SESSION’S WORK

Evening Star, Issue 21742, 9 June 1934, Page 10

SESSION’S WORK

THE EARLIEST ITEMS TARIFF AND MINING LEGISLATION [Special to the ‘ Stak.’] WELLINGTON, June 9. Parliament is resuming its normal course by commencing the session on Thursday, Juno 28. It is an indication that the days of emergency legislation are happily oyer, though the position of the dairying industry will be one of the principal subjects of consideration in due course. This matter, however, is not likely to be one of the first to be submitted, for the reason that the report of the Royal Commission on the dairying industry will not be complete when the session opens. It was at first thought that this important investigation, which is proceeding in private, could be ended in June, but a month’s extension of time will be needed by the commission. It is still hearing important witnesses in Wellington, and has made a fixture to take evidence in Taranaki, commencing its sittings in Stratford on June 21. The members will afterwards proceed to Hamilton, and there will also be an Auckland sitting. Information is being obtained by the Government for the commission from England, though it is not expected that this will cause delay in the preparation of the commission’s report, as the results of the English investigations under the direction of the High Commissioner can be cabled to New Zealand. There is an impression among Ministers that the commission might be able to submit an interim report to the Government, as has been done by other commissions handling matters of great urgency. This would afford a guide to the. legislative plans necessary in connection with the dairying industry and its rehabilitation. TARIFF REVISION. The Right. Hon. J. G. Coates, who as Minister of Customs, will be in charge of tariff revision, is said to be well advanced in his preparations _ for that important work. Actual decisions regarding alterations in the tariff are not usually made by Cabinet utffcil the last moment before framingthe resolutions submitted to the House, and passed the same evening in readiness for the opening of the Customs offices the next morning. Thus there can be no effective anticipation of the changes, and members of Cabinet s themselves safeguard the revenue from speculative operations by having general discussions leading to last-moment decisions. The Tariff Commission commenced its work exactly a year ago, and- spent many months in hearing evidence on all phases of the subject, so that there seemed some danger of the objective being submerged. However, there is hardly any risk of the members of the commission overlooking their Order of Reference, which contained the terms of the Ottawa Agreement under which the dominion undertook to protect against imports from the United Kingdom only those industries which were assured of reasonable opportunities of success, and which are economically and efficiently conducted. The objective is to place the United Kingdom manufacturer in the position of a domestic competitor. . New Zealand has gone much further than most of the self-governing communities of the Empire in its preference to British manufacturers, and has thus substantially anticipated the spirit of the Ottawa Agreement, for; its duties on Britsih goods are, in general, 50 per cent, lower than those imposed by the neighbouring Commonwealth of Australia. A complicating factor, however, is the high exchange, imposing so heavy a handicap on all importations excepting those from Australia. In the. light of the factors above enumerated it is safe to forecast that the tariff changes will not be of a drastic order. OVERHAUL OF MINING LAWS. With the tariff as the most urgent matter for legislators’ attention, an overhaul of the dominion’s extensive and complicated mining laws is regarded by the Government as being next m importance, and, in fact, essential if gold production is to be adequately developed under modern conditions. New Zealand’s gold mining laws have been built up mainly along the lines of protecting the interests of individual gold miners, for prospecting, _ and a very large, number of gold-winning activities have been of smail_ scale. The high premium on gold has given the industry a new outlook, and changed its conditions in a very radical way. Profitable work can now be undertaken on areas giving a low return for the material handled, but this is essentially a business which must be undertaken on the large scale. The mining laws are not very adaptable to this new phase of the industry, and it is intended by the Government to revise them in the light of present-day conditions, and to give power to make .regulations facilitating large-scale operations.