N.Z. AND WAR

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 121, 25 May 1942, Page 3

N.Z. AND WAR

ANOTHER UNITY PLAN

SACRIFICE OF M.P.S' SEATS (0.C.) WELLINGTON, this day. "If the problem of unifying the Government and the country is beyond the capacity of the politicians their proper course is to refer it to the people," said the president of the Makara-Hutt Valley branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, Mr. R. Sievers, in his address to the annual meeting of the branch. "There has been within the last week, a move to strengthen the War Cabinet. It has been suggested that the men for this job m:glit well be brought from outside politics, but it appears to me that, if this be necessary, then we have not the suitable men in Parliament, and that Parliament is not thoroughly representative of the country.

"The correct course, in my opinion, would be to get the necessary men into Parliament, and for this purpose it should not be difficult to arrange for seats to be made available from both parties in the House. It would, of course, mean the sacrifice of the seats of some members of Parliament, but when today the country is asking men to go into the army, to give up their businesses entirely, and to sacrifice even their lives, if necessary, this request does not appear to be a very large one to make of our politicians. In any case, if it were done, it would be done only for men who had the confidence of the whole community, and would ensure that really high-grade men were selected. No one will deny that we should have high-grade men in Parliament, for the business of the State is the business of all the businesses and industries in New Zealand.

"What is really required, however, is a unified National Government. Patching the War Cabinet is not the answer. In any case, it is only to such a really National Cabinet that the powers necessary to wage total war should be entrusted. There cannot be two Cabinets in New Zealand. There must be only one supreme authority, and it should speak with one voice for the whole country.