POLITICAL PALAVER

NZ Truth, Issue 749, 25 October 1919, Page 6

POLITICAL PALAVER

Paragraphs Pertaining to Parliamentarians

(By "X.M.P.")

Mr. James Mac Combs was hot on the trail of the would-be wreckers of the Women's Parliamentary Rights Bill. Jamie's measure had been taken over by the Government and put through the Lower House as a Government measure. Mr. Massey had shout-

Ed from the housetops and m the market places his determination to get th© Bill on the statiiteVook m time to qualify women to stand as candidates at the coming elections. .He introduced the Bill all right, which duly passed the Lower House. Unfortunately the Billwas drafted m a way. that gave, the Slower House cause to cavil and cut it about. The great , question is, ■was this by accident or by design? There are many lawyers m the ranks ■of the Tory party. The Tory leader of the Legislative Council is a leading lawyer, said to be second to none m his knowledge of constitutional law and Parliamentary procedure. Yet this Minister allowed such a Bill to pass through Cabinet while it contained a clause which he well knew would bring 'about a conflict between his Chamber and the House of Representatives. Moreover, it is a Government Bill, and the majority of the mejnbers ■ of the Slower House are supporters of the Government. These things give one pause! If the Government was really desirous of seeing the Bill become an Act, it surely was easy -enough for it to arrange that" the Bill, when introduced into the representative assembly should contain : no reference to the right of women to sit m the

Council, but that on the measure com- -- ing before the "Lords," the Govern- % ment leader m that House should move j.an additional clause granting that c right to women. That would have ""been the sarie and practical way of .J\ going abouVthe business. As things P have been conducted m this matter > "X.M.P." is tempted to conclude tl.at >.i- the "hidden hand" has been spanking I Mr. Massey very soundly. for precipif~ tately promising to place ' such a law ?;■•' on the statute book. Then look at the X" precious time that has been wasted : ever the question — and the session is ;; euch a short one, and the Government v have so many — tut, tvt — so much to * do. Alas most, of it won't be dirl. With ; the - exception of a few Rads aa-i the £. Labor members, "X.M.P." nas never -' seen a lazier House. Even Mr. Massey '■;r at times lobks rb if he didn't give a •I; tinker's dam whether he comes back i; . alter the election or riot. In politics, 7 w In most else, there is a time for ■ most men when, as the Scriptures say, i :*the desire faileth." ' I"--'"' ■: ■ ■ * "■••'■ * r Tom Wijford seems to be anxious .v, for the' "Reps" to take oft! the gloves * and have a bare knuckle fight with ; .: the "Norms." Tommy's opposition to : ■fche nominated -chamber is whole--hearted and sincere, but much of his ■■•■; denunciatory remarks were, m the case (9 under review, much out of^ylace. One ' \ ; 'fails to see what need there is at all ;' for the Upper Chamber unless it has j; Upower to amend measures sent up to it fe?' from the Lower House. It was for ;|\ that very purpose it was instituted. '■■■ The question was whether the action

of the "Reps" m passing a Bill containing a clause altering the constitution of the Upper , House, was a breach of privilege. If it was, then the Upper House had acted within its rights. If the rights conferred ppon it by the constitution conflicted with the will of the people that still did not place the Upper House m the wrong. That opens -up a much wider question. What Tom and those of a like mind ought to have done, was not to rail at the "pore benighted political 'eathens*' m the Slower House, but to have pointed out the apparent insincerity of the Massey Government m drafting the Bill as it had been, drafted, knowing, as they must have known, what its fate would be. The other question, that as to whether the second chamber shall continue to be part and parcel of the' legislature, or merely a revisory and advisory cdmrnittee for the guidance of the Representative Chamber must be tackled by itself, and ought to be tackled , soon.

Mr. Massey is the new Minister of Railways, but he will have to be more careful of the terms he uses m replying to mjembers' questions or he is likely to get both them and himself hopelessly mixed. In replying to a question by Mr, Veitch, Mr. Massey said that while freights had been Increased 25 per. cent, the increase m the revenue of the railways had been only five per cent. Then he went on to explain to the "startled member for Wanganui that the cause of the small increase of the revenue was due to the large increase m the expenditure. This extra expenditure included, he said, several thousands In bonuses to railway servants, extra cost of coal several, more 'thousands, while a hundred "thou" had been- spent by the department owing to the epidemic, and so on. Mr. Veitch' s face was a study as Mr. Massey rattled on. Obviously he or the queryist was "rattled." Doubtless, Mr. Veitch was wondering m what way the expenditure, on coal, bonuses and epidemics could affect the revenue. These things might materially reduce the balance, but they could not possibly reduce the revenue. If that was reduced, and Mr. Massey admitted that it was, then the increase In the cost of freights had surely had the opposite effect to that intended. , Fares and freights had been increased 25 per cent, but the revenue had Increased only 5 per cent. This is another proof that the way to Increase revenue is not by raising prices, but by reducing freights and, fares". All that the In-

crease m freights has done Is to give a fillup to motor traction, and if this form of goods - distribution develops, the Tail ways will be hit very hard indeed. "X.M.P" hopes the Minister of Railways is listening.

The Hon. Mr. Hanan has .been eulogised by all and sundry (with the possible exception of the M.P. who. imagined he was forestalled as Minister for Education) ■ as the most able educational administrator New Zealand has ever had. He has been looked upon as, and he v is, an educational expert. Mr.

Peter Fraser, the other day, went out of his way ( to hand him a bouquet m the House, as a prison reformer, declaring, with his hand on .his heart, that the member for InvercargHTs administration of our prisons while he was Minister for Justice touched high water-mark, arfd left little to be desired. This is hig-h praise, but it is not to be concluded that Mr. Hanan has particularised only m one or two great political questions. The oftener he speaks m the House the more he shows that he has a comprehensive grasp of all live questions, and of some that ought to be, and, m the near future will be live questions. "X.M.P." could not help remarking how "near" little Joey was "to the Kingdom," when he heard him deal with the land question. Joey is m the best sense of the term a Radical, because he believes m going to the root of evils and applying root remedies. There is not the slightest doubt but. that several of his colleagues among the Rads. and even among the Reds, heard something that was, if not altogether new to them, placed m a* newer and more up-to-the-minute light than they had ever before had it. Labor candidates m search of good matter and data for their speeches ought to secure the current week's Hansard and "swat" Joe Hanan's speech. It was good goods.

Poor Mr. Massey's undeveloped Housing looked like an abortion after Sir Joseph Ward had unfolded his ideas on the question. Sir Joseph explained to the House how he would put into force his plan of providing cheap houses. Mr. Massey's Bill provided for the State prqviding the money at five per cent. This, 1 however, at the present high cost of production, would mean at least seven and a-half per cent, m normal times, or one and two-thirds per cent, m excess of what house proprietors m the 'Old Dart" consider a fair and safe return on house property. This was a point which even Sir Joseph did not touch. But perhaps he did something better. Ho showed how by using the surplus deposits m die Post Office Savings Bank the houses ought to be built at a cost of three per cent, over a term of years. At present housing accommodation is costing the workers of New Zealand from two days to^two and a-half days' work per week. Sir Joseph says that a week's rent for an I ordinary workingman's home should I never be more than equal to one day's minimum pay — 10s 6d. There is not the slightest doubt that Sir Joseph Ward's scheme is sound from the economic point of view, and it would be well if Mr. Massey withdrew his meai sure m favor of that of Sir Joseph* Ward's. That, while It would be well for the community and the Liberal Party, would be anything but well -for the Massey- ites. It would be tantamount to an admission of defeat before ever the combatants had entered the ring. However, the two BChemes are now before the country, and intelligent electors can easily decide which is the better of the two. "X.M.P." gives the palm to that of the Liberal leader even as he has stated it, although the scribe has a feeling m the back of his mind that Sir Joseph did not lay actually all his cards on the table. Praps it "would not have been politic for him to have done so. We can rest assured, however, that when Sir Joseph elaborates his scheme before the electors m the course of next month, it will be seen to contain other favorable featur.es that will completely snow under the proposals of Mr. MassTsy m that line.