PARLIAMENT OPENED TO-DAY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2901, 25 June 1925, Page 2

PARLIAMENT OPENED TO-DAY.

THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH

Wellington, This Dav

Parliament was opened this afternoon with lime-honoured ceremonial. Exceptional interest is being manifested in the occasion, not only by members, but by members of the general public. The event of the day was the reading of the Governor-General's Speech by His Excellency Sir Charles Eergusson. who opened Parliament for the first time since assuming office in the Dominion. The Governor-General's Speech was as follows : Honourable gentlemen of the Legislative Council, and gentlemen! of the House of Reprseentnrives.— ft. is in a spirit of thankfulness that in the opening paragraph of my speech ! am able to record the complete recovery of the King from the effects of the serious illness from which His Majesty suffered during the earlier part of Xtie present year. The great pleasure I have in meeting yon for the first time in the general assembly of which, under the Constitution, I am part, would be greater for me, as I know it would he for you, had there been -till present with us the distinguished man who was my Prime Minister when 1 assumed office as GovernorGeneral. For more than 21 years Mr Massey had been the lender in the House of Representatives of one of the great political parties, and for nearly 13 consecutive years had been Prime Minister of this Dominion. In time of war, as in times of peace, re proved himself to he a true servant of the Empire, and it is not only among the people of this Dominion that the loss sustained by bis death is realised. The messages of sympathy during his illness and of condolence after his death, received by me from their Majesties the King and Queen, from the leading statesmen of Great Britain and from the Governors and Ministers of the other Dominions and Colonies, and from the Governments of tho Allies of Great Britain and of the United States of America. have testified the world-wide sense of the value of his public service. This is not the time, or place to record his life's work, or to attempt adequate expression of the public sorrow. With my Ministers 1 adopt the concluding words of the message from jhe Prime Minister of Great Britain: “Mr Massey's death will not be a loss to Xew Zealand only, the whole Empire, will mourn him both as a man and as a statesman, and many of us will long cherish the memory of a most genuine and lovable personality." Acting on the advice of my Ministers, I proclaimed a portion of the Crown reserve at Point llalswell, in the harbour of Wellington, to lie a burial place for Mr Massey, and his widow. Included in the legislation to be submitted to you will be an Act specially appropriating to that purpose the land so defined. On the 1 -ft h May last I appointed my Attorney General the lion. Sir Krain-is Bell, to be Prime Minister, and on his advice 1 confirmed the surviving Ministers in their several ministerial offices and in their membership of the Executive Council. . . . . On the dtltli May Sir Francis Bell tendered to me the resignation of himself and his colleagues, and oil his advice 1 sent for the Hon. .Joseph Gordon Coates, M.C., and appointed him to he prime Minister I take this opportunity of thanking the people of Xew Zealand most warmly for the kindness and consideration extended by one and all to Tier Excellency and myself since our arrival in the Dominion. 'I he kindly references to our parents which have been so frequently made have touered us greatly. . • It is with pleasure that I have received evidence of the increasing well-being of the Cook Islands Dependencies ami. of the prosperity and welfare of the people of Western ,Samoa. A complete re-organisation and ~,,,11 ml of the public railways has been brought into operation, and has provided improved facilities and service to the people. Important works and improvements have been pill in hand, which when completed will greatly increase tlie efficiency of the Department and service to the public. The Board created under recent legislation to inquire into and make recommendations upon the finance of discharged soldiers smiled on the land has nearly completed its work, and there is reason to believe that action taken under your authority in pursuance of those recommendations has enabled many deserving soldier settlers to realise that they have opportunity in the present and hope for the future in their enterprise. The conditions developed in certain areas of Crown lands in the North Island by deterioration of pastures which are gradually becoming replared by native llora of various kinds, have been investigated. A special committee has submitted a valuable report. It is proposed to establish methods of dealing with such lands, and to assist settlers occupying them to carry out necessary improvements. You will he asked to make the necessary financial provision for the purpose. My Ministers realise that the development of our primary industries demands an extension of the instructional services of the Department of Agriculture. It is proposed to increase the trailed staff of the department in order that information and advice may be provided directly to producers through the medium of trained in- .

structors • stationed at various suitable centres throughout the Dominion. The 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 be established. The measures prepared for your consideration during your present season include provision for ithe amendment of Acts relating to chattels transfer. Local bodies loans, stone quarries, property law, land fianfcrs, official appointments and documents, public works, nurses’ superannuation, destitute persons, forest, workers compensation for accidents, and the Kauri gum industry. Several important consolidation measures have been prepared, and will be submitted to you. Among them you will find Bills consolidating and amending the Coalminer Acts, Land for Settlement Acts, Public Revenues Acts, Hauraki Plains Acts, and Eire Brigades Acts. If time allows you will also he asked to consider and pass an Act consolidating the industries Conciliation and Arbitration Acts. A Child Welfare Bill, providing for the e tablishment of children’s Courts I the care of indigent and delinquc children, and limiting the emplo ment of children in various form and for the better administration child welfare instructions, has be prepared, and my Ministers bo that yon may find it possible pass this into law during the . sent session. Mr Speaker and Gentlemen of t House of Representatives. — You will be gratified to find 11 the financial operations of the minion in the year ended 33March last resulted in a surplu the Consolidated Fund of Sot). The estimates of public pendilim* for the present year. 1 been prepared for your cousin non, with due regard to eeon* The demand for money iV* ; h< lice of Advances to Seiners Advances to Workers has fiee-V urgent, aml it has been fouii*? tic* ill t to meet the require meg. full. Cutler your authority, % of seven millions has been refraised in London. ... >-■ part of the proceeds of that . as are not urgently required,for coniinuanee of public works , eluding hydro-electric, extensio will be available for advances settlers and workers. . • • • Ministers are aware of the difficr that settlers and workers are, peiienring in obtaining money, development and housing purp You will he asked specially consider a Bill dealing with sinking funds of the Public Dei It is not proposed to limit the prt vision made under t-lic existing Act tor the ultimate extinction of the debt, for experience has shown that investment of sinking funds in permanent securities is not advantageous as compared with investment in the purchase of such of our own securities as are at a discount on the London market, and the main object of the Bill is to invest the annual payments from the Consolidated Fund in the form of liquid securities so far as immediate opportunity docs not occur lor the purchase of our own public debt debentures, at the same time provision is made for continuance of payment to the ,-dnking fund of interest on the part of the debt so extin-

guished. During and after the war many holders of land found difficulty in paying their land tax, which by the Statute is made a first charge upon t lie land itself. Time for payment was conceded in many eases, and transfers of property have taken place, the purchasers being ignorant of the existing encumbrance of lax, and this in a considerable number of cases is thought to be unfair. Tim matter was dealt with in part by legislation of your last session, but you will be invited to consider I'urther provisions for the relief of I lie charge of arrears of land tax in cases involving hardship to purchasers.