The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1913 THE LATE SESSION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 91, 17 December 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1913 THE LATE SESSION.

The longest session on record so far as the Parliament of New Zealand is concerned lias just concluded, but not only for this reason alone will it stand out in the Dominion’s Parliamentary history as a remarkable one. Prior to this the session of 1910 took pride of place as the longest the country had previously suffered, but that of 1913 started two days earlier and closed down something like ten days later. The total sitting hours of the session ' were 887 hours and -15 minutes, a dally average of 8 hours 42 minutes, pud the sitting days numbered 102. Truly a fearful' record of talk—and mostly useless talk at that. The jsessiun has been one of the worst oxlamples of the badness of Party (Jov-| eminent the country has ever experienced, and the foolish and wasteful obstruction of the Opposition, in many instances merely for the sake of opposition, is unequalled in our Parliamentary history. An unusual number of Public Acts, liOCjil and Private Bills have, however, become law, despite this opposition, some of them j doubtless good ami valuable legisla-j tioii, hut, much of it, one cannot help (but feel, must be unnecessary. The lever-growing mania of our politicians J for making new laws and mending old | ones lias not one whit abated under j tin' present Ministry, and tor this we | ;mre sorry, because the truth is that; pvhat the country needs most of all is ;i„ absolute political rest. Amongst the measures of importance passed must lie included the amendments of, the Old Age Pensions Act j the Laud

Laws Amendment Act (completing llic i enactment of the Reform Party s' land; 1 policy) ; the Legislature Amendment c Act, providing for the repeal ol the c Second Ballot ; tlie Labor Disputes’l c Investigation Act, which makes it com-i • pulsory in the case of labor disputes; i for certain steps to he taken with a J i view to an amicable settlement before j - a strike can legally take place ; all | looked for and expected policy measures' . indicated in the Government s election; pledges. The Naval Defence Act is I another measure ol tlic greatest im-| portauee to New Zealand, suggesting, as it does, a naval change in the policy we have hitherto adopted, and somewhat in the direction of severing ourselves from the Imperial Government in the matter of defence. Exactly to what this will lead, is not yet clearly apparent. Legislation amending the Education Act was brought forward, which is merely.a beginning, we presume, of the Government’s intentions in this direction, but the Native Lands Amendment Act must he considered a good step forward in the methods of dealing with that most difficult question—the settlement of native lands. There are many othei ’ measures, including the Police 1* orce Act ; the Public Trust Office Act, extending the scope of that institution ; the Bank of New Zealand Act; Judicature Amendment Act; Shops and Offices Act; Copyright Act, all of more or less value or necessity, which have r become law. It cannot really be wondered at that the promised tariff re--1 vision was not effected: the order was 5 too big a one for a single session. Added to the amount of work the Uo--5 vernment had to face during the .session the greatest industrial difficulty New Zealand has yet witnessed, so that when all is considered the Government and its supporters may congratulate themselves upon the results attained.