THE POLITICAL YEAR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1945, 31 December 1913, Page 4

THE POLITICAL YEAR.

A RECORD SESSION; DEVELOPMENTS IN PARLIAMENT. NEW LEGISLATION. Developments 'within and "outside Parliament combined'to make the past year an maiiy irespec'ts a notable one from ths political" standpoint,' .In the early months of , the year Ministers-of the. Crown.: were engaged-for the most .part, in.acquainting! themselves, 'at first' hand, !Wtth"the 'needs' of'the ; "people in 'town unct-country;- in"getting into closer touch ;with tho'att'aifs of their respective Departments thin had beon possible in the ■busy days 'of. the -. 1912 . session (which in progress when they took offico), und in fornutlating heavy'legislative programmo which they afterwards submitted to Parliament, 'j.'i'lio' Hon. Jas. Allen (Ministcr.of Financ.e and Defence) .was. absent from,.December, 1912, until Juno last on-a mission/to London, where hc'\j-as successful'in.loaiuiaising operations, ,ahd. also'conferred!'.'with the Admiralty;. authorities on the subject of Jiav^l e j-defence. The Hoii. I l '. M. B. nf Cnstprrs) spent some .weeks.iii .Ail jtralia, where he- conferred

wildf. £ltb,. Commonwealth. Government iippnj matters. of reciprocal,trade,' penreciprocity, • and other subjects. Tho .•Parliamentary session opened on Jurilj'.26 'and. terminated on December

15:;,Iii,:tlib,.:iiuttcr„of,duration it exceeded;, a]j, previous records by a fortn tgJrt>, fiiid it was - remarkable for the spirit of party rancour- displayed.by the memhers,'who, sit .in Opposition iu t : ho ] [q.u?e,' l ,of ..Representatives, and .. the nn;ount oi: timo they wasted. This was iiot'liy'ahy means the. only source of om-. liarrassment to tho Government, as the sessionits course.- "Soon after Par-: liament assembled ail. epidemic of small-' pds broke'oiit amongst' tho Maoris -in the north;.! which necessarily engaged the close' attention of Ministers and gave rise 'to, a.good deal cf talk in /tho Honso .".nil to'a spirit of unrest and uneasiness wl'iclLrfoinid an outlet in a temporary, vaocinatioi. .boom. More serious impedinieuts. :\yere offered to tho progress o£ tlie session's .\s ; ork'..'by. events arising out of the..strike of'.watorsiders and others .which' Was' flcelaretl on .October 22 and had not ended when Parliament prorogued.. The ,Hon..W. F. Jlassey (Prime Miiust.er)'oxei'ted himself ,in tho early stageS - ,d!f tlio dispute to promoto a'settlemeiit,. byt his good offices w'ere.withoiit lawlessness to 'which a scctTnii'of .'the. strikersresorted made it necessary "to organiso. corps of special constables "at tlio principal ports .to reitiforce. .tho regular police. Tlicso .and gther. firm measures taker, by the Government to maintain law and order were v/a.rmly /approved bv a majority in l'arlia'i.nent 'and ,by the mass of people throughoufc'fliq wraiitry, but v. ere made' the pretext for numerous attacks upon tlni Administration by the Opposition, minority; in tho House of Representatives.- 'To ..an oxtent, tlio. Leader ot the Opposition- (Sir Joseph Ward) was identified witli tlieso liarrassinp; tactics. ..The story of the. session in ■brief, is that the Government .was op-1 posed by .'every .obstacle that untoward circumstances could raise. or political animosity invent, but, in tho end, triumphed over all difficulties, and placed upon tlie. Statute Book a legislative programme wliieli lias seldom ' been equalled either in regard to the number of "Acts passed or their individual importance, in the history of New Zealand. The.Legislative Council did not came into conflict with .tho Government except over the Bill intended to reform its own constitution. Thisr measure ifras thrown out after extended deibate, but tho r'ost of the session's legislative programme was passed by the Council alter fair and reasonable discussion.' :

\ . Changes in House and Council.

Three sitting members of the Legislature were ;removed by death, during (tho year, •' Sir Arthur Guinness, Speaker of the Houso of Representatives, ; died at'Greymouth on Juno 10, tlio an.iiiversaiy of-Mr. Seddoii's death in 1906. . Tho late Speaker had boon a. member of Parliament for 29"years, and ' had filled the Speaker's Chair for ten years. 'Another : 'political veteran was lost in . [tho person' of ; Sir WmV Russell, who didd'at-liis homo in, Hawko's Bay oil' September 24. His connection with political life dated back to 1870, Tvhen he entered tho Hawko's Bay : Provincial Cotmcil!' He was a Minister in" the ('Atkinson Government in ' 1884, and! • again took offico'-from 1839 •' to 1891. 'Subsequently ho became Leader of'tho .Opposition, an offico in which ho was ■succeeded "By tho present Primo Minister .(the'Hon. W, P. Massey).. After •a., lengthyabsence from political life, •tho.'tetft'Sir ,Wm..,PvU?sell..was called to •the Legislative; GWnoilat tho beginning of' last." session, , .ldss .! than , thrcb .months (before his "cfoatli." Mr. Geo. Laurensoii tliedviii Wellington on November 19, after attending to" his Parliamentary duties,'"in spite' of failing health, during ..the greater part of tho.scssion. He' was '■first elected in ;1899, and continucOo represent that Seat up to tho,-timo,of,Jils,.death. Five.now called to tho. (Upper House, at.'.tlio'-beginning of last session. Thejd 'woro:.. Sir Wm. Russell" (since. deceased)., ' Messrs, John Duthic,' r C:, ; ;A;'C-..Tlardy, W. Earnshaw, and;;s\,. G.;;Nicholls.' Mr.. Earnshaw is a Labour .representative,- and Mr. Nicholls',a J; roprese.ntiitivoof, tlio Native race. Oiji .Qitober Bi"Sir'*"\Vm. Hall-Jones, late; Higlr'Commissipnbr for New Zealand, vrtiS' -tli« Upper Hoiiso. The tor'ih' 'for/which'twelvo' sitting members of'.'tho i'Cp.uncil' were appointed expires in next, 'and it 13 understood thijt'llic (jtowrfrimclnt does riot intend to niakrvany'-'ntiw appointments until shortly 'beforo'.'iiext'session, 'with tho -exception that reappointment will be offered to the two "representatives of Labour —" Messrs,. "Pauljand Barr—who arc ircludcil" in the list of members -whoso term is about to expiro. . ' . Tho New Speaker. • • Wiioii; Parliament assembled, . at the end. of.June, Mr. I*'.. \X. Lang,'! member for Manuka,"• was elected unopposed as Spon'kcr. of tlio House of Representatives,.'nnd Mr. A. S. Malcolm, member foivClulha, was fleeted to ibo uihco of Chairman of Committees. . . . ..Til? By-Elactions.. Two by-elections were held during the ,V,eav. both of them in elector!tes that -had been Liberal strongholds for n irug tf-rm,of .years. Tlio Grey beat, rendered vacant by tlio "death of' Sir Ari'nrr Guinness, bad not been contested bv anv ;

one directly opposed to the Liberal party for about twenty years. The Tieform candidate was Mr. Michel, v.lio came in at tho last moment to contest an unexpected vacancy in an electorate never before contested by his- paity. Nevertheless, he headed the first ballot poll, and put up a good tight in the second ballot. The election figures were First Ballot. Michel (Reform) 1 21$) AVebb (Lab.-Sotr.) '2091 Hannan (L.) yj'39 Second Ballot. Webb 3133 Michel 27(i3 Tho Lyttelton by-election was the last to be held under the operation' of the Second- Ballot law. At the last general election the late Mr. G. Lauren- • son defeated his'opponent, an Inde- - pendent Liberal, by moro than two . thousand votes. At the by-election tho Liberal candidate was badly beaten on tho first ballot, and a Social Democrat wa.s returned at the head of the second ballot, beating tho Government candidate by 226 votes. The po'ling details were:— First Ballot. •T. M'Combs (Social Democrat) .., 2075 r M. J. Miller (Reform) 1560 J. B. Laurenson (Liberal) 922 Dr. Thicker (Independent Liberal) 273 .W.'-jßadcJiffe (Independent Libera!) H2 ■ Second Ballot. •T. M'Combs (Social Democrat) ... 2623 M. J. Miller (Reform) 2402 Majority for M'Combs 226 Obstruction antf tha Remedy. . In the obstruction which they practised freely all through the session the Opposition party ill tho House of Representatives seemed to ho guided rather by a desire to harrass the occupants of tlio Treasury benches than to take a stand upon any definite policy issue. Obstruction was bv no means confined to tho occasions on which it gathered head and led to continuous sittings. It was indulged in intermittently all through the session, except in tho closing days, much time being wasted from day.to day in unreasonably protracted discussionsoil, matters of minor importance. One of tho first- big measures held up was tho Pensions Bill, which tho Opposition blocked from 2 a.m. until 7 a.m. .on the ■ morning of Saturday, August 3. Tho Laud Bill was obstructed from the night of Friday, October 10, until midnight on Saturday. Another exploit of tho kind was the obstruction of the Estimates from Friday, September 12, until 3 a.m. on September 17 The House sat continuously for that period, save for the Sunday ibreak. T)ie;.big obstruction-,d<v .'bato'-ofthe session, however, was "upon the Government's proposal to Vopeal the Second Ballot Act. The Opposition took the unusual course of blocking tho motion for loavo to introduce the Second Ballot Repeal Bill, moved by tlio Hon.. F- JI. 13. Fisher, on Friday, November 7.. TJiij, Government met what it deemed to lie unfair obstruction by something in tlio nature of a stratagem. When' the House about to go into Committeo on tho Legislature Amendment Bill on Tuesday, November 18, it v;as made known that a clause repealing tho Second Ballot would bo added to this measure. Tho .obstruction that immediately ensued was maintained until 6.40 a.m. next day, when news arrived of tho death of Mr. G. Laurenson, M.P., and a truco was called. Tho House mot onWednesday afternoon only to adjourn as a mark of respect to the memory of tho late member. On the follcwing'day hostilities.wero resumed, and tho Hous'o sat continuously until tho following Saturday at. midnight, very little progress being made.

Ropeal of the Second Ballot. Oil Monday there was a dramatic development. Mr. A. S. Malcolm (Chairman of Committee) pointed out that iii -past years tho Standing Orders had on occasion been set aside in order to free tho House from a deadlock' and cnablo business to proceed, and intimated that whilo he did not propose to at once take this extreme .step ho would henceforth use to tlio fullest extent his wide powers under the Standing Orders to keep discussion within reasonable bounds. This decision ho carried into effect to such good purlioso that at 3.30 a.m. on Thursday, November 27, the> Bill, with the Second Ballot Repeal clause incorporated, was road a third time by 33 votea to 19. Tho action taken by tho Chairman was subsequently endorsed by thn Speaker. The Bill was passed by tho Legislative Council after a singfo afternoon's discussion. Tlio New Naval Policy. One of tho most important policy departures of tlio session related to naval defence. The Government announced a. new policy under which a system of training New Zealand men anil officers for naval service will bo substituted for tho system of an annual money-con-tribution. whicli has hitherto obtained. Tho naval agreement of 1909, under which two Bristol cruisors and some small craft were to have been stationed in Now Zealand, waters, having boon broken by tho Imperial Government, it is proposed to ask Parliament noxt yoar to_ authoriso.tho acouisition by the' Do-, minion of a. Bristol cruiser, estimated, to cost £400,000. Now Zealand recruits aro to bo trained oil board H.M.S. Philomel, which lias been sent to tho Dominion for that purpose. An Act governing training conditions was passed towards tlio end of tho session.. Any fighting ships acquired by Now -Zealand ire to bo absolutely at tho dis-' p'osal,.of the Admiralty ill timo of war. The now policy is opposed ill tho House by a minority led by . Sir J. Ward. Labour Disputes. In view of tlio strike at the end of the year,and tlio industrial unrest which has-prevailed for sonic time past, much fiigmficanco .attaches to the Labour Dispute.s Investigation Act, which was passed just beforo tho end of tlio •session. Tlio clauses it contains woro fiercely denounced by tho Opposition members and their newspapers, and also by the extreme Labour .section of the community when they were first brought down in tho aid Voillcr. Cast:— Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, but' there was no corresponding outcry in the House when tho Labour Disputes Investigation Bill Mine u)i for consideration. It provides for the secret ballot mid compulsory conferences prior to strikes, and the legal enforcement of agreements onterd into by unregistered unions. Tlicro was a deal of wild and mischievous general talk about tho strike during tlio lebatcs on the Bill, but tho second read- ; iny was carried by o4 votes to <1, tlio third reading oil tlio voices, and when the Bill was considered in Committee,

clause by clause, not a singlo division was called for even by the l, Rcd Feds" in tlio House. In the. legislative Council the second reading was carricd by 17 votes to 1.

The Reform Bill. The Reform.Bill, which aims at altering the constitution- of the Legislative Council by substituting election of members under the system of proportional representation for the present nominativo system, was again submitted to-tlni Council during the session: and again rejected, as it had been in the previous year. The Bill was road a second time by 21 votes to 12 on August 1, and subsequently was referred to a Special Con:niittce. This body presented its report ,on September 12, and recommended that members of the- Council should in future be elected by a ballot of both branches of the Legislature. 'Hie Hon. H. D. Bell, on behalf of the Government, declined to accept this 'recommendation. On October 1 the Council came to a division on the clause of tho Bill providing fdr the election of members. The first issue put was simply that the Council should be elected. This proposal was carried bv 20 votes to 10,' A: second vote was taken • upon a proposal that the Council should be elected upon tho ordinary Parliamentary franchise. This was negatived by 14 votes to 13. Mr. Bell then indicated that he would not proceed further with the Bill. The Council did not express an opinion upon the proportional representation proposal, and no attempt was made to- move to embody the recommendations of tho Special Committee in tho Bill. Commissioner Control. _ One of the events of tho year was tlio presentation of the first report of tho Public Service Commissioner (Mr. D. Robertson). 'Phis document threw ft great deal of light upon tho workings of the Public Service and showed that even at that early stage, seven months after taking office, tho Commissioners had seen their way. to institute economies totalling something like £47.000 a year, and this mainly through tlio introduction of business-like methods and system. Attempts by tho Opposition to cast discredit upon tho system of Commissioner control began at an early stage in tlio session, but tliey did not ] gather much weight or volume. There was a great deal of talk about Parliament having delegated all financial, control to the Commissioners, . so far as salaries in the Public Service were concerned, but subsequent developments showed that tliis was mere searc-mou-gering. While tho Departmental Estimates wore under review an opinion obtained by Sir Joseph Ward from Sir John Findlay and Mr. C. 'P.- Skerrott, supporting tho Opposition view of the matter, .was controverted, by an .opinion obtained by tho Government-from.;.-t he Solicitor-General. It was demonstrated that while tho allocation of salaries.by tho : Public Servico Commissioners involved a statutorv contract with the officers concerned, Parliament retained an undiminished power to refuse to vote, any single item on the Estimates or oven the whole amount asked for.

Tha Opposition Leader. The Opposition' party began the year without a loader, and for the first-''two months of thn session its domestic affairs remained under the control of tlio ''Committee of Public Safety," consisting of live senior members of tlio party, which v.-as set up soon after tlio defeat of tlio Mackenzie Government in 1912 Jiarly in tlio session it was made known that the leadership would be offered to sir Joseph Ward, but although lie arrived in Wellington, oil'his return from a visit to the Old Country, on August 4. it was not until September 11', more than a month later, that his election to tho position of Leader of tiio Opposition' was formally announced in the House. Go.mmittoo Inquiries,

A number of inquiries v.ero conducted during the session by special committees or tlio House of Representatives. Two or tlio most important referred to charges against Ministers of tho Orown emanating from tho Opposition. Early in the session statements reflecting upon the Hon. 1\ M. B. Fisher (Minister of Marine) were made by a number of Oppositionists in reference to appointments OTiich had beeir mado to tlio Wcstport Harbour Board. A committee was set up, and after lengthy inquiry reported exonerating tho Minister of all blame in tho matter. Beforo the Wcstport Inquiry Committee had reported another similar body was set up to inquire into allegations made against tho Hon. Jas. Allen (Minister of Education) in connection with tha appointment of Mr. T. Boyd Garlick as Director of Physical Education. The report of tlio committee, which was presented on September 25, was to tho effect that the appointment had been made by the Minister after inquiry and iii good faith, and that tho salary of £600 a year attaching to tlio position was hot excessive, but that, without reflesting-upon tho qualifications of Mr. Royd Garlick, tlio committee was of opinion that it would have been advisable to invite applications for the position both within and outside the Dominion.

Some of tho Legislation. In all 103. public Acts were finally passed during tho session* and ono measure (tho Shipping and Seamen Amendment Bill) was reserved for tho lloyal assent. Several of tho Acts passed inr volvo policy departures of the first importance. _ Others arc designed to consolidate, improve, and' sunplomcnt previously existing legislation. The Land Act of this year contains the second instalment of tho Government's freehold policy. It confers upon Crown tenants of leaee-in-pernetuitv settlement lands tlm right of acquiring the freehold which was granted to lense-in-perpetuity tonants of ordinary Crown lands in tho previotis year, and makes besides many imnortant amendments in the • existing law. The Native Lanjl Act is a comprehensive measure, which alms at clearing up tlie titles of Native.lands and promoting their profitablo occupation either by tho llaori owners or by whito settlors. It merges Maori l.nnd Boards in tho Native and Courts, which arc to bo increased in number. Tho Pensions Act reduces tho pension age for women from Go to CO vears. abolishes the property qualification in the caso of military pensions, and exempts the home (to tho value of £.110) of an applicant for a widow's pension from computation as an asset', besides incorporating ninny minor concessions ind improvements ttpitu the existing law. flic Tensions Reciprocity Act pnniden hat residence in the Commonwealth shall qualify fo'r an old ago pension in ho Dominion and vice, versa. The :ir'angeinent will eomo into force as soon !». a similar Act has been passed in Uistraiiu. Tho Government- -Railways Vmendment Act confers increases in .alary upon members of tho First Diri-

sion, and increases to school- teachers are granted in the Education Amendment Act. Tlic latter measure is an instalment of reform to be supplemented next.year. The annual taxing: Act amended the graduation scale of.''the income tax, and increased it in the higher grades. Another Act 'granted increased income tax .exemptions :to .people with families. The judicatur'Amendment Act pros-ides for the appointment of an additional Judge of the buprcme Court, and tho Magistrates' Courts Amendment Act extended the jurisdiction of Magistrates, and raised the salaries of senior Magistrates in the principal centres to £800' a year. Other Acts passed during the session renew the arrangement between the State and the Bank of New Zealand, provide for the constitution of a Board of Agriculture, and bring local elections and' polls into line to a great extent, with Parliamentary elections. A Copyright Act ■Was passed which brings the New Zealand "law-on the subject into lino wiiis that of Great Britain and a number of European countries. The legislation governing the Police Force was revised and brought up to date, and a special Act was passed giving the police extended powers in connection with oftences usually associated with periods ol industrial disorder. Provision was. made for the removal within a limited period of tho dangerous side-step on tramway carriages. The cost per mile of railways which may be constructed, under certain conditions, by local bodies, or private individuals, was . increased from £'iSOOO to £10,000. " Important amendments wero made in the INibHc Trust Office Act. Two Acts which break new. ground deal respectively witii tho State encouragement' "of the "fruit* preserving industry and with lh« branding of shoddy boots with a truo description. These are' some outstanding features- of tlio legislation passed during tho session, but- in addition a host of more or less important matters ivcro dealt with.

Matters Standing Over. One of tho principal measures post, pomid until next session..was tho Del'aniiition Bill, 'lht Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, a comprehensive consolidating measure, . was also hold over, but its moro ini.portant new features relating to strikes and lock-outs. were, passed "in the Lahour Disputes Investigation Bill, A similar course was taken with the Shops and Offices Bill,- also a big consolidating measure containing some important amendments. A proposal to provido for a'statutory six-day • working yrcek lor hotel and restaurant employees was modified by leaving the matter to the discretion of the Arbitration Court, nv.d in this form was passed, with some other',amendments, in a small Bill A Licensing Bill providing for the mine-' . tion of tbo_ effective majority in National Prohibition polls from' 00 to 55 per cent. was. circulated at tho end of the session,rand will lis introduced. ,n«a non-party,measure,Vat. tho i-oginniflg of next session. iJust boforo tIM biid of-the cession a, Gaming'. Aiiiendnwnt Bill ..(introduced, by Mr. G. Hunter), proposing to. increase the number of racing, days, -.by 30 for the benefit of small racing clubs, hunt-and trotting clubs, passed its second reading by 43 votes to 17, but was .not further "proceeded with. !