The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas Et Prævalebit. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1888. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1759, 6 February 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas Et Prævalebit. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1888. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

We are very glad indeed to see by the telegrams from Wellington that Ministers have made up their minds to submit iK'Xt session proposals for the reform of Parliamentary procedure. In so doing; t\n-y are but . following tho pxa^nle of the Govern me ts of other colonies, anu GVon of tho Impure Government itßPif, iho recess ity of auw.ding the cumbrous forms \vn\'C! 1 Bro ue growth and le acy of general ions, havint; latterly i'orcd itecf upon nearly every legislature wlrch is founded upon the nglish model. Kirst and foremost there is ut present far too much opportunity for factious obstruction, and iar too little facility for the transaction of business, and tho evil has grown vritli years, until it has become absolutely m tolerable. Again, the very forms of Parliament aro themselves unnecessarily cumbrous, and calculated to prevent business being carried on rather than to expedite its transaction. Tho subject has been frequently under consideration of the fetanding Orderß Committee, which has, from time to time, brought np reports suggesting remedi- g for the evils and abuses pointed out, but year after *ear tho pressure of public business, aided by tho growing tendency to obstruction, has prevented those reports from ever being considered. The session before last a discussion was indeed begun upon one such report, but tho debate w»« adjourned, and tho question nevei found its way t<> the surfac again. The oil!" wav tuat the difficulty can bo coped with is fCT *bo. '.Government to j take the question m hanu *■ we 6^ they now propose to dp, and they mil do more good, service if th>y carry out tlje refona wbiob h« i 0 Jong been ,

wanted than by almost any proposal for legislation which it is possibb to bring forward. We observe that the recommendations of the Standing Ord rs Committee, m their report of last session, for the application of the cloture m the case t.f wilful stonewalling, or talking against time, or talking out a bill, by enabling the speaker on the demand of a certain proportion of the * ouse, to st»p further debate, and put the queati n forthwith, are among the proposals which the Government will seek to give effect to, and also that it is proposed to Bit during the mornings instead of at night, Committee work boing taken on the evenings o. on sitt ng dajs There may be Igome difficulty m giving effect to this, but we believe that if it can bo carried out, the results will be very beneficial. The proposal to give greater facilities for the discussion of motions ii a good one, but care must be taken, if by this moans private members are shut out from the opportunity of bringing forward public Bills, to provide that upon a resolution affirming the necessity for legislature m a particular direction, it eh nil become the duty of the .Government to preient a Bill to give effect to inch resolution. If this be not done, then the time given to the discussion of such motions will be absolutely thrown away, and the hands ot members will be effectually tied. There is a very wide field for reform m our Parliamentary procedure, as we have already said, but care must be taken m carrying out that reform that all power is not handed over to the Government and members reduced to mere voting machines.