POLITICAL CHARGES

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 29, 3 August 1923, Page 6

POLITICAL CHARGES

Any member of the House of Representatives who makes charges of hypocrisy and political trickery should be prepared to justify them fully; or else be discredited as one who has no sense of responsibility. Such charges were made against the Government last night in the discussion upon the hardship section in the Public Ex-penditure-Adjustment Act. There was no evidence submitted which would in any way make such extreme terms justifiable.. Admittedly there are Civil servants who have not obtained relief under the hardship section; but the administration of that section- is not in the hands of the political heads "f the Government. Appeals are considered and determined by a board of departmental officers. To justify the charges of political trickery members should be able to prove that the Government instructed these officers how they should act, and that the officers accepted such, instructions. No such proof was tendered, and, if it had been, the number of (exemptions granted (as quoted by the Prime Minister) would have been a sufficient answer. That answer may not suffice for members who are always content with one side of the case: but it will suffice tor all reasonable members of the public. The ■ extreme language used by some members iv condemnation of the Governpient was •in tin way -warranted, At the same time, there would have been, less

opening for such an attack if the Government had made public 'earlier the full facts relating to the operations of the hardship section.