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NOTES OF THE DAY.

During the next day or two Ministers will probably bo called on to make known tho facts underlying the allegations against police officers at Christchurch who are stated to have altered a police record in order to conceal the namo of a person u» der arrest. The allegation is that the.person concerned, a Justice of the Peace, was arrested on some minor charge, that his name was entered in the Court charge-sheet and afterwards altered so as to conceal his identity. It is further asserted that this alteration was made at tho instance of a member of Parliament. That there is some truth in the allegations made seems certain ; how much remains to be disclosed. It is not necessary to point out the seriousness of the offence alleged. The police force above ' all things should be removed from, all suspicion of discriminating between different classes of the community; and it should be in a position also to defy any attempts by M.P.'s or anyone else to interfere with the proper course of justice, and strong enough to resent such interference in a manner that should provide a salutary lesson to the person offending. If an M.P., by virtue of his public position, can induce a police officer to alter a charge-sheet so as to cover up an offender against the law, it is indeed time that the police force was removed from the reach of all political influences.

'■It is to be hoped that the House of Representatives will do a little thinking before it agrees to the Government's proposal to appoint State canvassers for electoral . purposes. The idea, we should say if we made a guess on the point, comes . from Ue. FiNDLAY, who, in his Jlvmburjs and Homilies, pleads for compulsory voting. That compulsory vot-/ ing is a possible development of the/ queer "Liberalism" of this era cannot be disputed; that it is logically in keeping with "Liberal" developments is also beyond question; but it is so manifestly opposed to common sense, and so certain to be shouted down by a community not entirely fanatic in its devotion to our Radical doctrinaires, that we may set its possibility aside. If men want to vote, let them vote and be done with it. The business of the State is simply to leave a free passage open to enrolment. Those who do not trouble to vote are, very properly, to be struck off the roll. Those whom it requires a Government canvasser to render qualified to vote arc no better than the negligent people who, though on the roll, do not value their suffrage enough to exercise it. Quite apart from the fact that the only nationally-desir-able votes are those of the citizens who desire to vote and take care to guard their suffrage, wc must recognise,, as practical men, that a man who is too lazy to enrol himself will be too lazy and apathetic to vote oven after a kindly State has sent a canvasser to enrol him. These are sullicient grounds for rejecting the Government's foolish proposal, which, from any broad point of view, is. simply a proposal to create an army of Government touts.

To-day an Imprest Supply Bill will be forced through Parliament by the Government, [f the public were better acquainted with the forms of Parliament they would realise more adequately than they can possibly do under existing circumstances, what this means. The Government cannot, of course, carry on wilhout the granting of supplies.' Supply is provided by law lor three

months beyond the close of the financial year, which cuds on March 31. Therefore it is necessary that ParH.inient should meet before the end of June to grant Supply, so that Ministers can carry on the government of the country beyond that period. ft is recognised that before granting Supply Parliament is entitled to the fullest information regarding the actions of the Executive during the recess, and also in a general way as to Ministers' intentions regarding the future. It is when the Government, asks for Supply that those who bcrutinise closely the actions of Ministers can, by refusing ;o sanction the grants sought, force information from the Government. It is at this time also that the Government; schemes to shut'the mouths of its critics as far as possible by limiting the time available for such discussions. And this is how it is done, imprest Supply Bills _are not brought down until the last day of the month. Unless, therefore, the Imprest Supply Bill goes through to-day the Government will tell you they will be unable to pay salaries and meet accounts due, etc. The critics of the Government who demand information which the country is entitled to have are thus practically disarmed by the strategy of the Ministry. Members get up m the House and boldly insist on information being provided, and threaten to hold up the Imprest Bill until it-is given, but Ministers simply 101 l back on their benches and smile, or, if in good humour, throw unsatisfying scraps to the recalcitrant ones. They know that they have behind them the weather-worn, but still awesome, threat: "Block this Bill passing to-day, and Parliament must take the responsibility for the failure to meet payments falling duo on the morrow.'' The most determined obstructionist collapses at sight of this bogey. The timidity of the average member of Parliament at the thought of holding back payments for even half an hour ik really extraordinary. Naturally the Government trades on it. This practice of bringing clown Imprest Supply Bills on the last, day of the month is the thinnest and shallowest device imaginable. Everyone sees through it, but no one has the courage to insist that trickery of this kind shall be taught a salutary lesson. Some day when Sie Joseph Waiid or some other Prime Minister is practising this bludgeoning process on Parliament an heroic individual will rise up and to the bitter end refuse to pass the Bill until his demands for information regarding the affairs of iha people he represents are_ satisfied. An amazed Prime Minister will probably thereupon bow to the will of this stern, strong man, or failing that, the Imprest Bill will not pass on due date, and an astonished Parliament will awako to the fact that it has been terrorised for so long by blank cartridge.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19100630.2.14

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 856, 30 June 1910, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,063

NOTES OF THE DAY. Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 856, 30 June 1910, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY. Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 856, 30 June 1910, Page 4

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