The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, JULY 18, 1927. PARLIAMENTARY PROGRESS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 July 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, JULY 18, 1927. PARLIAMENTARY PROGRESS.

Tiik past week lias soon the end of the Address-in-Hoply dohate, ami the commencement of the business of the session—after something like three weeks of wasted preliminary skirmishing. It would appear that the time is overdue for a real reform in ParliaI mentnry procedure, but it may be -expected that when next session comes round again, the same course of action ) will he followed—-a Speech of ancient I history and non-committal policy, an Address-in-ltoply debate, with the inevitable no-confidence motion dimmed to failure thrown in. Parliament is said to cost about £2 per minute during the actual sitting time, so that it can be seen what a wasteful extravagance all the formal procedure is to which wo have referred. The gauge of the value of what has transpired during a wearisome debate, was the speech by the Prime Minister who set himself the task of replying to the critical .speeches of those opposed to the Government. Actually, there was -little or nothing of outstanding merit in Mr Coates’ reply. He answered his critics mostly in the negative—a bare contradiction of what had gone before—and I parties in the House were as much convinced as to their own standing as they were at the outset. There was nothing said in the whole debate to sway public opinion and nothing said to indicate a period of parliamentary progress, likely to lift the country out of the stringent times through which it is now passing. One of the most unsatisfactory features of the debate was the flippancy of some of the Ministers who wasted time in the endeavour to he funny at the expense of the Opposition in detailing a mythical Cabinet. Even the Minister of Finance had to pass wasteful sallies in a similar direction, despite the fact that the trend of his speech indicated a very critical financial period, and yet he gave no clear sign of any special effort to cone with the grave situation. On the other hand. Ministers professed to believe the cloud of depression was lifting. They professed to see a silver lining, but were not able to visualise it so that others might- see. Instead, we have the spectacle of deputation after

deputation of unemployed calling on .Ministers seeking employment ! The replies to those seeking work were to the effect that the outlook is improving. hat that is all too shadowy and uncertain to satisfy unemployed and hungry men, and so they go away empty-handed am! unsatisfied. 'I he situation is not by any means encouraging for there is no outward and visible sign, of the improvement which Ministers keep on forecasting. There is delay week after week "iih the tariif prop sals, though the state of the timber trade is almost daily brought to the attention of the Government. and the foreign article is given more and more time to he brought into the country. Since the threat of an increased duty on competing timbers, 'there has been time and to spare for large cargoes of the material to he Brought into the country and escaping the extra duty, lie a sustained menace ti the local prod net. Parliament might well do something to stem this serious position, hut members' mind- are bent on lesser tilings. There i» the usual waste eu the day-light, saving measure, a principle long away adopted in many industrial undertakings, and in this district the sawmillers have long practiced the principle of daylight saving without serious dislocation of the daily round. Much is being said for the farmer, hut his practice is to make all the Use he can of all the daylight, and no legislation can rob him of this practice, or personal privilege. It is at least satisfactory to learn, however, that the Economy Committee which the Government has set up is doing its work with some thoroughness as regards the Estimates affecting the public administration covering departmental expenditure. The pruning knife is in use there’- rather freely, so that in that respect at least there will ho some measure of relief. For the rest. Parliament seems to he pursuing a line of action along the old familiar lines, and waiting hopefully for something of a happier aspect to come to pass.