ORDERS IN COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 36, 6 November 1943, Page 4

ORDERS IN COUNCIL

Commerce Chambers Critical (By Telegraph. —Press Association.) DUNEDIN, November 5. The annual conference of the Associated Chambers of Commerce unanimously adopted the following remit: “That this conference urges the restriction ot the. use of Orders-in-i Council for effecting changes in law on the ground that it is contrary to the principles of democratic government, and urges the Government to discontinue the practice except in those eases that can 'be met only (by such emergency procedure. It further recommends to the Government that to ensure that all legislation is directly under control of Parliament, a law ibe enacted prescribing that ail .regulations automatically lapse 'unless confirmed by resolutions of both Houses of Piirliament within, say, two months after the commencement of the session next following the gazetting of the regulations; that in any Act where regulations are authorized the authority to make the regulations ibe specific and hot general; that in each and every case citizens shall have access to the courts to test the validity of any regulations by which they are affected.” Moving the adoption of the remits, Mr. R. V. White, Christchurch, said that, the offence of maiking undue use of Orders-in-Council had been committed by Goveriimetlts long 'before the Labour Government came into power, but the present Government aggravated the offence in every way. He referred to what he described as the “disgraceful surrender’ by Parliament of its powers. The encroachment on the liberty of the subject had gone to extreme limits in the Dominion. The people had actually surrendered their rights to a small group of persons and a danger to parliamentary Government had thus arisen. The remit was seconded iby Mr. W. H. Hindle (Wellington), who said that the system of government by regulation should be used very sparingly even in cases where it might be considered permissible.