THE LIFE OF PARLIAMENT

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21175, 28 May 1934, Page 8

THE LIFE OF PARLIAMENT

Correspondents who do not comply with our rules set out in the last column of our Leader Pago will cicus* us from noticing '.heir letters. Hayseed—Under the regulations a full-time civil Bervant may not receive income from any other employments

SO THB EDITOB OT THE PRESS. I Sir,—At present we see just a little discussion on the subject of the life, of Parliament. It should be of in-' terest to your readers to get the-views of the general public on this sub-' ject At the election there was no appeal to the electors for the extension of the life of Parliament, and can it be maintained that the Government was justified in prolonging, its life by one year? After the election the Government maintained that it had a plan for curing the depression, and that it would take four years to carry through. I have never seen i a detailed account of this plan, but at that time and since the catch- ' words- of the Government were for economy and the reduction of costs. This economy meant that the Government and the general public must spend as little as possible. This meant that the amount of business and trading must be reduced to a minimum, which could only make the depression worse. Then again the argument for and the resulting effort to reduce costs was just a direct move in economy. The reduction of costs could only result in tihe manufacturers selling their finished goods and the farmers selling their fat cattle, sheep, butter, etc., at the lowest possible price. To carry out this move the Government lent a strong hand. It helped by reducing civil service salaries. It supported business men and farmers in reducing wages. By supplying relief labour to business men and farmers, it enabled them to cut down the wages of their permanent employees, besides increasing the number on relief by tens of thousands. This policy of the reduction of costs and prices could only have the result of reducing the amount of business done in the Home market, through which the nation acquires 60 per cent, of its income. Here we have a Government deliberately restricting the country's own and very best market. Again, is this policy for the reduction of costs good enough to entitle the Parliament to an extra year's life? In my opinion, unless the Government reverses this policy and legislates for the increase of costs and prices, thereby developing the Home market by placing in the hands of the general public the money they need to buy what they can consume, it is not entitled to another year's life. —Yours, etc., KAYE HOE. May 26, 1934.