POSTPONED ELECTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20985, 23 September 1931, Page 12

POSTPONED ELECTIONS.

Sir,—Your leader in Saturday's paper puts tlie matter well hut, in my opinion, too mildly. The postponement of the elections attacks the hasic principles of democracy—the right of the people to govern themselves. By tho action now being taken the very people who have brought tho country into tho dreadful position it now occupies arrogate to themselves the right to "continue the treatment." What is tho position? One party bribes the electors with an offer to advance 95 per cent, to buifd more houses in the towns. -Any private trustee ad--ministering his trust funds in such a way would be put in gaol. Another party arises to outbid this proceeding by shouting that the voters must have more money. They must have £60,000,000 on loan and £10,000,000 to build useless railways in tho South Island. And all this won't cost them a penny! These arc tlie folk in whom wo shall have, willy nilly. to trust to put our affairs right. It is a catastrophe that at this dreadful crisis in our affairs we have tho poorest Parliament ever returned in "our history. And for a Government the greatest collection of incompetents that ever fluked tho chance to misgovern this country. Fancy a Minister —the Minister of Education—standing up in the House and declaring that the business of the country should not be run on business lines! What are public affairs coming to when members just elected promptly help themselves to £IOO per annum each out of the funds they were elected to guard ? And these very men now propose to extend their period of pay into tho bargain. The Reform Party recently put out a circular setting out what an evil precedent would be created by any postponement of tho elections. And now they themselves create that precedent! Of course, tho leader's hands may bo forced. So many of the present members of Parliament well know they have not one chance in a thousand of being returned again and many more know their chance is very doubtful. It is to be hoped'that the constituencies would return better men if given the opportunity. Anyhow, the chance should not be denied them. The electors must take the responsibility or democracy fails. Electob.