DEMOCRACY ADRIFT

Northern Advocate, 28 October 1932, Page 6

DEMOCRACY ADRIFT

WORK OF THE TTOUSF

A TRENCHANT CRITIC

“POLITICS A MISERABLE GAME

(From Our Parliamentary Special.)

WELLINGTON, This Day

Vehement criticism of the Parliamentary machine was made by Air W. J’. Endean (Government —Parnell) in the House last night. “ Where is democracy drifting?” he asked, on recalling that when lie first entered Parliament ho had said that the procedure was somewhat peculiar. In the remarks lie intended to.make now he did not want members to think lie was making a personal attack. He had to be careful, or ho might be placed in a dungeon. A Labour member; “The plot thickens. ’ ’

Air Endean said there were 10 Cabinet, Alinistcrs who really ran the country, and so long as they knew their jobs, fairly good administration should ensue. “We members of Parliament are nothing more than fire brigadesmen who suppress any political conflagration that may arise in the House,” he said.

■Speaking of committee work, Air Eudean said it was impossible for members to be at every committee meeting. It would be a simple matter for members to be supplied with copies of the evidence. One member might go to another who had made fragmentary notes, but impressions of what had taken place might differ and members did not know the facts on which they were bound down to make a decision when, at the crack of the whips, they were driven like so many sheep into the “Ayes” or “Noes” lobbies.

Mr Endean next directed criticism to the Address-in-Reply debate, and pointed out that in England that debate took two or throe days, a few selected men from each side speaking. In New Zealand there had been two sessions of Parliament in one year, and the Address-in-Reply had probably accounted for throe weeks. “No wonder there is a, body of opinion outside the House that takes a humorous view of our proceedings, " lie said. The proceedings were higgledepiggledy. Pirst there was the Address-in-Reply debate, then the debate on the Ottawa Conference, and then the debate on the I.C. and A, Amendment. Nothing was ever finished. It reminded him very much of a farmer, who decided to plough a paddock and then went down to attend to a drain. Then somebody ran down to him and told him about a cow, and he left the drain and finally he went to the paddock and got the ploughing finished. Tribute To Speaker. “I regard the political game as u very poor game," Mr Endean said. He paid a tribute, however, to Mr Speaker, for his work in maintaining the conduct of the House. “But what about this miserable game of polities, whore wo have a whispering campaign and a man is villifiod?" Mr Endean asked. “We know what is happening in New Zealand in regard to a certain man in this House, and I say that it is a disgrace to politics, and the sooner this practice is, abolished the better.'’ (Hoar, hear). The next item to come under Mr Endean's fire was “Hansard," which he considered should not be used for electioneering purposes. He suggested that members should bo given so many folios free, and anything more should bo charged for at the rate of a shilling a folio. “That, would cut out the talking," he said. “Then democracy would he .seized with the fact that thinkers and not talkers should be sent to Parliament."

Mr Endean then directed attention to the breach of privilege cases, and said that in the House, in the final Court of Appeal of the land, the position was that a- man was regarded as being guilty without a trial. Ho suggested that the example of South Africa might bo followed, where there was a statute under which cases were dealt with. The Hew Zealand House would be well advised to alter the procedure with regard to breaches of privilege. Before a man was condemned ho should be given the opportunity of coming before the "Bar of the House," and given a chance of saying lie was not guilty.

Mr Andean said that the Legislative Council should not be swept away, as it- was a safeguard against hasty legislation. He knew of a case where the Legislative Council had prevented an injustice. It might bo regarded as a place of refuge, or a reward for gentlemen who had served in the House, be 4 he suggested that men of about middle age and of experience should be placed there. He had not made up his mind as to whether it should bo elected in any way.