“SECRET” PLEDGES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 35, 5 November 1928, Page 13

“SECRET” PLEDGES

Sir, —Some people are howling themselves hoarse at what they term the attempt of the New Zealand Alliance to capture Parliament per medium of “secret” pledges. Several years ago a man by the name of Webster wrote a book which he was pleased to term a dictionary. Now, Sir, I fail to find therein any definition of the word “secret” which in any way tallies with the action of the New Zealand Alliance in finding out how candidates will vote upon licensing legislation. What is the position? Just*this: the New Zealand Alliance, which is keenly interested in the matter, takes upon itself the task of ascertaining how candidates for Parliamentary honours will vote when this question comes up in the House. The replies to their questions are published for everyone to see. In most cases the candidates themselves state their position from the public platform. How, then, in the name of goodness, can such a proceduce be termed “secret”? I think the New Zealand Alliance is performing a public duty in letting electors know where candidates stand on the licensing question. Pledges are the basic principle of present-day politics. Mr. Coates is pledged to one line of action, Sir Joseph Ward is pledged to another, and Mr. Holland to still another. So that when the whole matter of pledges is boiled down we have to admit that all the fuss made by the L.R.A. is pure bunkum. —I am, etc., BELMONT. ■October 26.