MONETARY INQUIRY

Evening Star, Issue 21637, 5 February 1934, Page 11

MONETARY INQUIRY

PERSONNEL OF COMMITTEE LABOUR LEADER CRITICAL [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, February 3. The Prime Minister (Mr Forbes) announced to-day the personnel of the committee set up for the purpose of inquiring into monetary matters. It will be recollected that last session a Select Committee of the House, when reporting on a petition praying fox- an inquiry into ’ the monetary question, recommended the setting up of a parliamentary select committee, and it is in accordance with this recommendation that a committee has now been tion that a committee is a parliamentary one, and will have the powers of a select committee. It will consist of the following:—Messrs J. A. Nash (chairman),' C. H. Clinkard, H. Holland, F, Lye, J. N. Massey, J. W. Munro, A. J. Murdoch, H. M. Rushworth, F. W. Schramm, and W. D. Stewart. The order of reference will enable evidence to be taken in connection with any monetary system or standard that has been put forth from time to time, and will be sufficiently wide to ensure a complete investigation being made into such systems or standards, their practicability, and the probability of their adoption, the promoting and development of industry, and the welfare of the people of New Zealand. Any advocates of such schemes will have a full opportunity of placing their views and particulars of their respective s3’stems before the committee whose proceedings will be public. A secretariat of experts, the personnel of which will be announced shortly, will assist the committee, which will sit almfist immediately. Commenting on the Monetary Inquiry Committee, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr M. •J. Savage) said the personnel had been decided by the Government irrespective of whether those selected had given special consideration to the subject or not. “ Surely the time has come,” he said, “ when representatives of the parties should be selected for what they know about the question. There is_ nothing new in what the Government is doing. It invariably does what it likes, which it is entitled to do, but it should not treat lightly the intelligence of other members of the House. Ido not think there is any section of the community that will be satisfied it is getting a fair run under the present conditions. The Government should have communicated with the various parties in Parliament and asked them to make their own selection.”