ROYAL COMMISSIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21110, 18 February 1932, Page 12

ROYAL COMMISSIONS.

Sir, —No wonder (lie overburdened taxpayer grumbles at the number of Royal commissions appointed lately at very heavy expense and asks why should we pay for so many members of Parliament when they appear unable to do the work and seem compelled to have expensive bureaus and commissions to do it for them ? The answer is that politicians today do riot dare to insist on legislation which (hey must know is for the country's good and absolutely necessary in the interest of economy, for fear of alienating large blocks of voters. For example, the United Party knew perfectly well that to continue to build railways, in face of the enormous cost, and the ever-increasing competition, was nothing short of a crime, but fear of the consequence if they stopped building prevented them from taking the onus of doing that. The Economic Commission will most likely advise certain measures of economy that Cabinet and Parliament know should be adopted quite as well as the Economic Commission does, but fear of alienating votes rules and tlin ("lovcrnment appoints commissions for the sole purpose of being able to shelter behind them when these economies are proposed. Exchange control was adopted without Parliamentary sanction and another bureau created to administer it. The arguments of the farmers for a free market for exchange appear to me to be unanswerable and seem "to some extent to have impressed the Cabinet, but instead of boldly reversing its policy .of control it appoints another commission to examine the question for it, and will be able to reverse its policy if the commission so advises, or shelter itself from the righteous wrath of the farmer if the commission advises it to continue control. In all this new method of conducting business there is no consideration for the taxpayer whatever. The talk of economy ends in talk only. The politician continues to count results in voles and the lust for power drives the Parliamentary machine. J. Thohnes. 231, Parncll Road.