TOO BUSY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1932, Page 12

TOO BUSY

NO HONOURS LIST

NEW ZEALAND DECLINES

MORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS

Because more pressing problems have occupied the attention of the Government of late, there is no NeW Zealand New Year's honours list.

This is the second occasion within a year that the New Zealand Government has declined to take advantage of the honours privileges, as participation in the Birthday List in Juno last was refused for the same reason. At that time this Dominion was faced with the problem of all-round cuts in expenditure, and with the- provision of economic necessities for the increasing list of unemployed. Honours were considered secondary to these affairs. Similar conditions prevail in New Zealand to-day. Added sacrifice has been asked for from, all sections of the community, and again the Honoura List has been placed aside until the major task of seeing the Dominion through its economic setback has been accomplished, j

The Dominions are iPot obliged to accept Royal honours, but in the past it has been the custom to take advantage of the privilege, allocating the distinctions according to Cabinet recommendations. The acceptance or refusal of honours is essentially a policy point of the Government in power in. the Dominions. It has been the policy of the Canadian Government for some time not to accept titles. The Australian Federal Government, under the Prime Ministership of Mr. J. H. Scullin, declined honours last year for the same reason as the New Zealand Government.