“HYBRID GOVERNMENT”

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1942, Page 3

“HYBRID GOVERNMENT”

ADDRESS BY DR. MAZENGARB. '

Till a few’ weeks ago people had been discussing two possible alternatives —a national government or a general election —but they had obtained neither, said Dr. O. C. Mazengarb in an address at the week-end to the monthly meeting of the Wellington electoral representatives of the National Party. Instead of the alternatives mentioned, said Dr. Mazengarb, they had been forced to accept a hybrid Government which nobody seemed to want. The best that the loaders could claim for it was that it was an experiment in State administration which might, or might not, be justified by its results. During the truce which had been brought about, anything in the nature of party politics should not be tolerated, but there was no reason why they should not examine the political trends of the past few years to see where they were heading. To begin with, New Zealand’s system of parliamentary government had undergone a big change and was now in danger of demise. Instead of a Ministry and a Cabinet answerable to the Crown and to Parliament, there was now a heterogeneous collection of two Ministries, three Cabinets and a War Council. There never was a thne when Parliament deserved or enjoyed as little respect from the community as it did to-day. It might well be dubbed “the Long Parliament.” But its impotence and the general surrender of its rights and privileges to other bodies made one wonder whether it might ultimately become known as “our lost parliament.” The chief difference between the French Assembly and this one was that the Frenchmen voted themselves out, whereas New Zealand’s representatives had voted themselves in. The next significant cnange was the manner in which legislation was passed. More and more laws were row being made by Ministers rather than by Parliament. A recent cablegram from England told of a Eill introduced into' the House of Commons giving to the United States’ jurisdiction over its nationals in Great Britain. It was symptomatic of bis disregard for Parliament that, 1 when the attention of the Attorney, General was directed to this cablegram his mind immediately adverted to the probability of the same jurisdiction being granted in New Zealand by an Order-in-Council.

CIVIL SERVICE INCREASE. Superimposed on these alterations was a great increase in. the civil service. Ten years ago the business of government was conducted through a group of . homogeneous departments, all of which were linked to Parliament through a political head. These departments remained, but they had now, in addition, an illassortment of boards, councils, tribunals, commissions, divisions, services, ministries, authorities, commissioners and controllers—all fully staffed and some of them almost a law unto themselves. Parliament had succeeded in creating a veritable State labyrinth with nearly 30,000 additional civil servants (exclusive of those engaged in war administration) added to the State payroll. What attitude must the non-So-cialists in the community adopt toward these trends? They must not be reactionary, but should be conservative, examining every proposal for further State enterprise with great care. There was no going back upon what had been already done by industrial and social legislation. But State regulation and control of internal affairs must stop somewhere or the whole structure would break down of its own weight. They must strive for greater simplicity in the making of laws, in

administering the affairs of State and in the performance of their own legitimate individual functions. They must also call for a bigger population to share the heavy overhead expenses and put wages on a family basis so that men with children to maintain would receive more than adolescents and unmarried persons. With it all. they must find some way in which those men now serving with the armed forces would have a reasonable opportunity to develop the talents which they were subordinating in this time of national emergency. The present Parliament did not seem to be concerned about the drift, and the only way in which it could be met was by the creation of a healthy and informal public opinion.