IS IT WORTH WHILE?

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 101, 29 October 1924, Page 4

IS IT WORTH WHILE?

Including the time spent on second- reading, reporting from Committee, committal and third reading, and without deducting meal-hours, the House of' Representatives has given about eighty hours to the Gaming Amendment Bill. This is roughly equivalent to ten normal sitting days. Such expenditure of time at this period of the session is, to our mind, indefensible. We do not hold that a minority should be allowed to dictate to the majority upon the legislation which shall be considered; but the Legislature Amendment Bill would have been a much better measure to choose for the enforcement of democratic majority rule. This has been our attitude throughout—that the whole business was a waste of time, inexcusable when there were other important subjects awaiting consideration, and that the promoters of the Bill and its unreasonable opponents were both to blame for the loss. Apparently Mr. L. M. Isitt takes another view, for he spoke yesterday of the "manifest unfairness of the finan-cially-controlled Press." You only have to bring up something to eliminate a social or moral evil, he is reported as saying, and the capitalistic Press are up against you, and th6y utterly aud unscrupulously misrepresent you. Mr. Isitt is at liberty self-right-eously to thank Heaven that he is not as other men, even as this Press, in his judgment upon social and moral evils. That is criticism of editorial policy, and is often a matter of opinion. Incidentally, we may mention that the time wasted on the Gaming Amendment Bill threatens to jeopardise the Social Hygiene Bill, a measure to help remove a social and moral evil in which the House of Representatives appears little interested. But when Mr. Isitt alleges utter and unscrupulous misrepresentation he impugns the accuracy, fairness, and honesty of the Press reporting. If Mr. Isitt can substantiate this charge against the Press generally (it was. a general charge that he made) he should do so at once. If he does not, he will stand convicted of that misrepresentation with which he so lightly charges others.