THE RECENT SESSION

Hokitika Guardian, 8 December 1927, Page 4

THE RECENT SESSION

IMPRESSIONS OF MR FORBES. CHRLSTCH.l > RCH. Dee. 7. The leader of the* National Party, Air (1. W. Forbes, member for Huruliiii. returned to Christchurch yesterday. Air Follies, in an interview, made some interesting comments on the session which closed on Monday and the political situation. ‘Tn regard to the session,” said Mr Forbes, “the Outstanding feature was its undue length and the absolute waste of time which took place, particularly at the beginning of the- session. It was expected. when Air Coates came in with the reputation of being 'the man who got things done,’ that he would immediately begin to put his Bills before the House in order to carry on the business of the country.

WASTE OF TIM E. ■‘There have been complaints about the long drawn out debates on the Address-in Reply and Ok* ‘Financial Statement. If these had been cut down, il would have meant a great saving of time for the consideration of business, hut instead of that we had some of the most glaring examples of waste of time that 1 have witnessed in my Parliamentary experience. These debates are organised, and speakers are pul up in rotation, so the Government was responsible lor giving an immense amount of time to them. While excessive time was given to the consideration ot unimportant things, there was the usual rush when the* end of the session came, when important things were crowded out and no time was given tor the consideration of matters that really required it. For instance, towards tin* end of the session we had a number of Bills brought down that made important alterations to existing legislation—the Licensing Bill nnd the Arbitration Bill. The hitter was one of the most important that could he dealt, with, particularly at a time when relations between employer and employee are receiving consideration in every country. Mr have a pioposal made to take a piece out of the Arbitration Act and leave ii at that. A BUTCHERING ATTEAIPT.

“We opposed the clamour to butcher the Act. but we were prepared tn give proper ronsiclorntion to nn> mnenilments that wore- necessary,” added Mr Forbes. ‘‘There is a leeling among farmers that the ArbiU-a-tion Court and its operations have added to their difficulties and impeded the proper working cl their taints. There are other points for consideration. including preference to unionists. Some members <>t the Reform Party had determined to put something on the Statute Book, but the move was a political one rather than being dictated by a desire to improve the Act. My own view was that polities should not enter into the matter. and that our industrial legislation should he altogether apart from party polities. The reasonable minded members ol the House prevailed on Mr Coates to postpone the legislation until the subject had been sonsidcred bv ti. conference.

Air Coates was unable to give the House any idea or lead as to what form the .investigation would take, and when lie put. forward his own men for the e.immittco it was pointed out that none of those who have been active in regard to the proposed amendment had been included. He included three town men, and the in on who had been strongest in regard to cutting out. the farmer were left out. They were still talking about it at the motion for the adjournment, and Air Coates left them in that frame of mind. TARIFF pressure.

“In regard to tariff alterations, the impression was left that the Government had no definite line of policy. AVlien pressure was exerted from any direction, they either retreated to the original duty or made alterations instigated almost entirely b.v the pressure exerted, while the public interest was entirely ignored. “I want to say that one disappointment with regard to the session was that it was broken up without any attempt being made to. revise the Standing Orders. Mr Coates was urged several times during the session by bis own men to set tip a committee during the recess, because it was realised that with a few more talkative members in the House it might become almost impossible to get any business done. 11l nearly every other country there is some form of the closure, and nearly ill I legislatures now recognise it as necessary.

LOSING I! AILW AVS. “It was stated that the Public Works expenditure for last year was a record for any year. 1 pointed out that, the whole question should be investigated. particularly in regard (o railways, to find out whether it was oil sound economic, lilies to spend over a million a year on railways, which at the present time wore Iwiing seriously challenged by another form ol transport, and that it was common belief that every mile of railway added to the system would have to he operated at a loss. I pointed out particularly in connection with last year’s expenditure of £0,770.000, that the time had come when the whole matter of public works and expenditure out of loan moneys should he reviewed to see what works were necessary and what could he postponed. The present rate of expenditure must, land us in serious financial difficulty.SOAKED 'OK LAND SETTLEMENT. “Land settlement, we may say. has come almost completly to a. standstill. .Lika children who have been burned and dread the lire, the Gov-

ernment, remembering the disastrous results of its policy of soldier settlement. are not now prepared to go on with any system of land settlement. The one attempt at TV "A era was almost as disastrous as any during the period of soldier settlements. Ibis estate was bought and cut up. and not one single allotment is being farmed by the Government at the present time. We had other estates, one notably at Nelson, the Balfour estate. that was bought for somewhere near £40.000. and has never had a. settler on it to this day. "It. is necessary that land settlement should .be continued if we are going to avoid unemployment difficulties in the future. That was the remedy the Liberal Government applied to unemployment troubles, and a vigorous land settlement proved by its results that it was thro solution of the difficulty. Now. the Government seems to have thrown tip the sponge, and the Minister of Lands has got into such a state of pessimism that he is afraid to do anything. NO DEFINITE LEAD.

“Perhaps the outstanding feature oi the session." Air Forbes added, “was the absolute want of a definite lead. The contrast between Mr Coates’s control and that of his predecessor was quite marked. Tn Air Alasscy s day there was some definite policy and shine definite intention behind what was being done, hut at the present time it seems that a thing is half resolved on and then drawn hack from, and the feeling left in the House is one of uncertainty as to whethei what is proposed is ever to be brought to any definite issue.’’