The Press Monday, June 16, 1924. Sectional Representation.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18100, 16 June 1924, Page 8

The Press Monday, June 16, 1924. Sectional Representation.

Everything that we and others have said' against the formation of a separate Country Party in politics may be urged against the suggestion that the manufacturing interests should havo direct representation in Parliament. That these interests should aim at this complication of the political position was suggested by a Christchurch delegate at the meeting of the New Zealand Manufacturers' Corporation in Auckland last week, and considerable discussion the Corporation adopted the suggestion while disclaiming a desire to create another political party. Just as some of those who have been attempting'to organise a Country Party have complained that farmers' interests dp not receive fair treatment in Parliament, so some of the manufacturers complain that, the present Parliament is '.'largely comV posed of farmers and lawyers" and is accordingly not sympathetically interested in secondary industries. Neither tomplaint has.any justification whatever, but we dare say Mr Massey will be. far from resenting the manufacturers' attitude, since it goes far towards supporting his own claim, which is a thoroughly sound one, that the Government's aim is.to avoid giving any special consideration to any class of the community at the expense of the others; When farmers cry out that the Government is too tender to city interests, and the manufacturers reply that' the Government isP kinder, than it ought to he to the farmers, and almost every other elasi .complains that the Government's favours go to somebody else, the natural and obvious conclusion is that: the Government is scales evenly between all sections of the community. In ; tho. resolution which, it ultimately adopted the Mahufacturars' Corporation urgeil the constituent associations ''to try to. "persuade some of their members, ac"ceptabie to the respective political " parties, to submit themselves as pros-: *'peetive candidates,'.' and undertook onits own account "to see that alt " candid Sites for Parliament are fully "informed as to the needs of local "manufacturers," and to test all candidates with '* a suitable question " naire.V '• We be very glad, to see business men of standing offering themselves'for election to Parliament, but the decision of the Corporation is otherwise; of very doubtful soundness. The multiplication of parties, and the division of the nation into;;. competing . and conflicting interests, ; cannot but operate against J.that' co-operative '.effort' v/hich is essential in this young Dominion., Th6se are working against the common welfare who seek'to have their interests, pre-, .dominant in ParUament;'whether they, be farmers who -care: nothing fot,' the problems of general government so long as farmere' interests*:-.come,,.' fljsst, or manufacturers who W%ld' _ make a nf&n's views on. test of his fitness :to tjke pa*t iri> legislation for the who"le nation. What farmers, manufacturers, and .all other ; classes should seek is simply good government. This they will certainly not obtain if they, make politics a conflict- between various narrow interests, especially at th s present time, when it is essential that moderate men of all classes should unite against the challenge of revolutionary Labour.