HOPE FOR DEMOCRACY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 390, 26 November 1932, Page 4

HOPE FOR DEMOCRACY

Recently a complaint was made in the House regarding the tortuous phraseology employed in i the drafting of New Zealand's | legislation and ah appeal was jmade to the Prime Minister to j introduce a more simplifled form. With the layman, a simiiar difficulty is being experienced in unj derstaiiding the heavy financial { articles with which the country : is at present being deluged diiri ing the discussion of the pros 1 and cons of the exchange rate r argument. This ariseS not so ■ much from the phraseology em- ' ployed (although this could be, , with advantage made less poni derous) but in the very complex-

ity of the subject itself. Outside the innef and privileged circle to whOm the financial labyrinth is an open pass-book, there are ; prObably very feW people who • understand what all the fuss j and pother is about. It is pos- • sible that among these few peo- , ple are ineluded the members of the House who are so busily disi cussing the question. At the ' same time it is apparent from the publie interest in the sub- : ject, that the man in the street is endeavouring to understand ' the position and reason out for himself the arguments that are being advanced. It is not necessary to be a eaptain of finance to understand that this is a vital I question and one which may | very definitely affect the cost of j living and the weekly household | budget. This fact makes it a I : matter of primary importaiice to j every citizen of this Dominion i and one into which we cannot ' be led mazed and bewildered by technicalities. An ofiicial pronouncement upon the subject may be expected at any time from the Associated Banks but it is doubtful whether, to the I layman, this will convey a great j deal. The day has passed when { the people were prepared to ac- | cept assertion at its face value 1 and to allow themselves to be jguided or pushed without quesI tion, by their elected representi atives. The man in the street i takes the attitude that he should | be fully as qualified to reason out , matters for himself as a mem- ! ber of Parliament, if that state1 ment may be made withoUt breach of privilege. He may not ; have at his finger tips the jargon I of the economic text-books, but he has that very reliablef rule of thumb to which is applied the

name of "horse-sense." Particularly under the stress of the present difficult economic conditions, j there has been evident both in the House aiid out of it a grow- | ing independence of thought 1 which demands plain answers to plain questions, In its way, the demands made by the rural metnbers of the Hotise in regard to the exchaiige rate are evidence of this tendency. It may have inconvenient consequences from political standpoints but it is nevertheless,. ah encouraging sign and gives hope for the ultimate success of democratic government. The refusal of the taxpayets to be guided by political shibboleths, and a determination to think for themselves allied to a greater measure of independent thought on the part of our legislators, will infuse new vitality and new vigour into. our Parliamentary system. As the Hon. Downie Stewart pointed out in the cOurse of his prelimiiiary review of financial conditions abroad, if the depression has done nothing else, it should at leaist have taught us to avoid the^ mistakes ahd the methods which have contributed to our pres.ent position. The present conditionq are forcing people to think fdr themselves and there is reasoii tb hope that the seif satisfactjon and complacency en^ehdered by prosperous times has departed for ever. The lesson has been bitter and it is not over yet, bitt the grektest hope for democracy is " thb new critical Spirit and the new activity of YhgMMwhM^