POLITICAL SICKNESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19736, 8 September 1927, Page 14

POLITICAL SICKNESS.

Sir, —Having recently toured the Dominion one realises that, apart from having certain sick bush country to combat, we havfe at the present time a much more serious malady to contend with, namely, political sickness that is particularly rife throughout the. length and breadth of both North and South Islands. To those versed in the development and political history of this Dominion, it is apparent that the present Parliament is sadly lacking in members of the right calibre to effectively deal with the salient problems awaiting solution. It is quite an ordeal to attend Parliament and observe the waste of time and thus taxpayers' money. Questions of major importance appear to be side-tracked and the time of the House occupied by an extremely poor standard of debate on subjects of quite minor consequence. Electors of all political shade openlv admix disappointment in the present Government Criticism, unless of a constructive nature, is useless. T therefore suggest that every justification prevails to advocate the appointment of an advisory board of proved business men (representing all classes), to guide the Government, and thus safeguard our future welfare and prosperity. Before next election it is to be hoped there will be a welding together of all the moderates. from whom men possessing proved ability combined with broad vision will step into the hreach and take an active part in rruiding our shin of state. At present the burdens of the majority become more complex; there, is not even the skeleton of a land policy to bring about closer settlement and thus idle land into a state of producing. Cost of living is on a par with the hich administrative expenses of the public service. T -think, quite unprecedented in -our historv. Onr railways are steadily losing approximately one thousand pounds per dav. and so it goes on: but I think as countrv is above nartv the time has arrived to fall a halt, and-take stock on the lines indicated. There is the extraordinary position of immigrants, recent-lv arrived, desiring to return to England. On top of this T know of a man in the prime of life who has sold up his home here and taken his family to Western Australia to avail himself of facilities offering there to go on the land under a vigorous land settlement policy. These are concrete facts that call for action on constitutional lines on the part of every loyal citizen. I sincerely trust that the present drift will b6 stemmed and full advantage taken of what promises to be a favourable season for our produce and also improved conditions in England. On the two combined hinges our whole prosperity ; so let increased production be our watchword t New' Zealander."