The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 1920. THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3503, 4 June 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 1920. THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

With which is incorporated‘ “The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.”

The Parliament that is to meet on the twenty-fourth of this month is composed of many members who have had some years of experience in framing and adminisering the laws of this young country, and there are several who are entering the halls uf legislature for the first time, mere tyros iu Parliamentary ways and work. For ; good or ill the old Members call for ; little distinctive notice, and from what is known of them as legislators nothing very startling is going tu be contributed by them to the session forthcoming. Wc do not moan that they are incapable, or indifferent to the needs of this momentous period of the country's history through, which they are called upon to guide the ship of State, quite the contrary. The new Members are, however, furnishing some cause for thought, if not for apprehensive ness. At the hustings strong talk and a lot of it is expected. and, perhaps, by custom and usage it has become pardonable and permissive, despite the obvious fact that it is largely tinctured with promises which no one ever expects to see fulfilled. -The two new Members who have attracted most public interest are Mr Masters and Mr Mitchell, the former because he defeated a Minister of the Crown, and the latter because he proved himself to bo more irrepressible than the famous Mr Semple, the socialist idol. That is saying very much for Mr Mitchell, for it is difficult indeed to realise that the people’s Robert could be overshadowed in this respect. However, he caught th« Wellington South eye and also a majority of the Wellington South votes. But what is seriously perplexing ns is to figure out whether Semple or Mitchoil would conduce more towards (he i attainment of the utmost during the 1020 session, in the shortest space of time. Mr Mitchell is a man possessing considerably more than the average dole of intellect, but so had Mr. P. M. B. Fisher, and Mr Micthcll’s energy, impressibility and omnivorousnoss will persist in reminding ns of those traits in Mr Fisher’s make-up. Parliament proved altogether incapable of assimilating the Fisher intellect, but wo are hoping that Mr Mitcholl’s is so amenable to compression

as to permit of it being of sei-vice to the country for many years to come. We should be sorry to see very promising I’arliament.arians going the Fisher way, and eventually becoming merged in the political ruck Of ‘dllol~llol' country. There is plenty of .I‘oolll in the higher political strata of this Dominion’s Parliament. for Mr Masters and Mr Mitchell, also for others possessing similar ability and energy, but it. will not contribute to 11tII10S’C Success to remain ignorant or indifferent. to the fact that no place or position calls for :1. higher quality Of 35tuteness and caution than that Of an elected representative of the people in Parliament. \Vhen hir F. .\I. Fisher was elected his politics were no more nor less doubtful than those of Mr Mitchell, but when once elected he left no uncertainty in anybody’s mind about him being a “Fisheritc.” He talked upon anything and every-' thing, and it. was only 11*at11I‘al that most of his utterances should have to be viewed through a polemoscope, :1. process that electors got tired of and they sequentially tl'allsfCl'l‘cd their affections. A stranger in New Zealand might have got the impression that Mr Fisher was Prime Min-_ ister, or the holder of a similarly high position, for whether intentionally or not, he, by emulating those who rush in where angels fear to tread, succeeded in establishing the idea that the Government was ‘bungling everything, and that but for his rushing in failure and disaster c-ould not have been averted; but he went down like a. rocket notwithstanding his torrential talk, and he was passed out as a political. back number. This hountry wants no new Parliamentary systems. but it has urgent need for men of ability, (unselfish and "obsessed with honesty of purpose to develop and revivify the system time and stress has proved to be the most. useful. There is no room for men who seek to gratify their own pettifogging ambitions, nor for men who seek power through some questionable slogan. There is a difference between mistake and definite purpose; the Refornrregime has found tlmt.:it. committed a grave error in taking the~Civil Service from democratic control. and instituting a bureaucracy, and we are not sure that Mr ;\litc.hell will not discover that it was 21' mistake from every point of view to let loose the suggestion that Government engineers either do not know, or are lax in their duties in their mungement and conduct of such works as the construction of the Mangahau Electric Power Station. A great deal of criticism”. has been levelled against Government engineers on this work by men who, whatever the scope of their intelligence, .obvionsly have not the professional or a.dministrutive knowledge to fit them for the position of being critics. This Dominion, in conjunction with all others of which the great. British Empire. is composed, needs helpful men in its Parliament. The coming session must be devoted to building up, to reconstruction and progress on well-worn <'.ollsl‘itutiollal lines if social and industrial problems of a desperate‘ character are ‘to be satisfactorily solved. There isabsolutely no room in Parnament or country for an increase of “ites,” for the Masseyites, Wardites and Labourites of two varieties already furnish a. surfeit. The need is for Dominionites, for men who will fol'g‘f‘t old factions and refrain from introducing new ones; for legislators wlio will determinedly point out errors of judgment, but who will also wholesonlledly support the GOVel‘nm(‘n‘r in I'3Pi'lly placing urgent benefit.-ent mea--"SUI‘(.‘S on the Statute Book. Iln seine countries great cities may be termed the vertebrae of the nation. but in New Zealand the backlimne is primary production; to herd population in cities: is to invite l)ego;a1y, the worklmu.<e. or their ultel'nati\'e, revolution; to make roads, build bridges, conshrur-.t railways enabling population to spread 011-’ over the land is to usher in an era of inc-rc:l.~'e(l production, g:'e:ll‘er "i‘3l“-‘-*.- With. rt‘sult:lzlt health. happiIH‘.~‘s and <.-ontentment. This is no time for side issues being raised. but for -'1 SPl‘ deterrniuution by e\'er_\' member of’ the new l’arliament to unselfislily (lo his utmost to assist in the great work of reeonstl'llction that luas been seriously l:1g'p;i11g too long‘ alre:l(l_v. \Ve believe we are st"-atiiig the truth in szlying that the country experts much of .\l'r 'l\Tif'cllell. 3l'.T’.. and Mr '.\l:isl‘»‘l'*~ Md"-. and we have no reason to think the popular lmpo will not lot‘: gl':lfifie(]_ ll