THE BLANK CHEQUE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 368, 9 March 1932, Page 4

THE BLANK CHEQUE.

“ Filling in Left to a Lot of Commissions.” GOVERNMENT CRITICISED. (Special to the “ Star.”) WELLINGTON, March S. A charge that now that the Government had unfettered authority it did not know what to do, was made by Mr H. Atmore (Independent, Nelson)

speaking in the de- ■ bate on the AddressI in-Replv to-night. I It was not right to ■ place all its responI sibilities on to commissions. The Gov--1 ernment had asked 9 for a blank cheque, I but had left the 9 filling in to a lot of H commissions and g| committees. M r K Forbes had stated

that if he could borrow on the Lon-

don market he would do so, apparently on the security of New Zealand's wealth. Surely if he was willing to do that he could justify issuing Treasury notes to the value of five or seven million pounds. “ Shillyshallying.” “ The present Government is not a National Government in any sense of the word,” said Mr Atmore, “ but it is a procrastinating, shillyshallying Government, which has no claim to be the custodian of the executive power of one million and a half people. Time was when New Zealand led the whole of the world, but to-day she is lagging sadly behind.” Referring to unemployment, Mr Atmore said the machine should be the servant of mankind and not its destroyer. When last year he had advocated the reduction of hours he was told that was a dangerous doctrine to give out to the people, but the Government should know full well that it could not employ men for eight hours a day under present conditions. Why not face up to that fact? It was true that Cabinet was composed very largely of farmers, but the real fact was that the bankers were actually controlling the position. The leaders of the country were not preaching the new economics of plenty and wealth. The whole trouble in the world to-day was that the science cff production had destroyed the science of distribution, and the science of distribution was held in check by the bankers.