BUSINESS MEN AND POLITICS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 October 1928, Page 6

BUSINESS MEN AND POLITICS

THE BROADER. VIEW,

(Nineteen Twenty-Eight Committee)

Speaking as the representative of the Government at the opening of the annual conference of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, Sir Francis Bell stated that one of the reasons why “remits’” submitted to, the Government by the Conference did not become “legislation” was that business men would not enter Parliament. Whether intentionally or not the leader of the Legislative Council thus indicated, in lighter vein, a very grave defect in''the working of one of the most important of the Dominion’s representative institutions. Perhaps at the back of his mind was his own long suspended Legislative Council Act of 1914, providing for the election of members of the Legislative Council under a system of proportional representation, which in all probability would have been in. operation now but for the compact made between the Reformers and the Liberals on the formation of the National Cabinet in the second year of the Great War. The measure still is on the Statute Book and might be made operative at any time by an Order-in-Council, but apparently the politicians of to-day are not well towards . proportional representation, which would ensure every considerable group of electors securing its fair share of representation in Parliament.

rural predominance. The purpose in hand just now, however, is not to discuss either'the merits.gr demerits of proportional representation; but to suggest that a better acquaintance with the facts would' satisfy the critics of business men who remain outside Parliament that these captains of industry are not unwilling to serve their country to the best.of their ability. The trouble is that thev are saddled with responsibilities, public and personal, which would make it quite impossible for them to give adequate attention to their representative duties for four months of the year and to their constituents for the whole year round. This applies more particularly, of course, to business men living in other centres than Wellington, who simply could not afford to spend half their time away from their homes; but it also applies in a large measure to business'men residing in the neighbourhood of the seat’ of Government. This is no new development. The Government Statistician has given up recording the occupations of the members of successive Parliaments, and the last available list deals with the general election of 1914, which returned not a single prominent business man, but gave Parliament twen-ty-nine farmers and thirteen lawyers, totaling forty-two of the seventy-six European members of the House of Representatives. DOING THEIR BIT.

The preponderance of farmers in the House is due to some extent to the “Country Quota” which in purely rural districts gives them an advantage of 28 per cent over their urban neighbours, and the presence of so runny lawyers may be attributed to the enterprise and confidence they obtain from .their profession. Business men of the type Sir Francis indicated might be induced to seek election to Parliament under different conditions -from those existing at the Present time. Meanwhile it’ c-annot he fairly said that they are entirely indifferent to the political welfare of the country. At the present moment a large group of them are eschewing all party prejudices and personal ambitions in an effort to solve some of the grave national problems affecting the whole of the community. The politicians and the parties are now confronting one another in the eon stituencies, doujbtless with honest intentions and high resolve, hut not always, it is to he feared, realising the gravity of their trust, and the significance of their decision. Business men in their own interests—-to place the lowest interpretation upon their activities —are concerned for the interests of every other section of the community, and by representing plain facts for the consideration of the public they suYely make some amends for their abstinence from party politics.