THE NEXT ELECTION.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 158, 2 January 1914, Page 3

THE NEXT ELECTION.

And Tho Government's Work.

How Will You Vote ?

| In politics the "Times" prefers to take an independent stand-criti-cising its friends if such be deemed necessary or applauding its enemies if applause be deserved. But we ttiink it will be generally agresd throughout this district, even by those farmers who in the past have opposed Mr Massey, that the work oi the Prime Minister during the term of his officp, and particularly during the tryirg strike peiiod, entitles him to the fullest support of this constituency during the next election period. When the time comes we hope that Mr Massey may have a walk-over in order that he may full devote his electioneering energies towards strengthening his party in other parts of the Dominion. Meanwhile—and although local happenings are always of more importance to us than things of wider interest—we have pleasure in reprinting a review of. the work of the last session of Parliament. The session exceeded, in duration, all previous records by a fortnight. It was made remarkable by much party squabbling; during its coursa a new Speaker was appointed; Sir Joseph Ward was elected Leader of the Opposition, there were two byelections, in each of which a Social Demucrat took the place of a Liberal; and the Oppositiun made every possible use of the stonewall weapon. SECOND BALLOT REPEAL. The big obstruction debate of the session was upon the Government's proposal to repeal the Second Ballot Act. The Opposition adopted obstruction tactics for some days, until Mr A. S. Malcolm (Chairman of Committees) pointei out that in past years the Standing Orders had on occasion been set aside in order to tree the House from a deadlock and enable business to proceed, and intimated that while he did not propose to at once take this extreme step he would henceforth use to the fullest extent his wide powers under the Standing Orders to keep discussion within reasonable bounds. This decision he carried into effect to such good purpose that the Bill, with the Second Ballot Repeal clause incorporated, was read a third time by 33 votes to 19. The Bill was passed by the Legislative Council after a single afternoon's discussion. THE NEW NAVAL POLICY.

One of the most important policy

of the session related to navK detence. The Government announced a new policy under which a system of training New Zealand men and officers for naval service will be substituted for the system of an annual money contribution which has hitherto obtained. The naval argeement of 1909, under which two Bristol cruisers and some small craft were to have been stationed in New Zealand waters, having been broken by the Imperial Government, it is proposed to ask Parliament next year to authorise the acquisition by the Dominion of a Bristol cruiser, estimated to cost £400,000. New Zealand recruits are to he trained on board H.M.S. Philomel, which has been sent to the Dominion for that purpose. An Act governing training conditions was passed towards the end of the session. Any fighting ships acquired bv New Zealand are to be absolutely at the disposal of the Admiralty in time of war. The new policy is opposed in the House by a minority led by Sir J. Ward. LABOUR DISPUTES.

In view of the strike at the eni of the year and the industrial unrest which has prevailed for some time past, much significance attaches to the Labour Disputes Investigation Act, which was passed just before the end of the session. The clauses it contains were fiercely denounced by the Opposition, and also by the extreme Labour section of the community when *hey were first brought down in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, but there was no corresponding outcry in the House when the Labour Disputes Investigation Bill came up for consideration. It provides for the secret ballot and compulsory conferences prior to strikes, and the legal enforcement of agreements entered into by unregistered unions. The second reading was carried by 54 votes to 4, the third reading on the voices, and when the Bill was considered in committee, clause by clause, not a single division was called for. In the Legislative Council the second reading was carried by 17 vfltes to 1. THE REFORM BILL.

The Reform Bill, which aims at altering the constitution of the by substituting election or members under the system of proportional representation for the present nominative system, was again submitted to the Council during the session and again rejected, as it had been in the previous year. The Bill was read a second time by 21 votes to 12 on August Ist, and subsequently was referred to a Special Committee. This body presented its report on September 12th, and recommended that members of the Council shuuld in future be elected by a ballot of both branches of the Legislature. The Hon. H. D. Bell, on behalf of the Government, declined to accept this recommendation. On October Ist the Council came to a division on the clause of the Bill providing for the election of members. The first issue put was simply that the Council should be elected. This proposal was carried by 20 votes to 10. A second vote was taken upon a proposal that the Council should be elected upon the ordinary Parilamentary franchise. This was negatived by 14 votes to 13. Mr Bell then indicated that he would not proceed further with the bill. The Council did not express an opinion upon the proportional representation proposal. COMMISSIONER CONTROL.

One of the events of the year was the presentation of the first, report of the Public Service Com- : misaiorier (Mr 1). Robertson).. This 1 document threw a great deal of 1 light upon the workings of the Public Service and showed that even at that early stage, seven I months after taking office, the Commissioners had seen their way to ( institute economies totalling something like £17,000 a year, and this mainly through the introduction of businesslike methods and system. 1 There was a great deal of talk ! about Parliament having delegated 1 all financial coulrol to the com-

missifiners. so far as salaries in the Public Service were concerned, but subsequent devtlopmento fhowed that this was mere sca-r-mor gering. It was demonstrated that while tne allocation of salaries by the Public Service Commissioners involved a statutory contract with the officers concerned Parliament retained an undiminished power to refuse to vote any single item on the Estimates or even the whole amount asked for. SOME OF THE LEGISLATION.

In all 103 public Acts were finally passed during the session, and one measure (the Shipping and Seamen Amendment Bill) was reserved for the Rtyal assent. Several of the Acts passed involve policy departures of the firt importance. Others are designed to consolidate, improve, and supplement previously existing legislation. The Land Act of this year contains the second instalment of the Government's freehold policy. It confers upon Crown tenants of lease in-perpetyiity settlement lands the ri«ht of acquiring the freehold which was granted to lease-in-perpetuity tenants of ordinary Crown lands in the previous year, and makes besides many important amendments in the existing law?. The Native Land Act is a comprehensive measure, which aims at clearing up the titles of native lands and promoting their profitable occupat'on either by the Maori owners or by white settlers. It merges Maori land boards in the native land courts, which are to be increased in number. The Pensions Act reduces the pension age for women from 65 to 60 year?, abolishes the property qualification in the case of military pensions, and exempts the home (to the value of £340) of an applicant for a widow's pension from computation as an asset, besides incorporating many minor concessions and improvements upon the existing law. The Pensions Reciprocity Act provides that residence it) the Commonwealth shall qualif' for an old age pension in the Do'.inion and vice versa. The arrangement will come into force as soc.i as a similar Act has been passed in Australia. The Government Railways Amendment Act confers increases in salary upon members of the first division, and increases to school teachers are granted in the Education Amendment Act. The latter measure is an instalment of reform to be supplemented next year. The annual taxing Act amerded Ihe graduation scale of the income tux, and increased it in the higher grades. Another Act granted increased income tax exemptions to people with families. The Judicature Amendment Act provides fot the appointment ol an additional judee of the Supreme Court, and the Magistrate's Courts Amendment Act extended the jurisdiction nt magistrates, and raised the salaries of senior magistrates in the principal centres to £BOO a year. Other Acts passed during the session renew the arrangement between the State and the Bank of New Zealand, provide for" the constitution of a board of agriculture, and bring local elections and polls into line to a great extent with Pailiamentary elections. A Copyright Act was passed which brings the New Zealand law on the subject into line with that of Great Britain and a number of European countries. The legislntion governing the police force was revised and brought up to date, and a special Act was passed giving the police extended powers in connection with offences usually associated with periods of industrial disorder. Provision was made for the removal within a limited period of the dangerous side-step ,on tramway carriages. The cost per mile of railways which may be constructed, under certain conditions, by local bodies or private individuals, was increased from £SOOO to £IO,OOO. Important amendments were made in the Public Trust Office Act. Two Acts which break new ground deal respectively with the State encouragement of the fruit-preserv-ing industry and with tha branding of shoddy boots with a true description. These ate some outstanding features of the legislation passed during the session, but in addition a host of more or less important matters were dealt with. MATTERS STANDING OVEK.

One of the principal measures postponed until next session was the Defamation Bill. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Bill, a comprehensive consolidating measure, was also held over, but its more important new features relating to strikes and lock-outs were passed in the Labour Disputes Investigation Hill. A similar course was taken with the Shops and Offices Bill, also a big consolidating measure containing some important amendments. A proposal to provide for a statutory six-day working week for hotel and restaurant employees was modified by leaving the matter to the discretion of the Arbitration Court, and in this form was passed, with some other amendments, in a small Bill. A Licensing Bill providing for the reduction of the effective majority in National Prohibition polls from 60 to 55 per cent, was circulated at the end of the session, and will be introduced, as a nonparty measure, at the beginning of next jession. Just before the end of the session a Gaming Amendment Bill (introduced by Mr G. Hunter), proposing to increase the number of racing days by 30 for the .benefit of small racing clubs, hunt, and trotting clubs, passed its second reading by 45 votes to 17 but was not further proceeded with