Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1924. POLITICAL OBSTRUCTION

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 50, 27 August 1924, Page 4

Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1924. POLITICAL OBSTRUCTION

w The Government is taking theright course with regard to. its proposals for electoral a-eform. These proposals were submitted to the House in a Bill circulated towards, the end' of last session, but by a gross abuse of the forms of the House the submission of the measure to the present session has been so far prevented. ' No less than three times has the introduction of the Legislature Amendment Bill been defeated by the action of the Labour Party, which, though not strong enough to carry a hostile motion,' has speakers enough' to take' up all the time within which the motion for the introduction of the Bill could be carried. Under the Standing Orders, which do not contemplate a debate at this stage /of,a Bill biu\do not1 forbid it, there is no reason why this should not be continued' indefinitely if| the "Bill continues to be introduced in the ordinary way. Hither-1 to/this' abuse of the.forms of the House has been mostly of the opposite kind. A private member who- was anxious not to legislate1 but to talk has seized the opportunity of submitting liis views on af motion for leave to introduce a Bill which he had no intention of pro-' ceeding. with. , But-this abuse has •been rare,and has done little harm. The tactics, which, have been followed^ the Labour-Party this session raise a much more s,erious issue. It is possible by such tactics for a; party; or even a small-section of a party, to block any legislation to which;they may take exception.

The'majority in such' a'case is1 powerless, since the mere lapse" of time, gives victory to the minority, and to argu© against.the; procedure, or--in'favour .of the Bill as merely to cassist' the obstruction. That Standing Orders which thus allow a 1 few. malcontents to block legislation by the simple process of talking it out under; conditions which make debate impossible should be amend-1 ed is obvious, and it is much to be. regretted. that not a few malcontents :but. a whole1 party should: have combined to make the'need: for amendment an urgent one. Had the .measure t,hus obstructed' been in private hands, nothing, short of such .an amendment would have saved it, but for a Government there is a simple way of get-' ting round the .difficulty,-'and this, as Mr. Massey informed the House: -yesterday, it is proposed" to''take.' .''l intend;"'he' said, ."to ask that, this Billlbe struck off the Order' Paper, and I propose to bring down another./ Bill by Governor's Mes-, sage, and to get over the difficulty in that .way." The Labour Party will not be able, to apply this par-_ ticular form of obstruction to the 7 new measure,'and ft is to.be hoped, that, having made their.' protest,' they will not resort to stonewalling tactics of any other kind. The ..Bill, will doubtless- justify and even demand searching criticism, ,but obstruction, is the negation of criticism, and delays and prejudices the whole business-of the session.