PARTY SYSTEM EVILS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 970, 13 May 1930, Page 7

PARTY SYSTEM EVILS

CRITICISM BY PROFESSOR T. A. HUNTER ANSWER COMMENTS Press Association WELLINGTON, Today. At the conference on psychology and philosophy Professor T. A. Hunter read a paper on institutions social and antisocial, arguing that many institutions failed to achieve their objects, among them being parliaments. He criticised the party system, the evils of which were increased according to the number of parties. Trade unions, whether of workers or professional men, were also criticised, as they only protected their own members without regard to the community. Mr. J. A. Nash and Mr. P. Fraser, M.P-’s* and others took part in the discussion which followed, Mr. Fraser accusing the speaker of “political petulance” so far as his remarks about Parliament were concerned. Mr. Fraser contended that the machinery of Parliament worked more efficiently than some of them thought, though it was far from perfect. Instead of destroying their institutions they might examine them and see where they could be improved to make them render the service expected of them. Another speaker thought that while Professor Hunter had painted a pessimistic picture it was fairly proportionate. m the course of his reply Professor Hunter said the world had been suffering from an overdose of what America « ailed ‘ boosting” and it was time that they began to see things in a truer perspective.