The Daily News WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1935. PARLIAMENT’S TASKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1935, Page 4

The Daily News

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1935. PARLIAMENT’S TASKS.

offices : NEW PLYMOUTH. Currie Street. STRATFORD, Broadway. HAWERA, High Street.

The* programme to be undertaken when the Parliamentary session is resumed to-day is fairly well known. Its importance is also recognised, and there will be general approval of the Prime Minister’s announcement that there will be no waste of time over preliminaries and that the consideration of legislation will begin to-day. The first Bill to be proceeded with, if the programme announced by Mr. Forbes stands, is the Companies Bill introduced in the earlier part of the session and held over for consideration during the recess. The Bill has met with some criticism, mainly on the lines that it sets up an authority, more or less bureaucratic, which will have powers hitherto reserved for the Courts of Law. The Minister of Finance, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, has replied to critics by showing that the Bill has been drafted to meet a position arising from investigations made by the Commission which inquired last year into company promotion in the Dominion. Mr. Coates maintains that the Bill as submitted to Parliament had the approval of those whose interests were affected by the findings of the commission as well as that of all who desire to see company promotion kept free of undesirable practices. It was a wise precaution to submit the Bill to the test of public opinion, because there is always the danger of ignoring sound principle in attempting to legislate for emergencies or for the prevention of certain practices found to be against the public interest. It is quite possible therefore that reflection will convince the Minister of Finance that safeguards against undue dominance of the bureaucrat may be necessary. That is for Parliament to consider and it is a duty that should be faced without difficulty if the proper attitude is taken. With one possible exception—the.Public Works Act Amendment Bill—there is no legislation in the Prime Minister’s programme that should be. made the sport of political party tactics. The problems are grave, the precedents for guidance are scanty, and the road to be travelled is one with pitfalls on either side. Successful rearrangement of mortgages and the rehabilitation of farmers’ finances are matters transcending in importance party triumphs or defeats. The legislation affecting control of Native affairs should also be regarded as outside party politics, though this does not mean in either case that the Government’s proposals must be accepted en bloc and without criticism. On the contrary the references made by Mr. Coates to the mortgage legislation indicate the need for criticism and amendment of the Bill if it is to follow very closely the explanation given by the Minister a few weeks ago. But. the criticism and the amendments are much more likely to be accepted if they are-made constructively rather than from the desire to embarrass the Ministry and bring about a political crisis. If party interests are to dominate the debate any reasonable amendment of the Ministry’s proposals is likely to suffer and with it the interests of the public. Mr. Coates can claim with justification that his Labour opponents in their speeches during the recess have certainly failed to produce any alternative plan for the improvement of the mortgage position or of farmers’ finances. Taranaki electors have been assured by Labour speakers that if the Socialists could gain control of the Treasury the troubles of the farmers and of the community would soon be overcome. There has been a remarkable lack of definiteness as to the methods to be adopted, however, the one central point in the Labour scheme appearing to be that it will be financed on State promissory■ ‘“notes. Some day or other debts so incurred have a habit of falling due, and then the borrowers’ dream of prosperity is rudely shattered. If the Labour Parliamentarians have a better financial plan than is contained in the Government’s Bills it is their duty to state it clearly and definitely in order that the public may judge between the two alternatives. The problems are real and near, and remedies proposed must be equally substantial if they are to be worthy of serious consideration. Parliament is facing a national crisis. Its forces must be marshalled with the single aim of overcoming the difficulties ahead, and doing so by.methods that will give justice all round.