GOVERNOR'S SPEFCII

Hokitika Guardian, 25 June 1920, Page 3

GOVERNOR'S SPEFCII

(Per favor of Government.) WELLINGTON June 25. His Excellency Lord Liverpool delivered the following speech to-day; Hon. Gentlemen of the Legislative Council and Gentlemen of tlie House of Representatives: PRINCE’S VISIT. I am glad that the extension of my term of office as Governor General, lias enabled mo to meet you at tlie opening of the first session of the 20th Parliament of New Zealand. The visit of H.R:H. tlie Prince of Wales to the Dominions has happily provided an occasion for a demonstration of loyalty j to the Crown and of personal regard for the Sovereign and the Royal Family from the whole people of the Dominion. My Ministers desire to record that while arrangements were necessarily made for gatherings of school children' at every point of His Royal Highness’ stay, no such arrangements av)co made for the assembly of tlie people generally.. Tlie groat and orderly assemblies of the people at every place were entirely spontaneous and their welcome everywhere to the Heir to the Throne was marked by an enthusiasm far beyond anything 're are accustomed to witness in N.Z. lho Maori (gathering at Rotorua afforded an equal opportunity for our fellow citizens of the native race to again demonstrate their loyalty to the sovereign, in a manner cognisant with their customs and usages and to repeat to the Prince the loyal welcome to which they had given expression on the occasion of the visit of the present King, nineteen years ago. Much of the undoubted success of tlio visit, is due to His Royal lU, dm ess himself. From the moment of bis landing at Auckland his reply to tlio great popular welcome won for him personal regnxfl and affection, which will continue during the lives of all those who were privileged to meet him. Our soldiers i whom he claimed as his comrades ot the war, the crowds of children whom he delighted by Ills unaffected kindness and consideration to them and the whole people whose loyal greetings lie never failed to recognise will long bear in mind the visit which he himself has | done so much to make memorable. 1 lit* common alliance of all parts of the Empire to the Crown is the strong bond of the union and of its people,

mid-it is fortunate that ( His Majesty and his Heir have won a personal regard and respect through and by means of which our loyalty is strengthened anti the union of the Empire cemented and assured. MONEY MATTERS. Mr Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives—The conditions created hv the war continue to give great anxiety to my Government, and demand your careful consideration. Many of these conditions it is beyond our power to reply to. Me can not to any appreciable extent control the landed prices of imported articles or the rates of foreign exchange, nor can we materially reduce our public debt or the burden of the greatly increased interest and sinking fund, which drains our revenue and compels the levy of -taxation at rates above anything in our experience before the war, nor can we obtain from the English money market the loan moneys to meet tlie demand for works of all kinds, many of which are absolutely necessary. The Government is faced

with demands for expenditure far beyond anything which the revenues of the Consolidated Fund can meet. Qur only resource is to borrow within our own borders. Each section of the public regards as most urgent the class of work in which it is specially interested. 'llie requirements of our returned soldiers must be met to tlio utmost limit of possible finance, but tlie acquisition of land for their settlement alone .necessitates provision ot moneys mauy times in excess of the normal borrowing in years when the London market was open. The singular success of the Repatriation Boards in establishing our soldiers in business occupations and tiie honourable, performance by thf men of their engagements for the refund of loans in regular instalments, encourage my Mini-

stern to anticipate larger provision for tho purpose of that class of repatriation advances, Tlic demands for school housing, the extension of telegraphs and Post offices, and the installation of work: to provide electrical power are only some examples of the pressure of public opinion for an increase of expenditure of capital moneys. The revenues can barely provide the great increase in salaries wages and charges which cannot be avoided. It may justly lie contended that increases in the salaries wages and charges of services such as the railway and the Post and Telegraph Department may he provided by increases in the charges upon those who use the services, but it must be remembered that all such increases involve corresponding increments through out the whole public service, which can only be met out of general taxation. It is necessary to bear in mind that in the present year other nop-

ditions over which the Dominion Inin no control, may gravely effect tlio receipts of the people from our industries, and indirectly affect our revemit. The deficiency of ships, combined with .stoppages at ports, has aroused much de lily and inconvenience, which cannot lie obviated by any direct effort of our own, though no opportunity has been lost of impressing the position upon Imperial Ministers, and at the same time the excess of supply of our meat in Great Britain above the demand has been the cause of the gravest anxiety to my Ministers in view that in the present year other conditions over which the Dominion has not control may gravely affect the receipts of the people from our industries and indirectly affect our revenue, ihe deficiency of ships combined with the congestion in British ports has caused much delay and inconvenience which cannot he obviated by any direct effort of our own, though no opportunity has been lost of impressing the position upon Imperial Ministers. On the other band the supply of wheat for the world's use is computed to bo considerably short of the requirements and my Government has found it necessary to make provision for an increased production of wheat in New Zealand by guarantees of prices to the farmer, "iid at the same time to prevent a substantial rise in tlie cost of bread, by a. large subvention to the millers, j COMING LEGISLATION.

You will have before you in the financial proposals of the Budget an indication of tlie measures which my Ministers propose to enapble the Dominion to meet the difficulties here briefly outlined. In many respects they are such as to demand the co-operation of all parties in Parliament, and my Ministers hope to have tlie benefit of the advice, as well as of tile assistance, of your House in the effort to meet the emergency and overcome tlie difficulties. Hon gentlemen of the Legislative Council, and gentlemen of the House of Representatives:— Tiie legislation of the two preceding sessions of Parliament relating to tlie control of trade and J.lie preventing of undue profits has proved in some respects to he defective, and proposals will be laid before you for amendments of tile law in this respect, though there is substantial evidence that for abnormal increases of price have ( beeu prevented by existing legislation, and that under its influence trade is gradually becoming established on a more reasonable basis. There are strong indications that if the existing prosperity is to he continue,' extravagance must he avoided, and industry and economy must be encouraged by every possible means, LEG I SLAT lA’ E COUNCIL. Tlie date of the coining into operation of the Legislative Council Act, 1914, has been fixed by proclamation, since tlie last session of Parliament. The Act will come into force on the 31st January, 1921, and you will, ill accordance with tlia promise of my Ministers, have opportunity of re,-considering its provisions duping yoqr present session, when some amendments will be submitted in the form of a Bill by my Government. STATUTES CONSOLIDATIONSince tlie popsplidation of our statute law in the year 1908, many amendments <:f the various statutes have been passed. My Ministers thinly it desirable that compilations of the more important Acts, especially those, relating to local govenrment, should he effected to enable those interested to' have in Choir hands the whole law on the subject in one Act, in lion of the present necessity for correction of the original by the various amending provisions. During the recess compilations of the Municipal Corporations Act and tiie Counties Act have been prepared, and an opportunity of amending of Lhoexisting law on both subjects, and of existing powers of , municipal corporations and of county 1 councils is also thereby provided. PUBLIC TRUSTS. The Public Trustee at present lias charge of numerous trusts qf Native lands and moneys, iq addition to his duties as a trustee of nublic and nrivnte

Curopeap trust ostn it*.s. My Ministers -(insider it desirable that a complete separation of the Native from EuroK*an trusts should be effected .ud that the Native trusts held by the Public Trustee and also the, trust ir.on■ys held by Maori- Land Boards should jo vested in a special Native Tiustee vit.h a separate Board, A Bill will bo iuhmittod to you with the further obcet of enabling; native G-ust moneys to be utilised for the benefit of tbe native in a manner which is not at present possible under the statutory powers of the Public Trustee. SAM) A. Under the powers' conferred by the mandate of tbe Treaty of Peace with Germany and by your legislation of this Session, the Government of Western Samoa lias been initiated in succession to tbe military rule which has controlled those islands since the occupation by Now Zealand troops in the early months of the war. The Orders-in-Couneil which have been issued providing a basis of law for the islands apd for their Government undpr New 55i*a. land will he placed before you, COM ING 1 iEGISLAT I ON. Bills amending the laws relating to hind, education, local government, pensions, taxation, undesirable immigrants, the public service and other matters have been prepared, or ara in course of preparation* apd will ho submitted to you during your present session. My Ministers invite your serious consideration of methods to obviate the recurrence of industrial unrest. It is l>e_ coming apparent that the present provisions of the'law for the settlement ot industrial disputes are not altogether satisfactory to the unions of workers who refuse in. many instances, to adopt the * settlementproposed. It is the desire ot t-he public and of the Government, which holds the public authority, that public employees whether paid by salary or by wage, should be satisfied as far as is possible with tlio conditions of their service, and in most cases of private employment the employers are equally desirous of the establishment of methods which will enable friendly discussion of the relations of employer and employed, and a better understanding by each party to the dispute. INCREASED PAY FOR MEMBERS Mr Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives.—ln accordance with the resolution passed by your House in tlio last session of the preceding Parliament, proposals will be Hid before you for an increase in the payment of members. A Bill consolidating

the civil list will lie submitted by the provision for the provision for the pay. ment of Ministers and members, being transferred from the Legislature Aet to the civil list, and thus the annual recurring charge will lie met without further appropriation. It is proposed that the salaries on the civil list shall not be reducablo by taxation, or be alienable in any manner. By this means definite sums will be ascertainable as the remuneration of J edges, Ministers, and Members of Parliament. The effect of the graduation of incomes for taxation purposes adopted since the war, has been in tho case of the Judges, to reduce tho salaries which are by tho Supremo Court Act declared to be ineducable during their tenure of office. SAYING FAREWELL.

Honourable Gentlemen of the Legislative Council, and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives.—This will be the last occasion on which I shall have the honour of opening a session of the New Zealand Parliament and T cannot permit tho occasion to pass without ex. pressing my most grateful personal thanks to those who during tho years that I have represented His Majesty in this Dominion, have constituted or who now form part of the two Houses of the Legislature. I have held office for a longer consecutivo period that any of my predecessors, and during that time the Empire lias been confronted with flic- greatest war that has ever been raged. By the mercy of providence the crisis lias been successfully met and wo live once again under the blessings of peace. The Nation has maintained a united front throughout the years of war, and 1 am convinced that in the times which are before us our people will surmount their troubles in a like spirit, I assure you that I am leaving the Dominion with the deepest regret, after so long a sojourn among the inhabitants of 1 these islands. My associations with them has made me feel one of them, and when 1 leave I shall never forget them and the many kindnesses which I have always received at their hands. Our earnest prayer is that New Zealand will always emerge triumphant from any difficulties which may beset her, and that her people will tlourish, great and true, ever'mindlut of tho trnritions which are the heritage and birthright of all who live under the British flag.