Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 1924 The Session

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3614, 18 November 1924, Page 4

Lake Wakatip Mail. QUEENSTOWN, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 1924 The Session

NOTWITHSTANDING liis slender majority, Mi’ Massey held control of Parliament through a. long' and, it must be oonlessed, somewhat tedious session. There was no outstanding! feature either in legislative achieve.ment or in the various measures that wer<! brought forward for oonsidelation. Parliament, met this year for what is called the business session. That is to say, it was the middle of the three-year period for which members are elected. In the first session of any Parliament, which is composed partly of new members, not much is accomplished l , and in the last session our legislators, while ostensibly addressing Mr Speaker, make their speeches with a view to keeping in the good graces of their constituents. Triem nial Parliaments are a mistake. The period it too short- It could with advantage be lengthened to. lour Years, or even five years, which is now the practice in Great Britain, where until comparatively recently the life of the House of Commons was seven years. The arguments against triennial Parliaments are many, but the chief objection to them is that the time is too. short to allow effective business to be done. Further, the cost, turmoil, and dislocation of industry are so great that the plea that an extension of the period for which members are elected is desirable would probably meet with a good deal of support if it were pressed in the House.

It is not suggested that the session just ended has been barren. Though quiet and uneventful, usefiul work has been done. There were no great reforms to record and nothing of a. revolutionary nature was attempted by the Government, for the simple reason that there was no call for anything of the kind. So much has been acoom L plished in the last quarter of a century in the way of progressive and humanitarian legislation, and the general standard of living of the people is at so high a level, that there is no outstanding demand! by ainy considerable section of ’the for the amelioration of conditions in any particular direction. This is not meant to imply that the New Zealand Statute Book has reached the stage when it can be closed and “Finis” written so far as the larger issues of the State are concerned, but it can justly be claimed that so much has been .accomplishedl in social legislation that a period o ftranqullity is desirable, so that the various Acts may be tested and amended according to requirements and the Government be left free to develop the resources of the Dominion, particularly those which have relation to our primary industries. What is wanted above everything at the moment is sane and stable government, and it is to be hoped that the people will recognise this when Mr Massey makes his appeal to the country at the end of next year. Political movements often go in waves. A wave of unrest and social revolt and legislative activity stirs a country for a time, but this is invariably followed sooner or later by a realisation that, if effective work is to bo accomplished the affairs of the country must be placed in the hands of reliable and trustworthy men whosei administrative methods aid guided by common sense and 1 sound business principles. The people of Great Britain realise this at the mo L ment, hence their o verwhellmiug verdict in favour of Mr Baldwin and lus party, in America the same spirit has been manifested. There Mr Coolidlge, despite a somewhat unattractive personality, lias been elected President by a sweeping majority. The reason is that the people of the United states know he is a man to be trusted, not merely from the point oil' view of personal honor, bat in the political sense as on© wim will guide' the administration along the road of stability and economic security. Among tine Bills that received the. assent of the New Zealand Parliament this session was one providing for a reduction of the taxation on laud and income. This as might have been expected, was objected to by the members ol the left wing on the ground that it was class legislation. That content ion, however, carries little weight, for as in all British oom 1 munities, the burden of taxation since the war has been tremendously heavy, and it was quite essential in the interests of the country’s industries that relief should be given as soon as possible, and the remissions that have been provided will not only benefit those directly affected, but will react to the benefit ol the whole community. A notable development In all the dominions lately is (in regard to marketing methods. It has been .realised that the loose and haphazard way of disposing of our primary products which prevailed in the past, was quite out of keeping with modern co-operative ideas, and that it entailed an enormous loss every year to the producer. Now the benefits of co-ordinated effort ave being understood, and this was evidenced by*

tliie number of amending bills introduo ed during the session dealing with meat and dairy produce control. Great developments along these lines may be expected, but they will be accelerated or retarded according to the choice made by the people at the next General Election. One thing the recent British campaign showed clearly, and that was that the people have no use for the three-party system. Perhaps Reformers and Liberals in New Zealand will note this, andj, as there is no essential or vital difference in principle between thetm, combine in any movement to defeat extreme tendencies and for the maintenance in power of a Government imbued with sane and progressive ideas.