PAYMENT IN BASE COIN

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 16, 19 July 1923, Page 6

PAYMENT IN BASE COIN

It is said that speech is silver, but' silence is golden. When speech has the currency that it has had since Parliament assembled it becomes a debased coinage. To restore its value there should be some amalgamation with the sterling metal of deeds. Parliament has been in session for five weeks, and what has it done but provide material for "Hansard"? There have been three debates of a general character—upon the Address-in-Reply and numerous amendments, upon Imperial affairs, and upon the Financial Statement. The second was the shortest, and also the most valuable, because in it members kept most closely to the relevant questions. Of the others, the best that can be said is that they provided a safety-valve for the escape of all sorts of complaints, charges, and recriminations. Having found an outlet for these general complaints, members should now address themselves to the sericus business in hand. They have little enough time for it. The responsibility is as much upon the Opposition (including both Liberals and Labour) as upon the Government. With other Parliaments the Opposition might say: " The Government had the power and failed to use it." Now it will be the turn of the Government to plead: "We had the measures, but the Opposition would not permit us to enact them." As we have said previously, the waste of time in Parliament arises not from legitimate criticism, but froni the wordy repetition of familiar arguments. Too many members, because they are permitted to speak for half an hour, think it incumbent upon them to fill in the time. .They do. not realise:.that good, grain .. of.;. criticism; loses in value when it must be sifted from bushels of chaff. If they would do the sifting for themselves, the country would be the richer and they no poorer.