POLITICAL POINTS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 107, 7 May 1924, Page 6

POLITICAL POINTS

Over-anxiety' to score political points has led the Canterbury Labcur members of Parliament into error. Their case, standing by itself, appeared a strong one. ■ It abundantly plain, they said, that tho surplus would be more than double that of previous years, and would be in the region of £3,000,000. It was'perfectly clear that the Government could pay £2,000,000 more in wages without increasing taxation. Upon these two points the Labour members wore positive. On the third point they only had suspicions that the Prime Minister was " purposely delaying tho announcement of the surplus because the Public servants asking for increases due to them might learn there is plenty of money in the Treasury." This was quite a terrifying political bogy that the Labour members made. They displayed the hard-hearted Prime Minister concealing his-sur-plus as a miser would hide his gold, fearing that if the amount were known the . Treasury would be raided. Unfortunately for the Labour members, the bogy proves to be a, work of their own hands. Mr. Massey has removed the clothes t-.nd exposed the sticks that support the scarecrow. The points which were " abundantly plain " and " perfectly clear " arc shown tc be wholly incorrect. The surpluswill not be "in the region of £3,000,000," but well under £2,000,COO, and to grant the wages increases demanded a considerable1 increase in taxation would be ne-! cessary. The charge of conceal-! ment, which the "Labour members ■ft ere not quite so certain about, f-lso proves to be most flimsy. The Labour members have erred be- ■ cause their desire to score political i points ,has clouded their judgment. They have attributed polit'.calmotives, and supported their statement with assertions which1 have been proved wrong. Their1 reacUness with accusations of partisan conduct accords ill with their own attitude to this particular piece of public business. If the Canterbury members had not' themselves viewed the facts through political spectacles, they would not have made so extravagant a charge.