The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET AUCKLAND MONDAY, JULY 28, 1930 THE TEST IN POLITICS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1035, 28 July 1930, Page 8

The Sun 42 WYNDHAM STREET AUCKLAND MONDAY, JULY 28, 1930 THE TEST IN POLITICS

WILL Parliament accept the United Government’s tariff and financial proposals to filch moi*e money from the people, or put the Administration out of office in order to test electoral opinion on a bandit policy? This is the most vital question of the day, and an exasperated country will, with extraordinary keenness, await a definite answer one way or the other. A few days ago the Hon. J. 11. Scullin. Prime Minister of Australia, valiantly told members of the Federal Parliament that he would face the electors at any time on the Government’s racking Budgetary measures, and accept the consequences. In all probability the brave challenge to critics was a typical expression of verbal valour, for nobody knows better than a politician that a threat to force an emergency general election is by far the most effective method for subduing and even silencing professional politicians. Then it may be noted that, with all his courage and determination to do unpleasant things and to go on effecting economies, Mr. Scnllin was shrewd enough to exempt members of Parliament from a salary cut or even the lightest exercise of legislative economy. They still are to enjoy £I,OOO a year and extravagant perquisites for the performance of exceptionally bad political work.

Let it be believed, however, that Mr. Scullin was completely sincere in his courageous defence of his severe Budget, which is worse than that of Mr. Forbes in this country simply because Australia’s profligacy has been on a larger scale than New Zealand’s. The causes and effects are virtually the same, and there is a similarity in the policy of each Government as far as the practice of making the people pay for State squandermania is concerned. Now Mr. Scullin at least possesses a working majority in the Commonwealth House of Representatives, and thus need not face the electors, except he desires to do so on a matter of principle. If he cares to take a different course, he is able to adopt the tactics of a bushranger. With the Prime Minister of New Zealand the position is very different. Mr. Forbes leads a Ministry that is in a hopeless minority. It cannot carry on unless one of the two parties in the strong Opposition agrees to maintain a working alliance and a policy of protection for the Government. Such has been the method of support for eighteen months, and in its practice the Labour group in the Opposition has been compelled to sacrifice several of its most cherished principles. It has had to agree to an increase in the cost of living for the people who maintain a Labour Party in Parliament. Of course, in times of stress and acute embarrassment many men do not hesitate to demonstrate that principle and promise can be made very brittle and easy to shatter. So much for the Labour Party that has broken its pledge not to impose additional burdens on workers whose scale of wages has been fixed on the basis of their cost of living. The Government is in a sorrier plight. In addition to being in a farcical minority, it has no mandate from the majority of the electors even to attempt governing the country without a single outstanding feature of administrative ability. Moreover, it was enabled to secure Ministerial office by virtue of the character aud extent of its party’s election pledges. The party guaranteed to reduce taxation, to banish unemployment without imposing an additional penny of cost on the taxpayer, and to stimulate and promote industry and national enterprise. Not only has the Government failed to redeem its high-pitched pledges even in a moderate way, but it has broken every one of them in a ruthless and an unparalleled manner. Indeed, it has gone to extreme limits in doing everything that is opposite to its pre-election policy. It may be contended by wilfully blind partisans that adverse circumstances have been stronger than the Government’s best and strongest intentions. That is only partly true. The Government has not fully exploited all the potential sources of State economy. It is reasonable to say that the sum of Ministerial travelling allowances during the past eighteen months alone is a disgrace to an impecunious. administration. The Public Service is stuffed with officials and employees who cannot find enough work to enable them to earn their high salaries. It requires the full value of the Dominion’s output of butter to pay the Public Service wages bill. Instead of curtailing State expenditure with drastic determination to effect economy, the Government has thrown all its promises to the winds, and intensified its record breach of faith by exhausting exploitation of the people. The plain duty of the Opposition is to dismiss the Government.