INADEQUATE SAFEGUARDS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 113, 9 November 1934, Page 8

INADEQUATE SAFEGUARDS

The amendments circulated in the House of Representatives last night will'not provide sufficient safeguards for the wide powers of the Agriculture (Emergency. Powers) Bill. The addition,of the Minister of Agriculture to the Council ,of Production and Trade will give it a constitution resembling that of; the Unemployment -Board." This1 is? 'an improvement in so far as it makes a link between Parliament and; a Council charged with. ,exercising in production and trade, almost \ the power of Parliament. It gives also a shadow of consumer representation, as the Minister can be questioned and will hear the opinions of members of the House. But as the Minister's main concern is for producers we do not think the consumer representa-" tion can be regarded as substantial. The change does not remove the objection we have raised to the hasty bestowal of wide, almost dictatorial, powers either directly upon the Council or by Order in^Council. We have submitted, and we :still maintain that such'powers should be given only when the necessity fcithern Is plainly demonstrated, and when it is proved, also, that they can be exercised without risk of ( ■■ injury to producers or consumers. Parliament should know first what use.is to-be made of the authority. There has been no satisfactory explanation on .this point. The Government has said in effect: "It's; quite all right. The authority will not 'be' used.", then why give it? Much better would it be to confer more circumscribed powers in the meantime, and allow the Council itself to ask in February for such extended authority as. may, then be considered, essential. The issue is in the first place one of principle. Parliament is the authority created and controlled by the people, and it should not lightly transfer its responsibility to any body which is not in touch with the people as a whole, and is constituted, moreover,; to promote the welfare of a section of the people—the primary producers. Safeguarding this principle! means democracy, no matter,1; from,'what quarter the attack^ comes; whether . from a producers' organisation or a Government [withithe plans of Sir Stafford Cripps | for ushering iii Socialism, i;'.y ;, ■/■'■,

A. There is^ however, in addition to* this issue of principle a' definite arid immediate; practical side of -the problem. With the powers proposed a Patersonplan or a Sinclair plan could be brought into operation. Parliament, having delegated its own powers, would have no means of checking the plan until it had gone so far that it would be difficult to stop. It should be noted that the

amendnients; to the original Bill, though'they curtail slightly the power to make regulations, do not touch this point. It will still be possible to levy orivthe -local market to .make .it pay for reorgahisatipri of. the industry, everi if an export subsidy is not sought. '/ The '■■} clause /-stating/ that board powers shall not be transferred to the CbunQil^withgut consultation has ho Bearing bh this issue-—-the, con-:1 sumers and retailers are not to. be; consulted.:, In fact the clause means very, little iii 'any- case. An obligation to .consult involves, perhaps, '■■ a little delay in action,1 but nothing more, as One .party: to; the consultation can-do ho more.than protest. \ *