Government Threat To Country Quota

Northern Advocate, 26 April 1944, Page 2

Government Threat To Country Quota

Predicting that the Government proposed to abolish the country quota of representation in Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. S. GHolland) speaking at a conversazione in his honour in Whangarei on Monday night, warned the people of the danger if this interference with their privileges were aillowed. Mr. Holland presaged his warning by dealing with the Local Elections Bill, in which the two main provisions were the granting of the right of all persons over 21 years of age to vote in county electicns. and the right of employees to stand for election. In boroughs and cities, universal franchise had obtained because it was recognised that large ratepayers had some opportunity of parsing on rates to the public, but this did not apply to counties, as the farmer had no means of passing on any .increase in rates. All Voters Should Pav The Opposition had informed tlm Government that it did not oppose universal franchise, and would agree subject to the condition that all who! were given votes helped to find the rates. To this the Government had nor agreed. “We tried to meet the Government. and I asked for an adjournment tor us to consider the question,” said Mr. Holland. “When we reassembled 1 am sure that Mr. Fraser wanted to accept the Opposition’s proposals, but he had to face the humiliating position of standing at his place in the House and refusing, at the dictates of outside pressure groups.’” The keenness of the Government for the measure had led to the query of what it proposed to do in the future. What had been the aim of giving employees the right to stand for election? It mear-t that councillors could become employees of the council, and whan appointments were made the position would be open. Against Primary Producer

Three attacks had been made against the primary producer. First had been the Land Sales Act and then had ccme the Local Elections Act. The third would be the removal of the country ouota.

To a country electorate, there were 28 per cent, fewer electors than in a city electorate, ensuring by the basis laid down in 1381 that the farmers had adequate representation in Parliament, said Mr Holland. The Labour Government was now seeing the writing on the wall and that it was going out of office. Therefore the pressure group o , the union organisations, were now moving to abolish the country quota. What Change Means

If the country quota had not been in operation at the last election the National Party would have secured only 25 seats instead of 84 and the Government would have secured 52 seats instead of 45. "You cannot chisel away the cement from the foundations without imperilling the structure." said Mr Holland. “But you must remember that 34 representatives in Parliament cannot beat a Government with 45 seats. The only way to. oppose the country quota being abolished is public opinion, forcibly expressed, but always within the law. so that the Government will not proceed in the face of the people’s will. “This Government has mighty little sympathy with primary producers. It lacks knowledge of their problems. In the Opposition they at least know they have men in sympathy with them and who know of their difficulties. Production should be placed before distribution and not, as the Government has done, distribution before production.”