CABINET USURPING POWER OF PARLIAMENT

Chronicle (Levin), 12 July 1947, Page 7

CABINET USURPING POWER OF PARLIAMENT

WELLINGTON, July 10. A decline in tlie signiiicance and authority of Parliament and increases in the power of Cabinet were stated ycsterdav by 31r. R. 3.1. Algie, 31. P., to be features* of contemporary Parliamentary Government. Tliey were features tliat were far removed from real Democraey, lie said. He was speaking at a luncheon meeting of the Khandallah branch of tlie Nationai Party. 31 r. Algie said that this trend was not conlined to New Zealand — that in xnuny countries its development had been most marked. He attributed it to two factors. The first of these was the grovvth of the party system with its rigidity ot control over the actions and votes of members. A party which could count with absolute certamty upon the subservience of its members or upon their immediate reaction to discipline could put any measure it liked through Parliament without fear of anything nearer than the next General Election The second facfor crippling Ihe power of Parliament was the grovvth of the soeial service State. "Politicians,'' said 3!r. Algie, "are preaching the gospel that the citizen is entitled to look to the State for anything he can not easily provide for hirnself ' This gospel of privileges witliout obligations. of adcled benelits without increased oll'ort, sells easily and wel'l and is a sure and safe road to the acquisition of political power. ' ' ISuch promises, however, are rarely, if ever, reaiisable without an assump tion of controls 011 the part of those vvlio govcru. Control by those who ruh means diminished i'reedom for thosi who are ruled. "The trouble is," added 3Ir. Algie "tliat so mauy of our people are indifferent to tlie steady reduetion of their liberties so long as tlie flow of mateijial or finaneial beneJfits can be uiaintained. "People wlio wish to preserve a proper measure of freedom for thenv selves or to nand it on to their child ren will need to look beyond Ihe political candidate who will promise anything as a method of securing power. Only a long vievv on our part will save our dem'ocratic institutions. We have to realise tliat liberty can be sold in or through a ballot liox, but history provides us with 110 convincing eases in which it can be recovered by the sanie means. "