The Cordova daily times., 1922-12-05
Retiring British M. F. Says Politics Won't
 Work With Business

gets discouraged by the methods of the House. He goes there at 2:46 |p. m.. if he has no committee meet,
 ing in the morning. If ha is on | committee he find he spends days oi
 wasted time, as the reports of most committees might as well have not
 been written, 50 little attention is
 paid to them. He has to sit and hope that his question is reached. If it is over No. 150 he usually gets a written answer, and he could get that without visiting the House at all Then the debate begins, and from 1 to Il, or sometimes later, he
 sits in the worst-ventilated room in the world, hoping to learn and to play a part in the business of the nation.
 If he sits speech through he Is usually fed up and keen to get up and say so and try to bring the de- bate back to common sense. Does he get the chance. Not likely I rose six times one night to tell the House my ideas, as business man, of the effect on the business of the country, if they passed certain leg islation. Finally I gave 1t up and and went to the smoke-room, won dering when the debates on legislta- ton affecting trade will be confined to members of the House who under stand it.,
 Have uIterior Motives
 Someone told me once, when I complained, that members only spoke for three reasons; to hear them selves, for Hansard, or for their their local paper! If that is so it is we'll that the Cabinet of our country decides what laws the country wants and puts them through. Then, again, the member of the House who is in business does not feel like being a voting machine. Yet it is part of the campaign against member, when he stands again, to hold up to the voters the fact that he "only attended 'so-and-so' divisions
 know many members of parlia- ment who vote all the evening and do nothing else! They have a good division" record; but what have they actually done to get the poor woman an increased pension, the ex-soldier a job. or by their vast knowledge and experience to add words of wisdom to the debate that has created legislation that has in- creased trade or diminished unem- ployment?
 As I have said. and repeat again: Politics and business do not mix. The private member counts for lit tie. If 1t pleases ones vanity (and 1t should) to be- member of the British parliament, well and good But if man wants to really help his country he should devote all his time to legislation-'take up one ejob In the House that interests him and do it. Trying to "butt-in" on each and every occasion-to be a Know alp on every subject-is as unwise as 1t is futile.
 My idea of the parliament of the future is that the people should choose men, not policies. Find out what their prospective member has done in life-what he is doing now what he will do-how much time he will put in the House-what he is going to try to do-why he thinks he can do it-and for him to agree to report each month in the local paper what he has done-not what he has talked about" Then, and then only, will we get rid of waste of time and energy, and the House will be composed of men who do things. At that time business man can get more done in the House of Commons in one hour week than he now tries to. do in eight hours a day