STATUTE OF WESTMINSTER
Sir, —We, the citizens of this Dominion, have been notified that the adoption of the Statute of. Westminster will be coming up before the House at the next session. Now it appears to me that the effect of the adoption by the Government of the Statute of Westminster will be to give Parliament the legal right to secede from the Empire, and to become legally independent of His Majesty the King, and the British Parliament. Dr Evatt, Australia, admitted that a complacent Parliament (we had a very complacent Parliament last session) could surrender constitutional powers by the method permitted by Section 5 of the Statute, and without any special consent of the people of the Dominion. Now, while most Socialist constitutional authorities agree with the idea that the New Zealand Government could secede from the Empire, there is a stumbling block in Section 9 of the Statute, which states that ratification of the Statute of Westminster does hot permit the Government, nor any Government, to make laws on any matter within the authority of the State, not being matters within the authority of Parliament or Government of the Dominion of New Zealand, but pertaining to the “body politic.” Therefore, we the people, should have a voice in the decision, whether we should be part of the Empire and hold bur constitutional rights or be passed on to some other dictatorship without the right of appeal.
If a Socialist Government is determined to make Parliament absolute in its power over the people, as the constitution stands today, they can only achieve that by two methods. (1) The unanimous agreement by the two Parties (National and Labour) to transfer certain specified powers to the Government; and (2) by submitting specific proposals to the people for endorsement by way of referendum. The people themselves can study the Government’s case and make up their own minds what they think about it, but it is as well to consider at this stage a referendum, for the people to say Yes or No.
Yours etc., W. BRADSHAWi
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BPB19480611.2.13.1
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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 54, 11 June 1948, Page 4
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344STATUTE OF WESTMINSTER Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 54, 11 June 1948, Page 4
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