THE SESSION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 340, 29 September 1932, Page 4

THE SESSION

The anticipations of the work to be carried out during the session are making their appearance, together with the reports of various departments on their activities for the year which ended March 31, 1932. It is altogether too late in the year for these departmental reports to make their i appearance and some different J arrangement should be made. These reports should have been ready to lay before the House when it met earlier in the year. In ordinary times the House meets in June, and this date should be put forward to May. As a rule five. months of the financial year have gone before the budget' is brought before the House and six months usually elapses before the Public Works ! report is produced. These are the ! channels through which expendiI ture takes place.- If any economy | is decided on it can operate for I only one half of the year. No j business firm would be content ! to deal with figures so behind the | times. Our methods betoken a j slackness which is not creditable.No Government seems to regard this seriously, or make any effort to correct it, and the country continues in its old slipshod manner. Another custom which should be more honoured in the breach than the observance, is- ; that of the want of confidence ; moition which the Opposition : move at the commencernent of | each session. It provides an opportunity for every member to talk at large upon every subject; talk which it is known can lead to nothing. It is this aimless talk which brings Parliament into disrepute. The only result is to consolidate the Government party, and to that extent it may gratify the Prime Minister, in whose following there are already some signs of dissatisfaction. Mr. Forbes cannot be congratulated on his challenge to Mr. Samuel to resign his seat ' and contest It against a Coalition candidate. Mr. Samuel may be right or may be wrong in his contention, but a member should be allowed to hold an opinion without being called on to resign. Mr. Forbes will not hold his following together by these methods.