PRINCIPLE INVOLVED

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 53, 30 August 1940, Page 9

PRINCIPLE INVOLVED

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

POSTPONEMENT OPPOSED

Members of the Wellington Hospital Board believe that there should be no postponement of the local body elections due to be held ir May, 1941. After having read at the monthly meeting last night a letter from the Hospital Boards' Association enclosing a copy of a letter on the subject from the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) the board resolved that it was not in favour of postponement. The Minister's letter stated that the | Government had been approached and) desired first of all to ascertain the views of local body organisations. Mr. Parry stated that he personally favoured the postponement, because the ) holding of the elections might possibly cause a definite raising of political issues which was not desirable in these times. "This is really a political matter," said the chairman (Mr. F. Castle). "At present I don't see any special reason why local body elections should' be postponed. At any rate postponement should not be for an indefinite period but, say, for one year." Mrs. S. E. Blake moved that the matter be postponed until the next meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. G. Petherick. Mover and seconder explained later that their aim was to j permit absent members to express their views on the question. "The country has gone through notj only the conditions of war, but extreme j financial and economic measures that J have affected the Dominion to a great ] extent," said Mr. J. C. Crawford, "and I think the people should be able to have a deciding power in the election, certainly local body elections. I think the. people should be allowed to express their opinion. It'is not fair to suppress the opinion of the people by legislation, as will be done, if these elections are not held. Ido think there may be a tr,emendous upheaval of thought in this country just as there has been elsewhere in the world. The people should be allowed to say whether they approve of this regime or not. Otherwise you lose the principle of freedom not only in this country, but in- the Empire;" MR. CARMAN SURPRISED. Mr. Carman moved an amendment that the board did not favour postjponement. He said there was no apparent reason at present why the eleci tions should be postponed.

"It is very surprising to me that a Labour Government, above all Governments, should make such an objection, considering the objection they made to Parliament extending its own life in 1934," said Mr. Carman. "The reasons for postponement would be just as valid in time of depression as in time of war. If an emergency does crop up in the meantime the Government still has power to make postponement. There was no postponement in. the last; war and the emergency is no greater in this war than it was in the last. I think it would be very wrong of us to extend our term of office by any vote of this board. We were put here for three years and we should go back to the people to render an account of what we have done." "I am very pleased Mr. Crawford has pointed out that the democratic spirit should be maintained," said Mr. Atkinson, who seconded the amendment. "Anybody advocating postponement of elections at the present time is creating a bogy. People might think we were afraid of losing our seats. I think any one of us would rather face the music." Mrs Blake and Mr. Petherick were given permission to withdraw their motion. Mrs. Semple said she did hot think the Government had discussed the matter. Mr. Gaud in said he thought the elections should go on as usual. The people should preserve the right to elect their representatives to local bodies. As j had been said, a General Election was |to be held in another part of the j Empire. The amendment became the motion and was carried.