"WRATH OF THE PUBLIC"

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 208, 27 April 1932, Page 4

"WRATH OF THE PUBLIC"

There is many a true word spoken in jest, as the old saw has it. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, in jocularly referring' to the legislation proposed by his Government to extend the life of Parliament as the "Wrath of the Public Bill" was almost certainly illustrating the truth of the saying. When the proposal was first mooted during the last Parliament to extend the life of Parliament for one year, the reason was advanced that in view of the extremely difficult, and even dangerous, financial situation of the country it was desirable in the national interest to avoid the turmoil of a general election. It was also claimed that the task of rehabilitation was one which required time to carry through and that for these reasons the Government should be given a further year's tepure of office. The public reception of the proposal, however, was such that it was finally deemed wiser to proceed with the elections at the appointed time. About the same time that the proposal for a one-year's extension was adyanced, it was also suggested that the life of Parliament should be permanently extended beyond the present threeyear term, and it is this which it is now the Government's intention to revive. The Ministry's reasons for its proposal have not as yet been fully explained, but with the past in mind, several of them will not be difficult to forecast. It is not at the moment necessary to discuss the matter in d'etail, but there is one point which should be emphasised and opposed immediately and that is the suggestion that the extension should be made to apply to the present Parliament. Mr. Forbes and his colleagues will probably find it extremely difficult to convince the electorate that any extenson at all is either necessary or desirable ; they will find it impossible to secure acceptance of thp extension by itself of the life of- a Parliament elected, as the present one was, under abnormal circumstances, and with party alignments framed allegedly for the special purpose of carrying through a special task Large numbers of electors throughout the country claim that at the last elections they were debarred, by the manner in which the Coalition parties made their appeal, from giving a true expression to their political opinions. These, and their numbers and influence are by no means negligible, will certainly object in no uncertain terms to any prolongation pf the life of the present Parliament. And it will be by no means easy for kfr. Forbes to show that they are not justified. Were the proposal confined to future Farliaments the issue would be greatly clarified and could be discussed on its merits free from the confusing side-issues which will be unavoidable should the Bill when introduced contain a provision to include the present Parliament within its scope. It is extremely doubtful, however, whether the members of the Cabinet will have the wisdom to see this and no oppprtunity should b.e lost to emphasise the ohjectionable nature of at least this part of the proposal. Had the Government desired a Ionger term for the present Parliament, the time to say so was before the last elections. To raise the issue now leaves an unpleasant impression of lack of frankness on the part of the Government In its relations with the electorate on a question in connection with which there cah be no possible justification for I either secrecy or "diplomacy." __ . a