THE LIFE OF PARLIAMENT.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 48, 12 March 1937, Page 4

THE LIFE OF PARLIAMENT.

The normnl term for which our House of Represenfcatives should be elected has had some notice drawn to it by an incidental statement madfe at Auckland a day or two baek by 1 the Prime Minister. In answer to rumours said to be abrgad that the present Government, despite its assurances at election time, had it in mind to take out the full f our years the present law permits, Mr. Savage sta.ted definitely that a general election would be held at the end of three years, that is, towards the close of 1938. At the same time, however, he indicated that it might be considered as to whetber the electors should then be consplted, by referendum, &S to wh§ther the threeyear or the four-year term should be adopted for future Parliaments. When, in 1934, the Bill for extending the terrp. to four years was before the House the opinion was expressed here that, while approving it as a broad proposai, it should not be made to applly to the then sitting House, and that view we still hold. Except in an extreme emergeijcy, such as wartime involvgd, tp do this was a misuse of parliamentary authority and in-that way provided a very dangerous preeedent. The temptation was no doubt strong under the exigpncies pf the conditions that then held, Imt it would have been niuch better had it been resisted. As it turned out, too, it proved a great tactical mistake, for it may be taken that had last election been held at the customary time, instead of a year jllater, the Labour Party would have scored no such sweeping victory as came their way in November, 1935, In another respect, too, the extra year worked, unintentionally of course, much to the advantage of that party, inasmuch as it enabled the then Government, though at the cost of its own popularity, to leave the finances of the country in apple-pie order for its successor. Beyond this, too, it brought the Opposition into office when the clouds of depression were well on the way to dispersal and a return to prosperity was well in sight. Thus in all respeets the prolongation of its own life was a decided mistake on the part of the Government. ^ Conversely it may be suggested that, besides fulfilling a pledge, the present Government's sacrifice of a year of its life will be good party policy, for it gives less time for the adverse results of its administration to make themselves manifest to the electors. Beyond this, it will be much easier to keep up lavish expenditure for three years than for four and, after all, it is that whjch provides the surest lure for the great mass of the electors. At the present moment the question of three years or four does not enter the Prime Minister 's discussiop, though, sp^aking off the book, our memory is that during the debate on the 1934 Bill Labour members spoke in favour of the shorter period as being the more democratic in the way of allowing the electors to express themseLvps at the more freqjient inr tervails. Whether this attitude will be maintained when the referendum comes to be taken eannot, of course, be said. The Prime Minister himsplf has been quite non-commital on this point, sajdng that there are no doubt arguments to be advanced on both sides. Which of these arguments will prevail with the Government when the time comes will probably depend very much on the prospects it then sees of a continuation in power. This, of course, raises the question gs to . whether or not the decision of the referendum should apply to ihe House then being simultaneously elected- However, between nqw and then there will be plenty of time for public diseussion of the subject in all asppcts.