TREMENDOUS LOAD

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 84, 8 April 1936, Page 6

TREMENDOUS LOAD

DESTROYING DEMOCRACY

The Hon. A. Hamilton. (Nationalist, Wallace) attacked .the Government's policy 6f-bringing all boards and services -under political control. He wished it luck. It was bringing a tremendous load of responsibility to itself and a lot of possibilities. If there was one thing calculated to break democracy down, it was this fact.

' Mr. W. J. Jordan (Government, Manukau): The Government is going to govern. ■~-'■

Mr.-Hamilton: The Government is going to do it, not parliament. The next few year's will test the Administration out. The policy the Government is adopting has broken down democracy nearly all over the world. Parliament is drawing everything to a political head. It is constituted for law and order, and not so much for the purpose of administering the business of the country. Mr. Jordan: Parliament does not administer departments. ■ Mr. Hamilton: That is just what it is going to do. ' * v He went- on to say that New Zealand was as well-governed as any other country in the world, and the railways had been very well run. He was not objecting to the abolition of the board; he was stating the case for board control—some control a little outside Parliament. He was sorry to-hear the Minister of Railways make the. speech he did. He compared it .with the speech made by the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash), who .had made' an excellent speech. He thought'that:the Minister of Railways had used the muck-rake too much. ..! :::■':;":, x:/ .'■■' ■ "

Mr. Sullivan: I will have an opportunity of replying to'-you in a moment or two," and you will feel sorry for making that remarkt' You have asked for rriore and" ydti'will get it.

.Mr.'Hamilton' said that it was not wise for the Minister to attack the members of the board instead of the principle of the board.- "To descend to personalities arid make accusations against public men is on a lower plane than I think it should be," he said.

Mr. Sullivan: .You want me to suppress facts. I don't propose to do that. -•■ •,:■■-■-

• Mr. Hamilton: No, but it is wiser to attack the principle rather than the person. "If the board is not all right there may be something else that may be used. We believe that the board system has justified itself. The popular cry was that boards were to go. I believe in a board system which is half-way between private ownership for commercial profit and political con-trol—a-national service board, set lip with only one purpose in view, to serve the country with men chosen by the Minister and allowed a large amount of freedom.

He agreed that there were a lot of public services that had not functioned too well owing to private ownership and commercial competition, and as they went along it would be necessary to bring more and more of those services,under national control. The Government would have to go a little steady in bringing everything back to Government'control He did not know how, far it ..'might go.