NON-PARTY GOVERNMENT

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24101, 21 October 1941, Page 4

NON-PARTY GOVERNMENT

Sir, —Mr. (J, llinton Knowles, in his projjosiils lor non-party government, overlooks the fundamental factor in the case. He says. " 'Let' it he agreed to call a political truce." We had a story like that in our schoolbooks, wherein the mice said, " 'Let' us place a hell on the cat's neck." If was a wonderful idea until the call came for volunteers to do the job. Then the mice discovered they hadn't the ways and means to "let" it he done. 1 suggest that Mr. Knowles is making a similar error. What, is the use of building on something we cannot secure? While men have free minds they cannot be made to call a truce. And even if we had something of the kind to begin with, that one body—the Oovernnient— would immediately find itself disintegrating into parties hecause of varying interests, l'artvism cannot be prevented while men have diverging opinions and interests. The abuses of pnrtyisrti can only be avoided to the degree that: the party in power is prepared to govern equitably. That again means that if the organised forces of those prepared to support equitable government cannot secure the reins of power, then some less desirable party must reign. We are still governed by force; if it is a goodwill force then we will have equitable government. Our only hope is in creating good force, in other words, uplifting the masses mornllv until a majority will support equity. Look U?.