THE COMING SESSION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8469, 21 June 1907, Page 5

THE COMING SESSION.

SOME POLITICAL POINTS. Next week the Hoifee. of Parliament will be once again a scene of activity. The Premier, Sir Joseph Ward, will arrive from London, via, Sydney, on Wednesday next, and parliament. will be opened the following day. LAND LEGISLATION. The intentions of the Government have not been shrouded in mystery. The speech is not likely to contain any startling announcements of which the free and independent electors are not already aware. The Minister for Lands took the country into his confidence the other day when he made a statement of the Government's intentions in regard to that much-discussed measure, the Land Bill. As a result the political atmosphere has been clarified. Already the Native Land Commission has presented reports dealing with various blocks of Maori territory in the North Island, and these and supplementary reports which the commission'is now engaged upon will be made the basis of legislation on lines which, it is hoped, will form a starting point in a definite policy of solving the complex problem of settlement of native lands on an equitable and satisfactory basis both as it affects the individual and tribal rights of the Maoris and the colony as a whole. ' THE TARIFF. : It is an open secret that the tariff will be one of the first and moat important subjects to be dealt with during the coming session. , For months past the producer, the importer and the manufacturer, have all been getting their ammunition in order with a view to impressing the Government with their collective grievances. The unfortunate consumer apparently has faith in the powers that be. So far he has made no very pronounced demand for a remission of duties 4 on the necessaries of life. Mayhap he is content to rely on the oft-repeated promises that alleviation from some of these burdens \vill be his this year. It seems certain v that Parliament will do something to ericourage the growth of local industries by reducing the I duty on raw material that cannot be produced in the colony, and raising j the import in respect of cheap-labour | importations which compete with the same articles manufactured in New Zealand. LABOUR LEGISLATION. The slaughtermen's strike served to illustrate some of the defects of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, and subsequent events have thrown into even greater relief the necessity for amending the law in more than one respect. The Minister for Labour explained to an audience in Dunedin, a short time ago, that he proposed to submit a Bill to the House providing for creation of wages boards. His proposals will not be a copy of the Victorian system of Wages Boards, as has been suggested, but will involve what, in the opinion of the Attorney-General, will be marked improvements in the present Act, rendering more definite the machinery for arriving at awards, and making-the operations of that machinery more expeditious. Amendments to the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act will also be submitted to the House. GAMBLING. The« Gaming and Betting Bill introduced in the dying hours of last session was found amongst the slain. Although it contained drastic provisions—some of them on the lines of the Australian Acts—it did not commend itself to the supporters of the anti-gambling movement outside the House, and a vigorous agitation for a more satisfactory measure has since been maintained. Early in the session a deputation from the Wellington citizens Anti - gambling League will wait en the Premier and demonstrate the prevalence of gambling and its effects on the community. Sir Joseph Ward has already given a promise that something will be done to remedy the existing state of affairs —to'turn the industry of the bookmaker into other channels and to encourage the worker to put his surplus cash into something more substantial than racing. THE MANAWATU RAILWAY. The purchase of the Manawatu Railway by the State will in all likelihood be dealt with by Parliament this session. The North Island Main Trunk Line is rapidly approaching completion, and it is contended "that the inevitable cannot be long delayed. FIRE BRIGADES. The Hon. Dr. Findlay has ant nounced that the Fire Brigades Acof last year has been found to be defective in several important respects, and immediate legislation is required to provide remedies. The first difficulty has arisen with regard to the election of insurance company representatives to the Fire Boards. Probably half a dozen fire districts have been created, to the boards of which, as the statute stands, no representatives of insurance companies can now be elected. Further, difficulties have arisen with respect to the vesting of fire brigade buildings and plant in the Fire Boards, and also in financing the brigades until such time as the revenue provided by the Act can be obtained. These are urgent matters, calling lor immediate amendments of the Act, and they will be dealt with early in the session.~Post.