WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 May 1929, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

MINISTER’S LIMITATIONS,

FRANK CONFESSION

(Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, April 29

Speaking at a social gathering at Dannevirke during the week-end, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, the Minister ol Public Works, confessed that when he took office in the United Government, he had not quite realised the character of the limitations by which ho was hemmed around. Shortly alter his elevation to Cabinet rank, he told his audience, ho had made a public-state-ment. He had given his personal views rather than those of the Government to which he was attached, and was more or less taken to task by one of his former schoolmates, now, like himself, a Minister of the Crown, who upon him the necessity at all ties of being loyal to his chiel. Needless to say, Mr Ransom never had the slightest idea of being disloyal to his chief, the Prime .Minister. He had simply enlarged from the public platform upon a system ol land settlement submitted by the Minister ol Lands, which had not yet received the imprimatur of the Cabinet. THE INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCE.

The “Dominion” this morning in referring to the incident quotes, with apparent approval, Mr Allred Hooks view of the rights and responsibilities off members of Parliament. “Individual responsibility,” Mr Hook maintains, “ should be restored to the member, and he should he free to vote on national questions as his conscience dictates. But how is that end to be achieved in face of the opposition of party leaders and their machines? The only practical course is to permeate existing parties with a sense of over-rid-ing individual responsibility to the nation. This can only be done by the individual member .who, while dcclaiing Ill's general acceptance of the Conservative or Liberal or Labour point off view, asserts also his right of independent judgment.” The independent judgment extolled by Mr Hook is not encouraged by the leaders of paities, and where it has Been practised in New Zealand, it rarely has brought to its exponents either the results they desired or the fame they deserved. DAYLIGHT PARLIAMENT.

’Hie Select Committee, which was sot up last year to investigate the practicability of introducing daylight saving into the. New Zealand Parliament, has now completed its preliminary investigations and will submit its report to the House of Representatives next session. The Committee’s report still has to be drafted, and meanwhile its trend will not be divulged; hut there is an impression that earlier hours and shorter sittings will he recommended. Several members of the Committee already are committed to such changes as these and a large influx off new members is likely to assist them towards'their desired end. The Labour ■members, who make a business of their polities—quite rightly of course stand solidly for daylight saving and with increased voting power must play an important part in the final decision. The only difficulty threatened from this direction is that the Labour members, devoting their whole time to their constituents, may seek to make the sitting of Parliament a perennial affair. TRANSPORT BOARD.

The Hon. W. A. Veitch, the Minister of Mines and Labour, who has had the administration off the Transport Control Department added to lus responsibilities, appears to have provided himself with a very capable advisory Hoard to assist him in his new undertaking. Probably the fact that he lias selected only two of the ten members of the. Council from the Uoutli Island will occasion some surprise, and peihaps some unfavourable comment; but as the meetings of th© Council must he held in Wellington, and be fairly frequent, it may be desirable that the majority of them should be easily available. The Minister, at any rate, is going about his additional “ job in a very thorough fashion and with the assistance of the colleagues he has chosen he soon should have his nen department thoroughly equipped and controlled. Mr Robert Masters, the Government’s nominee and chairman ol the Council, is a very capable versatile business man and lie is associated with other “captains off industry” of the same type.