The Times WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 1938. A Pre-election Session

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 151, 29 June 1938, Page 4

The Times WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 1938. A Pre-election Session

Yesterday saw the opening of the final session of the present Parliament—one that will for long be a landmark ip the Dominion’s history as marking the first occasion upon which a Labour Government ruled tins country. Live months hence the citizens will have determined whether or no the present Government or the National Party are to govern the country. Knowledge and appreciation of this fact will, as always in the past, greatly influence Ihe conduct of the session now commenced.

As is his right to do, the Prime Minister lias declared a period to which the session is to be limited; That is three months. ’‘After which the decks will be cleared for the flnal stages of the General Election campaign,” as the Prime Minister declared. Consequently October will be a month of culminating campaigning for the election in November. It is probable that this will be held earlier in that month than has been customary in the past. Thje change will be a most welcome one, as a late date interferes with Christmas trade and also personal preparations.

But the public will not be long kept waiting for electioneering—certainly not for these coming three months of JulySoptember. Indeed, a great deal of political fervour has been poured upon the country from both Government and Opposition sources these past few months, indeed, to a degree never known before. Nor will this cease with Parliament’s opening for the final session. For this is a pre-election session. Parliament will certainly give some attention to its true essential business of governing the country. But in large measure debates and policies will be designed to attract the ear of the electors. The highlight of the session will be the social security legislation—the Government’s ‘‘ace card,” a piece of legislation that will be subject to the keenest interest of every citizen. As originally propounded by the Prime Minister, this was not well received by the public and of late intimation has been given that material amendments were being made. It will be highly interesting to see in what form this proposal is finally laid before the House. Then, even though it be passed, it may not come into operation in the form determined by its sponsors; a turnover of votes at election time would bring in a new Government before the legislation came into force. The date set for that was the Ist April of next year. The other major business of the session is the Budget. Taxpayers can expect no remission of their burden and Ihe hope even for a re-adjustment of the incidence of taxation is meagre. Of much more likelihood is the imposition of fresh taxation burdens due to proposals in the social security legislation. A matter of considerable moment also is the need to redeem some £17,000,000 maturing loans in London next year. The Minister of Finance will doubtless be very conscious of this fact.

'The very generous promises uttered to district after district of late by the Prime Minister will doubtless have to be met in the Budget. Altogether, the Minister of Finance is to be sympathised with in this pre-election session. He will have a hard task to keep the •'reasury on an even keel. Every three years a New Zealand Parliament ends in such a session as this will be, one wherein talk is at a premium and the serious business of managing the Dominion is at a discount. The long-drawn-out Address-in-Keply, the endless debate on every conceivable subject, the electioneering in almost every remark of almost every speaker, and, finally, the electioneering Budget ! Such a session does not add to the dignity of Parliament or redound to the credit of our democracy. Our three-year Parliament is a short one. In Britain the term is five years. In U.S.A. presidents are elected for fouryear terms. It would be a sound change for our term also to be changed to four years. This change was made some years ago in a time of world crisis. The present Government decided to revert to the three-year term on the grounds that the electors had not been consulted. That was a very reasonable action. But a vote of the electors could well be taken at the coming election by means of a plebiscite, as is done on the licensing issue, the decision then given to apply to the Parliament then elected and the issue, of course, to be treated as non-party.