PARLIAMENTARY WASTE.

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 30 March 1932, Page 4

PARLIAMENTARY WASTE.

In his Westport speech Mr Holland said that as far as the present Parliamentary session had gone it had involved a shocking waste of public money. That charge, coming from Mr Holland, leader of the party responsible for so much futile obstruction during the debates, makes strange reading, but nevertheless Mr Holland managed to get home a thrust or two at the Government which cannot be parried. His charge of waste arose, not from time spent upon debate —even Mr Holland could hardly raise that issue, in view of his own party’s record —but from the Government’s unpreparedness in regard to its legislation. The Government has certainly presented the country with a sorry spectacle in this connection and it -has left itself open to the suspicion that there may be a grain of truth in Mr Holland’s assertion that there are, or were, serious divisions within the ranks of Cabinet and the Coalition generally upon policy matters. It is five weeks since Parliament was called together for an emergency session. So far two Bills have been brought down—and Cabinet has found it necessary to adjourn the House for more than a week at Easter while it sets to work to prepare its legislation! The House resumes next Tuesday and the country still awaits, as it has been waiting since last December, to learn the whole of the Government’s intentions regarding the mandate it was given at the last election to do as it thought best to pull the country through the slump. If there are any gaps in Cabinet Qpinions on policy matters it is now time they were closed up and a solid front and active determination to get to work shown to the electorate.