PARLIAMENT'S PROBLEMS

Evening Star, Issue 19550, 7 May 1927, Page 2

PARLIAMENT'S PROBLEMS

THE DRIFT TO THE TOWN At the Mosgiel mayoral installation Sir Thomas Mackenzie, in proposing the toast of “The Parliament of New Zealand,” made a comparison between the Parliament of New Zealand and those of other countries. ; It was contended, ho said, that the present Parliament was not equal to its predecessors. Well, it would require to be, because some of the heaviest problems that ever a country was faced with might require to be met. Too much reliance on Government help was everywhere evident. Expenditure had increased, as for education, which had nsen from the region of £1,000,000 per annum to that of £4,000,000. That, however, was not the, greatest anxiety, but rather, if we were to judge by the trend of people from country to towns, that might in a measure be ascribed to our system of education. This was most serious. Although some' 30,000 to 40.000 people had been brought out recently from the Old Country, and inmething" like £20.000.000 bad been spent on settling soldiers on the land, be found from statistics that within the Inst few years the agricultural po'pulation had £one down by W.OOO. Tn the the country population was 60 per fent. and the towns 40 per cent., whereas now the reverse, was the case. The fact was that the whole tendency was to drift from the land to the cities because of the greater comforts, amusements, and higher wages. ’ As agriculture and manufacturing were the main backbone of the country, and if our education did not encourage its people into those two great wealth-yielding avenues it was a serious thing. for the State. That problem required the careful consideration of Parliament. We were also concerned about the enormous sums that were falling due within the next 3J years, amounting to £86.000.000. The year 1030 alone saw aqf millions falling due, so that Parliament really would require to have abilitv equal to any period of its existence in order to m«et and satisfactorily overrome these clifbenltie&. He trusted that Mr Coates would be able to do so.