OPENING OF PARLIAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 25 June 1925, Page 3

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT

RAIN IX WELLINGTON

[llY TELEGRAPH — PKH I‘ItESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. June 25. The weather for the opening of Parliament this afternoon is anything but propitious. It has been raining all night, and to-day the city is enveloped In heavy fog, which unless it lifts will greatly militate against the spectacular effect of the outdoor ceremony. GALLERIES CROWDED. 'WKLI.r.XOTON. June 25. The fourth session of the 21 .si. Parliament was opened this afternoon bv ! In- Covrimor-t lencml. who read Die Speech from the Throne to members of both Houses in the Legislative Council, the galleries of which were crowded in cverv pan.

/';<> V F ilXtllM: EX URAL'S SHE EC! I

I ReiL la four of (lovt ) WELLIX'D i't.X, .1 tine 25. Haiiiamenr opened to-day: The t Inventor-General in hi - speech -aid : “lion gentlemen of the Legi.-lnl ivc ('aunt il and gentlemen of the House of Represent at ives:— It is in a spirit of thankfulness that in the opening paragraph oi my speech 1 am able to record the complete recovery of the King from the cll’cftx ot th' serious illness from which 11 is Majesty suffered during tim earlier part of the present year. The great pleasure I have in meeting you for the first lime in the Gctteml Assembly of which, under the const ittitinn 1 am pari, would he greater for me, as f know it would he lor you, had there been still present with us the distinguished man who was my Hritue .Minister when I assumed office as (o>vernor-( leneral. For more than twenty-one years. .Alt' Massey had been the leader in the House of, ’Representatives ‘J one <>t the great political parties, and for nearly thirteen consecutive years had 1 tee It I’rime Minister ol ibis Dominion. In time of war as in times of peace he proved ltimsell to he a true

servant of the Empire, and il is not only among the people of this Dominion that the loss sustained by his death is realized. The messages ol sympathy during his illness and of condolence after his death received by me. from their Majesties tin* King and Queen, from the leading statesmen ol (Trent Britain, from the (lovernorI letterals. Coventors and Ministers ot the oilier Dominions and Colonies, and from the Cnvcrnments of the Allies ol (Treat Britain, and of the 1 niled Stales of America have testified the world-wide sense ol the value ot Inpublic service, litis is not tin* time or the place lo record his life’s work, or to atiompl adequately an expression of the public sorrow. AA'ith my Ministers 1 adopt the concluding words of the message from the Prime Minister of (Treat Briiiliii: “Mr Masay’s d atlt will not he a less to New Zealand only. Ihe whole Empire will mourn Itim hath re it man and a slale«ntau. and many of us will lone cherish (he memory of a iiiu-l genuine ami lovable personality.'’ Acting on the advice of my Minis-let-s. 1 p.'ivlninted a portion el' the Crown Reserve at Pt. Ilalsw !!. in the Harbour of AYellingtott. lo be a burial glare For Mr Massey, and bis widow, included in Hie legislation to he submitted in you will b- an Act -r eiallv appropriating i" that ptirpn-e ;lte land so defined.

On ihe 15tIt May 1•1 -1 I appointed nn' Attorney-General the lion. Sit Francis Bell to h 1 Prune .Minister am! , I, hi.- niivicc ! i otil'u tniM .me surviving of*;, '/.s and in their iwm! ei'-wip ei the Executive Cornu il. and also appointed the lion V. 11l N't-w oil it;, to bo Minister •1' Finance and .Minister ol t-tanio Duties. Those Mines having become vacant, hv Mr Massev - ilea ill. On the .'ftltli May. Sir Francis Bell handed to me the resignation i f himself and his colleagues and mi bis own advice I sent for the lion. Joseph Gordon Coates. M.C., and appointed him to lie Prime Minister. On Mr Coates' advice I appointed the imuuhers if the Government, who had resigned. Lo hold again their respective ofl'n es and their meieliersiiip ol the Executive Council except that in the case of the oliiie ot Postmaster-General, the Hon Sir .lames Parr wa- appointed in lieu of Mr Coates.

It had been tuv iutenlion before my jfi-st meeting uiib you io have vi-iteil nuniy parts of the Dominion and also the Cook Islands and our mandated territory ul Samoa, but the recent sot..re epidemic cf infantile paralysis vl'icli caused so much sorrow and anxiety throughout (he (minin' enncuiT'ml with the circumstance ol Mr Masseys illness ami death rendered such visits inadvisable. I hope to be able Intel o make myself more lully acquainted vith every pail of Now Zealand, its lepondeneics and with every section of its people. It has been my happiness

so Car to find everywhere loyalty to ,ur Sovereign and bis Km pi re ami the general prosperity and contentment uni an absence of that unemployment which has caused and is causing so much anxiety in She Mother Country. I take this opportunity of thanking '.lie people of New Zealand most varmly for ti e kindness and considerations extended hv one and .‘H! to her Excellency and myself since our arrieal in the Dominion. The kindle rof■rences to our parents which have been frequently made, have touched ns greatly. The extreme courtesy and goodwill at the welcome which we have .•(veiled have added much to the pleasure of our return to the seen"-, ot our ■hildh'.ind and have -given us great on■uoragenu'ni in undertaking the duties which fall to us. It is with pleasure that I have revived evidence ol th o increasing "ollbeing nf th.e Cool; Mantis dependencies and of the prosperity and welt are of .be people of Western Samoa. A complete reorganisation and control of He public railways has been brought into operation, and has pio- \ ided improved facilities and service i) the people. Important works and niprovements have keen pit: in hand which, when completed, will greatly increase the efficiency of the Department and service to the public. The Board created under recent leg-

islation to inquire into and make recommendations upon the finance of discharged soldier settlers on Ihe land has nearly completed its work and * here is reason to believe that the action taken under your authority m pursuance of those recommendations have enabled many deserving soldiersettlers to realize that they have opportunity in the present and hope ioi the future in their enterprise. Tim conditions develoned in certain areas of Crown land; in the North Maud bv deterioration of pastures which, are i raduallv horomini replaced hy native flora of various kinds, have Been investigated by a special committee which has .submitted a valuable report. It is impos'd to establish methods of dealing with such lands and to assist ■ettlors occupying them to carry out voeosmry inmrovomonts. A on will be rsked to make the necessarv financial provision for the i impose. AH- Ministers realise that the dovolopmen,t of our primary industries

I demands an extension of the instructional services of the Department of Agriculture. It is proposed to increase the trained ,staff of the Department in order that information and advice may he provided directly to producers through the medium of trained instructors stationed at various suitable e ntires throughout the Dominion. The I existing services of the Department have already been the means of rendering material aid to producers and provide a basis upon which a wider and more comprehensive service can he established.

The. measures prepared for your consideration during your present session includes provision for the amendment of acts relating to chattels transfer, local bodies loans, stone quarries, property law. land tranfers. official apnoiiumeitts anti documents. piibiie works, nurses superannuation, destitute persons, forest workers oompen.'. tliiut for accidents and the kuttri gum industry. Several important cniiso'idation measures have been prepared and will be submitted to you. Among them you will litul bills consolidating and amending the Coal Mines Act-, lands for Settlements Acts. Public Revenues Acts, Hauraki Plains Act and l ire Brigades Ail. Il time allows, you vill also lie a-ked to consider and ; a.ss an Act consolidating the Industrial ('. ncillatioii mid Arbitration Act-. A Child Welfare Bill providing for the clablislimeut of children's courts, for me care ol indigent ami delinquent children, and limiting the employ nit nt ~i children in various forms ol employment, and for the better administ ra--11 on of child welfare institutions, litis (lieu prepared, and my .Ministers l-ope that you may find it possible to pass this into law (luring the present ses-

stClt. Alt' .Speaker and Cent lenten of Ihe House of Rrl-i'esoiitauvcs . A'ou will he gratified to find that the financial operations of the Dominion ill the year ended 31st. March last resulted in a .surplus in the consolidated fund of £1.213,800. The estimates of public expenditure for the present your have been prepared lor your consideration with due regard to economy. The demand for money for the office ot advances to settlers and advances to workers has been most urgent and it has been found difficult to meet the requirements in full. I nder your authority a loir!i of seven millions lias been recently raised in Loudon on terms which .-ompare favourably with similar loans raised about the same time by other Dominions and public bailies. Such part of the proceeds of that loan as are not urgently required for the continuance of public works, including i y-dro-elcctrir extension will lie available for advances to settlers and workers. In addition, the repayments of principal to the State Advances Department will provide approximately £3OO- - in each year for investment, in further advances. My Ministers are aware of tile lilficulty that settlers and workers are experiencing in obtaining money for development and housing purposes. A’eiv careful attention has been given to

ways and means to assist, ami proposals will In' .submitted in due course for vour consideration. You will be asucd specially to ((insider a bill dealing with the sinking fund of the public debt. Il is not proposed to limit the provi-in. made under the existing act- lor rite ultimate extinction ol the debt, but •xj erieuee has shown that investment of sinking funds in permanent securities is not advantageous ns ccmpatod

with investment in the pun-ha

>urli of ( nr own securities as are at a discount on the London market and the main object of the bill is to invest the annual payments In to lice consolidated fund in the lornt <>i liquid securities, so far as immediate option unity does not occur for the purchase of our own public debt debentures. At the same time provision is made lor a continuance ol the payment to the sinking fund oi interest on the part of '.lie debt, so extinguished. During am! aiTer the war many 'holders of land found ditficiilty in faying their land tax which hv the statute was made a first charge upon the land itself. The time for payment was extended in many cases, and triuislei's ol properly have taken plate, the purchasers being ignorant ol the existing encumbrance of tax and this in a considerable number of cases is thought to be unfair. The matter was dealt with in part, by legislation of your last session hut von will lie invited to eon-

-ider further provisions for the relief of the charge of arrears of land tax in eases involving hardship to piti'chas-

llonoumble Gentlemen o! the Legislative Council and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives— I commend these several matters to your earnest, consideration and I ‘nisi that Divine Providence may guide your deliberations to the ml vantage ol our Sovereign and his Empire and Hie benefit of New Zealand and it- dependencies.