"A WEAKNESS"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18858, 8 November 1935, Page 13

"A WEAKNESS"

INDEPENDENT MEMBERS PRIME MINISTER'S VIEWS PLEA FOE PARTY MEN Some plain comment on the weakness of Independent members in Parliament was made at by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, when addressing a meeting of electors. "It. will be a. bad day tor New Zealand if, as a result of the elections, tne Government has to depend on Independents," he said. "After a long Parliamentary experience'! say an Independent member is a weakness. Any Government that sets out with a definite programme must bo able, to depend on the loyal support of the men returned to support it. "Tho member who only gives popular measures enthusiastic support and rushes into other lobbies when legislation is unpopular is no good either to a. Government or to anybody else. Nothing can weaken any Government more than that. The Government must be placed in a position where it can .rely on loyal assistance when it is necessary to say 'no' in the best interests of the country. "We have had experience in other countries of Governments being at the mercy or caprice of Independents. In every case., instead of having a solid Government with a definite, decisive, consistent policy, you find a weak and wobbling administration. "Some people say we should have. another system of election, that we should have proportional representation or preferential voting, which would ensure the return of a number of Independents. "It would be a very bad thing indeed, if there were a number of Independents in the House. They would be in a position to bargain with the Government. The. result at its best would lie a weak administration with much backing and filling, instead of a firm policy and a definite programme. 'T hope, as a result of the election, a party will be returned which will en-, able us to do what is right in the interests of all the people. A strong Government with a strong definite Opposition, has a tremendous influence on legislation and the reputation of Parliament." 'LOOKING FOR NEW PARTY' WE LIJNGTON C.OMMENT "One of the new Independents, Mr. W. D. Lysnar, is reported as stating that he is' 'looking for a new party to govern the Dominion,' " remarks tho Wellington Post. "During a triangular general election—three parties, plus units and fractions —something is always liable to turn up, and it may be that, if the new Parliament meets in a somewhat balanced condition, some old party will be looking for a new member. The political pursuit of a, majority in the period between the first and the second ballot will be recalled by those who remember pre-war politics; and though the second ballot was repealed by Mr. Massey—on promise of a better System that was never implemented—the. incidents of that period show that, even under first-past-the-post voting, an Independent in a. new Parliament is liable to rise rapidly to a premium in the party market. * Of course, it depends on a •balance of parties. Still more import" antly, it depends on the Independent topping the poll in spite of tho party machines. There is quite a fair chance, when Parliament meets, that Mr. Lysnar will find n, ■ party if the ,parly ran find Mr. Lysnar."