The daily Alaskan., 1922-06-13
NEW ZEALANDERS DEMANDING MORE ABILITY
 IN PARLIAMENT
Business Men Especially Want Few. CT Small-C -Calfber Men Making
 Laws Affecting Dominion

Wellington, N. Z.-With a gener- al. election ahead, some of New Zeal and's business men and politicians have been dicusslng lately the sub feet of Brains in Parliament.
 The Dominion's best thought and it's highest ideals seem to be found outside parliament. This also may be true in other countries, but ney- ertheless it is an ilI New Zealanders would like to remedy.
 One fact emphaGlzed by the dis cussion is that the Labor Party. which has merely a handful of mem- bers in the House of Representa- tives. is the only organized political party in the Dominion. The Reform Party. which put the Massey Gov ernment into office, and the Liberal Party. at present in opposition, have organizations of a sort, but they are scarcely political parties at all In the sense in which Americans under stand that term. They have no con- trolling executive. no party disci- pline and no official funds. They hold no party conventions and they have no membership lists,
 A Reform member or a Liberal member of the House will have com mittees behind him in his district. and he probably will have g more or less accurately marked copy Of the electoral roll for his constituency. But his influence Lad power. what ever they may amount to. ara to a great extent, personal. Many of the electors are loyal adherents 10 one party or another, but they are not disciplined adherents and In few electorates can the party leader say to them. Vote here" or Vote there" The leader uust use tact. not authority.
 The majority of the state depart meuts are under control of the Pub lie Service commissioners. as far as statHug and promotions are concern ed. The ministerial head of a de- partment decides questions of pol icy. but he cannot put friend on the salary list or remove an enemy from it. The law forbids him to interfere. and the existence of ap- peal boards and of powerful organ izations of state employees assists him 10 remember the law. There may be violations of the system, but they are rare. The Government has the spending of public money on railways. roads, bridges and so forth, but this sort of patronage cannot be concentrated on the mem bers of any particular political par ty. and moreover the undeyeloped condition of large parts of New Zeal, and creates obvious needs that are bound to be the guiding factor in expenditure. Certain trunk railways. certain main roads, certain hydroe- Iectric projects demand attention and tend to get 1t regardless of the political leanings of the districts i'm med ately affected.
 Business men are not suggesting that the Government ought to pos scss more patronage, but they are complaining that political conditions make it increasingly difficult for the man of affairs and broad interests to get into Parliament
 The would-be member will be paid the salary of a superior clerk and probably will find himself opposed at the polls by some glib-tongued and energetic noEentity, to whom this money is q comfortable living Small wonder, say the business men, that the captains of industry stay outside Parliament.
 The business man, who may be said to include the more influential farmers, are disposed to undertake the job and they are being strength ened in their purpose by the certain ty that. if the older political parties lack inspiration and ideals, the La bor Party is going to make an im- pressiou upon uniformed electors.