THE LOT OF AN M.P.
DOING THE WORK OF THE COUNTRY. Speaking to the toast of “Parliament” at the Post and Telegraph Officers’ reunion in Levin on Saturday night, the member for the district, Mr J. Linklater, said that in the six years that he had been their representative he had had nothing but kindness from the people of the electorate. In the first place lie had stood for election because he felt it his duty to do so, and on each occasion he was returned with a handsome majority. He had gone to Parliament simply to do his duty and to do it to the best of his ability. When the people became tired of linn, they could say so, and he could go back to -his old clothes and his porridge, and carry on his little farm. Mr Linklater gaye some impressions of Parliament, saying that when a member first went there he felt a lit,tie strange, and it took him a little time to become accustomed to it. The usages of Parliament in this country were, of course, handed down from the House of Commons, and after a member had been in Parliament for a while he realised the usefulness of those customs. A very fine lot of men were to be met there,* aud whatever the people might say of it—and they said hard things sometimes —Parliament was what they made it; the public had pul the members into power. As one of the members he was doing what he could, and there was not a member in that House, whether of the Labour. National or Reform parties, who was not doing his very best, for the people he represented. (Applause). During the last session some very contentious legislation had arisen, and whatever side a member favoured, with respect thereto, he was against 50 per cent, of the people.. The representative just had to take a line which he thought was right and stick to it. The certainty of a fifty per cent, opposition in the coifntry had been evident to members on the prohibition question, wliethci they were on the side of license or abolition. Parliament had been blamed for the daylight saving measure; members had heard of it from one end of the country to the other. He had been deluged with resolutions from this and that Chamber of Commerce and branch of the Farmers’ Union. The previous week he had a resolution from the Foxton Chamber of Commerce .asking him to do his utmost to see the measure placed again on the Statute Book.* Then the Manawatu Babbit Board asked him to do his best to keep “this iniquitous measure” off, the statute book. Iu the House itself members had pretty strenuous times. Some of his hearers smiled, but he could f assure them that, especially in the later stage.of the session, a member had to be a fairly strong .man to stand up to tli<■ work. There were something like 25 committees, and members who served on them had to be at the table at.lb o’clock every morning when the committees were sitting. When a membei had to do this after only about tw. hours ■’ .sleep, he felt rather hardly done by. If a member of Parliament did his duty, he had nothing to In afraid of. r The New Zealand Parlia ment had a lot to be proud of in tin. men who had represented the people in the past, and he was doing his very best to follow their example.
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Shannon News, 20 March 1928, Page 2
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590THE LOT OF AN M.P. Shannon News, 20 March 1928, Page 2
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