The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 423, 10 August 1880, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10.

The session is evidently moribund. Manifold are the signs which make manifest the fact. Members are willing to m> et o i two or three days in.the week at 11 in tie forenoon, just when a jaded legislator might be expected to be allowed to sob.cc himself with his matutinal coffee, Sittings are prolonged to what

some member aptly tunned "unholy hours " in the morning. The fact is, each one wants to get away—the one to his farm, the other to his merchandise— and i< ready to make any temporary sacrifice to accomplish that object. With all these sacrifices, however, it does not appear possible to get through any practical amount of business, and the only way in which the session can be brought at all within reasonable limits will be by clearing the Order Paper by the rough-and-ready process of dropping all proposed measures, except necessary ones. Practically, it will be found that the only ones considered absolutely necessary will be those for imposing taxation, and appropriating its proceeds. t < ; .\ Mr Macandrew is reported to have once remarked that he thought, the best conceivable session would be one in which only one Act. should ;be passed, and that the Appropriation Act. The'past session has so far very nearly reached the honorable gentleman's; ideal, .A contemporary thus summarises the work originated in the House of Representatives :—" We look invain for any useful or-practical -measure- has; yet emanated from the Lower Chamber. A

Bill for removing a defect in the title of some Maori land with an unpronounceable name, arid two Imprest Supply Bills authorising the -expenditure of about half amilHon.pf money, represent; the legislative achievements, so far, of the 88 gentlemen who have been sitting in Parliament assembled 'for nearly ; . two months." .<".,,. The same ioufnaV compares thepraoticai work done by i the;,* two branched 'of the Legislature, very; much to the disadvantage of the Lower Chamber. Our contemporary says:---" This session the Council has dealt'carefully and well with a number of very ' useful questions. It has considered such important ; social questions ; as.:fencing,!,dog registration, branding, etc.', and has 'passed Well contained measures dealing with these sub-, jects. It willlno dou|)t surprise our, readers to learn that the Council has this; session passed some 24 bills, almost all of a useful and practical character." Apart from all questions of comparison, however, the fact remains that our representatives have got through a considerable space of time, have done an immense amount of talking, have cost the taxpayers a large sum of money, and have achieved —- practically ' nothing. Now, as every effect must spring from a cause, it must needs be that a cause or causes are in existence which bring about this admittedly' unsatisfactory' state of things. The most apparent cause is no doubt the extreme verbosity of members. Nobodies, who can by no means throw any newlight on a subject, insist on having their v 6ay,«i ithat <at wearisome length, ori every conceivable question. Nothing js easier than to note ;this evil, but unless we look a little below the surface, nothing is more difficult than to suggest a remedy ; for it. • I

>A Legislative 1 Assembly 1 , being a rep-

resentative ' bddy,-must contain specimens of all sorts and conditions of men. The law of■ ; average will 'inform us that

among a given number of men we are sure to find a certain proportion of " talkistsi'* " Further, as we know the effect which fluency "of -speech haVupbn masses of men, we must not be surprised to find in ah 'assemblage of men' elected by universal suffrage more ; than its fair proportion of men whose chief qualification is fluency of speech. This we must therefore expect will bel.the case not only in our own, but in all similar assemblies. The same evil exists no doubt" in embryo in the British House of Commons, but it is not allowed to develop itself. If it were, l the 'work' '■ of'lmperial 'legislation would become simply impossible. If each of %ho 658 members of that body felt himself called upon to .inflict his eloquence upon the much-enduring Hansard reporters, it is clear that the House would never overtake its work.

Human nature being pretty much the same everywhere, it may well be asked why this .difference should s exist;i We] answer unhesitatingly that it is for the want of proper party organisation.and discipline. A few irrepressible free lances will always exist, but the.great body of the House ought to belong to one of two camps—the Government or the Opposition. In each camp there should be recognised leaders, and a due sprinkling of subordinate officers. In a debate of importance, tlie men who are to speak on each side of the question are all chosen beforehand, and it is arranged who is to answer whom. Any member not on the programme would as soon think of interfering in tho debate as a cricketer who had not been put in the eleven of his club would think ot seizing a bat find rushing to the wicket.

A variety of circumstances render this perfection of discipline and organisation less difficult at St. Stephen's than at Wellington. But still, a great deal could be done even here. The chief responsibility lies with the Government of the day. They are called the leaders of the House, and they ought to assume and maintain that position. They may not be able to prevent a factious minority irom obstructing business 'to a certain extent; but such conduct would , in a great measure be checked by the knowledge that it would exclude- its perpetrators from any leading. position. - orf either side of the House. But a Government ought certainly to be able to control' its own' supporters. ' To -do this i however, it must have a distinct policy, to which it is thoroughly determined •, to „: adhere, and an absolute indifference to office if the price of its retention means the slightest divergence from that policy, ! Perhaps we have! never yet had a Government in New Zealand to which the foregoing remarks would fully apply, but certainly the present during tho'session which is now closing, has shown itself the! very reverse of thisi j First, Ministers endeavored to shift their responsibility bu the shoulders of' Royal Commissions : next. r they. have attempted Jq /make theirj proposals j agreeable to "caucuses" of their sup- j porters before venturing' to submit them jto the Hpuge,; ,and : 'even: afterpassing this ordeal, they have allowed the same proposals to be the' subject of I free fights on the floor of the House in .which they frequently| were more 'severely handled by Ministerial support-. ! ers than by the Opposition.; ■■ /■ \ ; ~\} : We repeat the experiment of Government by Royal Commission' and, .by | caucus has not proved, a complete; sue- ' and the sooner it is uucceeded by a system of Government by Men "who have opinions of their own, and who ppssess the confidence of {he House arid; 'the country th better for . the n public at large* ; : ;—,;■ rr- ,■■'■•-'■•■'-A.. -r- ■•■ ;■';■'■*