country has escaped this culminating disaster, but for no nation is there any escape from the responsibility to save human lives. In spite of the drought, which has seriously impaired New Zealand production, and 'al-though New Zealand has not hers.elf sufficient pereals for her own ye.qulrements, the fullest measure of assistance is ' being oflered to the distressed countries. The extraction rate in the manufacture of flour has been Increased in order to reducC wheat importation, and my Government has recently- ealled for a national campaign, which, by encouraging increased production, the saving of fats, the voluntary surrender of coupons for rationed foodstuffs and the elimination of waste, aims at augmenting food experts to the United Kingdom, so that they may be used to relieve the present distress and provide for • even greater assistance next season, when the ' crisis will still be severe. Response to UNRRA's Appeal My Government has also taken a. full share in the work of the United Nations Relitf and Rehabilitation Administration. ahd has participated in all the principal meetings of its Council. and its Far Eastern Committee, when it became apparent that the resources of the a.dministration based on the initial contributions of memtoer countries would be totally inadequate for the programme to which the administration was committed. My Government. in response to an urgent appeal from the Council, felt New Zealand could do no less than make another contribution comparable"1 to its first, and it is proposed to submit to Parliament at an early date the legislation necessary for this to be authorised. » My Government has also participated fully ih the work of the Food and Agriculture Organisation. and has been invited to accept membership of the International Emergency Food Council, whose' establishment was recommended at a special meeting on urgent food problems, which the organisation has just held in Washington. Part In Japanese Occupation In the Far East New Zealand has contimued and further dev-eloped its association with the other nations intimately concerned in ensuring that Japan does not again menace the peaee of the world. From the time of the first meeting on Octobqr 30 last, New Zealand has been among the nations represented on the Far Eastern Commission. When that body paid a brief visit to Japan in January. the New Zealand delegat'ion, led by Sir Carl Berendsen, had a valuable opportunity to acquire first-hand impressions of the cquntry, and of the o.ccupation machinery. Since that time Sir Carl Berendsen, as a memher of the Commission and chairman of its steerfng committee, has continued to ' give vigorous expression to th.e views of my Government. It is a'source of particular prid-e that New Zealand was -able to respond so speedily to the c-all for a force to assist in the garrisonihg" of Japan. This foyee is both a symbol of Commonwealth solidarity and an earnest of the sincerity of . the efforts of this country for world security. The New Zealand

Brigafie, fotalling some iOO.O, in association wirh a squadrori of the Royal New Zealand Air Fprce; has assumed important respons.ibilities in its section of the British Comri.onwealth occupation zone. The bearing. ahd efficiency of the troops has.won high praise, and my Ministers are a.nxious to. do everytfung possible for their. welfare. ; The first draft of volun.teer re-' placements has . already landed at Kure, and with the despatch of another contingent from New Zealand next month, it will be possible for the last of .those who served with the 2nd N.Z.E.F. in the central Mediterranean for.c.e to return home. Defence Problenis The resp.onsibilities which New Zealand bears as a Sovereign State in the comity of' nations, and in particular the obligations which nave been assumed und^r the Jnited Nations Charter, necessitate the creation of an eifective defence system. My Ministers are devoting the closest attention to wider questions of defence policy, and it is their intention at a very early date to constitute a new co.uneil of defence. Whole-hearted support will, I am sure, be gtven to the' annoimcement of New Zealand 's willingness to accept a greater proportion of responsibility in the sphere of British Commonwealth defence than has been acceptec hitherto. The interim army, which has been set up, will form tne basis of a post-war force, and in the meantime it is being utilised in servicing and maintaining war-like stores, and recruiting and training volunteers. Untii the basis of the post-war air force is established, an interim air force has been formed, and in the navy- there has been an increased rate of recruicing for continuous service personnel. Civil Avlation , A civil aviation conference was held in Wellington during February and March, at wnich the Governments of tht United Kingdom, Australia, Fiji and New Zealand were represented. The conference considered the establishment of British Trans-Pacific air services, and the organisation of grouna i'acilities in British territories in the South Pacific area. The Governments concerned have since agre.ed to the recommendations of the conlerence for the establishment oi a South Pacific Air Transport Council and British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines. During last year a tele-ccmmuni-cations conference was neld in London, at which all tht Go.v ernmencs of the British Commonwealth were represented, and unammous agreement has been reached in regard to its recommendations for the oetcer ordering and strengthening' of the tele-communication services of the, British . Commonwealth anct Empire. Mr. Speaker and members of the House of .Representatives. The; considerable sacrifices which have oeen made during the six years of' war have enabled the financial system of New Zealand to bear tne strain in an eminently sucCessful manner, and the new problems in the transition fr.om war to peace can be faced with the fullest conridence. Satisfactory Finaiices It is a so-uree of much satisfaction that the whole of the obliga-' tions under the memorandum of security, amounting to £60,834,000, have oeen paid in full. This poiicy, and the further reduction of overseas indebtedness by £29,250,000 during the 'last financial year, have substantially reduced the obligation to pay interest charges on the external debt, with consequem; relief from taxation both present and prospective. Tne impending reduction in war expendhure, however, justified the Government last session in passmg legislation to re.duce the: National Security Tax, and taxatioii both direct and indirect is at present being reviewed, with the object of affording further reiief as circumstances permit. In particular it is intended that there snouid be considerable reductions in the Saies Tax on certain commoaities. It is satisfactory to note tliat in spite of the heavy and necessary demands which have been made on the State's purse from all quarters, the Consolidated FunQ for the last financial year closed with a surpius of receipts over expenditure of £1,254,000. This is in line with the equaliy satisfactory position wnich has been maintained during the whole of the war ye.ars. In the Bocial Security Fund, although the expenditure exceeded receipts by some £674,000, this was pi;ovided' from the cash resources in the fund at the beginning of the financial year. With the V/ar Expenses Account the expenditure exceeded the receipts by £6,000,000, but' when account is taken of the fact tnat War Loans were redeemed by £27,500,000 it will be appreciated. that the results are satisfactory. It is the earnest conviction of my advisers that the economic conditions obtaining in New Zealand, as in other countries in the imm^diate post-war years, will make the continuance of economic stabilisation a vital factor in the successful transition from war-t\me to normal peace-time economy. To this end th,e work of the Economic Stabilisation Commission is being fully maintained, but mndiftcations of ^ome aspects of stabilisation are under .consideration in order tojmsure adequate fiexibility in meeting changes in employment, and in promoting the expansion of production. Rehabilitation Progress Over 156,000 men and women have now returned to New Zf^land, ! X r

or.have- been. dischargfd frnm aervic'e with the how,e ^orces, and by far the' niost oi these have settled "back into .civilian life. The task of rehabilitation has in the* last year been- one of .paramount urgency, andin spite of many post-war difiiculties it has. proceeded with encouraging smoothness: The machinery set-up under the Rehabilita-. tion Act has proved a soimd basis for the very considerable amount of work which has been ac.eomplished in this important field. My Government propose.s in the; coming year to .pro.secute that task' with the utmost vigour,. believing that its sue.cessf ul f.ulfilment is vital to the economic prosperity and social well-being of the c.ount.ry as a whole. It is felt indeed that wt work of rehabilitation will continue steadily for the next five to ten years, and will not be .concluded untii eyery sjerviceman and servieewoman — Maori and Pakeha alike — has obtaine.d whatever assistance he or she might neqd towards reestabfishment. During the year under review much aptention has been devoted. by my, Ministers to the task of settling ex-servicemen on the land, and experience indicates that a total of 8000 men, including 2000. already settled, will seek rehabilitation on fariiis of their own. Almost a quarter of a million acr.es of land are being developed for the settlement of servicem'en, ' and my Government expects that land settlement of ex-servicemen will result in an eventual investment of more than £50,000,000 of public moneys. In other fields of rehabilitation there has been steady development, and particularly in that of trade and occupational traiping for some form of Which more than 7000 exservicemen or ex-servicewomen have to date been approved. During the year employment 'surveys have been made wth the object of discovering possible openings for suita.ble ex-service personnel in all other industrial fields, and it is heartening to know that there is almost an entire absence of unemployment among ex-servicemen in this country. The housing of ex-servicemen ir also a matter of special concern to my Government, and considerable progress has been made. Despite shortages of building materials and labour, some 16,000 ex-servicemen have been hous.ed already, not only in State rental dwellings but in houses built or purchased by the ex-servicemen with the assistance oi rehabilitation loans. Importance of Primary Industry The importance of farming- maustries in the Dominion 's economy h.as always been fully appreciated by my Government, and great credit is due to the primary ' produce, who, during the war, maintained output at the highest level. Food in the post-war period will undo.ubtedly occupy a place no less important than it did, and a new drive for production is now being organised by my Government, in collaboration with the f armers' representatives, to"assi'St in ' Supplying the world '.3 much-neede.d food requirements. My Ministers are determined to assist the farmer ih every way possible by ' giving incentives and eneouragement to increase production still further, and it is anticipated that a resumption of supplies of phosphates from Nauru in the coming year wfil materiafiy assist towards this end. « My Government considers the further development of the land resources of the Dominion to be of ■ paramount importance, and they will pursue an active policy of land improvement and settlement whx.ie scope remains. They regard it as their first responsibility to provide for the sqttlement of ex-serticemen and the whole of the land and material resources available to the Lands and S.urvey ~ Department must meanwhile b,e concentrated towards that end. When the needs of rehabilitation ha/e been met those same resources will be devoted to the development and improvement of the remaining suitable land for the settlement of those to who.m the benefits of the Rehabili-i tation Act have not been available. Industilal Development i My advisers propose to continue a vigorous policy of industrial de- . velopment. Reconversion from war to peacetime production has proceeded smoothly, and in spite of. the demobilisation of 80,000 persons from the armed forces between VJDay and May, 1946, full employment has been maintained, with adequate choice of work over a wide range of occupatiuns, for rehabilitated servicemen. Immigration Scheme The question of immigration has been "under consideration by my , Ministers ' for some time, and it ! is anticipated that the report of the Parliamentary Committee on population, appointed last year, will be available early in the session. Meanwhile, my Government has mitiated arrangements in the United Kingdom for the selection of 200 nurses for mental hospitals, and inquiries are being made as to the possibility of obtaining 1000 young, single men and women for work in New Zealand. One of the chief difficulties at present being encountered is that of shipping. There are, in additi'on to the prospective immigrants, ov-er 8000 people with claims to passage to New Zealand registered with the High Commissioner's office in London, and this factor, together with that of housing in New Zealand, must be taken into consideration in any plans made for the reception of immigrants. Reruoval of Controls My Government regarded it as of prime importance to remove as quicklv as nossible the controls over manpower, under which labour was mobilised for the Dominion's industrial war effort. It was a source of considerable satisfaction, therefore, when it was possible to remove the ■last of these controls during the year.

' My MihisfaT l^riPPly a.hd the 'various supply- controllers have been progressively relaxmg the control m^asures .which were ne,eess,ary during the war to maximize the Dominion's prod,hctioh and ensure. equitable distribution ,of 'available bssential supplies. Thirty-foqr wartime controls over industrial materials were revoked wi'thin a f.ew weeks of the end of the war, and only six now remain. My ad.viser.s will r.evoke the remaining wartime> controls affecting trade and industry as soon as th.e supply position wiljl permit. National Develo.^fnefit .. v .. After a comprehensivq investigation Qf the whole resources Qf the Dominion, my Ministers have -prepared bo.th immediate. and longrange programmes of national development. These detailed and comprehensive pla.ns, co-ordinated by th.e Ministry ' of Works, are" now being -pushe.d ahe.a.d by the various Dep'artments of State. Th^se scjhemes, including as 'they do proje.cts for the supply of increased electric energy,, irrigation and land development, improved communieations by road,-' rail and air, have b.e.en well advanced in order that public works gnnerally can be exe,cuted accordliig to national, regional and industrial priority, and with due regard to the economicemployment of available resources in labour and* materials. ■ , House Building During the pas.t y.ear my Ministers have prnsecute.d their house-buil'd-ing programme, which remains fhe first priority to the utmost extent ■permitted by the supply of manpower and materials, and it is pleasin'g to record that 21,000 State rental houses have now been cona* pleted and tenanted. With the mcreasing supply of labour and building materials, my Ministers propose to. use every endeavour to meet the urgent needs of the private housing situation. Furthering Education Mv Government intends in the post-war perio.d to devote the nt-. mo^t attention to the fulfi.lment of the aims of their education policy by further provision of the best possible facihties. Many circumstances, mcluding an increased birtiirate, have increased the rollsi of Students In the schools, and have | 'contributed to the need for more , ! teachers and buildings. The selec- ; i tion and training of a sufficient i , number of teachers is recognised as ' the prime essential of education, 1 and steps are being taken to ensure 1 ; that requirements are fully met. A, j Vigorous building programme is to be instituted to overtake wartime j arrears and thus provide much im- | proved accommodation for primary, i intermediate, secondary and univer- , sity educatioli. Pursuant to the re- j i commendatipns of the Ministerial ( conference on education, held in 'Christchurch in October, 1944/ con- : 1 sultative committees were set up ro I report upon the education of the p're-school child and adult educa- j tion. Their reports should be received shortly, and it is expected that substantial developments will 1 f ollow in both these important fields. ' ' I In the field of social security negotiations will be earried out to1 extend the reciprocity of pensions and benefits to other members of the British Commonwealth. Valii dating legislation will be introduced in the course of the session to give effect? to certain increases now being paid to widows with dependent children, and to wives of disabled soldiers. 'Affairs of Maori People I I The afiairs of my Maori people! have again received special care and attention. I am happy. to record; tne final settlement oi the long- ; standing claim of tne Waikato ! tribes for the redress of. their grie-v- ; ances regarding the connscation of j their lands, foiiowing upon the j Maori wars of the 'sixties. • Steps; are being taken to bring abo.ut tne j settlement of other outstanding Maori ciaims. The improVfcment of ' health among the Maori peopie and ; provision of adequate housing" wifi continue to occupy a promment I place in the administration of Maori • I'afiairs., The development and set- j =vtiement of Native lands is also re- j ceiving close attention, and active ! steps will be taken to maintain the highest level of production _ from farming and horticultural activities. I The welfare of New Zealand's island dependencies and the mandated territory of the Western Samoa receives the constant attention of my Ministers. The visit to New Zealand in October last of • three high chiefs of Samoa, with their wives, gave warm evidence of ! ithe goodwill of the people of New ! Zealand, whose guests they were. It is the hope of my Ministers to in- . troduce during this session measures to enable the people of the Cook Islands to be more closely assoeiated in the Government of tiiose islands, through the formation of a i council representative of both the northern and the lower groups. • Scholarships provided by my Government are now enabling thirtyfour young people, twenty-seven from Samoa, five from the Cook ; Islands and two from Niue to at'tend secondary schools in New Zealand. With a view to implementing one of the main recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee which investigated the local government system, legislation will be brought before you during the present session for the purpose of setting up a permanent commission to review certain phases of local government. It is also proposed to lay before you legislation to consolidate the Factories Act, 1921-22, and its amendments. Other legislative measures reldte to workers' comI pensation, apprentjlces, Nassella Tussock Trustee Law, land laws, soil conservation, stock foods, stock remedies, veterinary services and the establishment pf a New Zealand Geographic Board. All these matters I commend to your careful consideration, and I pray for Divine gqidance in your deliberations.