The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1870.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 189, 17 August 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1870.

The movement towards securing the in dependence of Parliament, by prohibitine persons holding situations of profit under the Crown, from taking part in the de liberations of the Legislature, ia hopeful for the future of this country, and Mr. Gillies is deserving of public thanks for its origination. Though the Legislature of New Zealand is everywhere acknowledged to compare favourably with tha^ of any other colony ie ability and statesmanship, it must be owned that for thorough-going corruption, and easy means of effecting it, this colony stands without a parallel. In others of the Australasian colonies, by the terms of their constitutions, the accepting of a paid office from the Government, the participation, in a Government contract, or the receiving of a fee for duties done is ipso facto the loss of his seat by the member of Legislature ; and the wisdom of such a provision is apparent at a glance. A member holding, at the will of a Ministry, that which puts bread in his mouth, will think twice before offending

his masters ; and with a sufficient number of paid dependants, it is not too much to say that any kind of legislation could be carried through by a Ministry without any power being able to oppose an effectual resistance. Further than this, the large expenditure of public moneys being necessary to retain a sufficient number of paid underlings, needy members will scent afar off a loan or public work, or the creation of a department, as eagles do a carrion. And instead of the representatives of the peopleholding firmly the purse strings, it is their interest not only not to impede, but to urge on the lavish proposals of the State Treasurer. The consequences of -uch a state of things might easily be anticipated ; but it does not require anticipation, for, unfortunately, we can too readily observe the actual results in our colonial experience. In all other colonies witb a State debt, 'he railways and public works are there, visible assets for the liabilities incurred. In New Zealand we have the liabilities, but we have not one public work of magnitude with which we can console ourselves for the heavy burthen of our taxation. It is a fortunate thing that this subject at least will have been set at rest by a moribund parliament ; and it is probably the near approach of their political death that has caused the great body of the members to view with favour this great constitutional chinge. A new parliament with a lease of years of political existence would not so cheefully thrust aside the hopes of choice pickings in the millions loan ; but " coming events cast their shadows before," and a large number who doubtloss will never more stand on the floor of the House, are enabled by anticipation to view the question in that impartial spirit in which it has always been viewed by the ordinary citizen. At the same time Mr. Gillies' convictions are disposed to carry him unnecessarily ; far and the desire to exclude honorable members from the service of the country for a length of time after having ceased to sit as legislators can only be attribute-d to an excess of reforming zeal. It is true that corruption could work by promise, as it now does by posse >bn[: but pratically it has been found thai the extent to which it might so apply would not be felt very injuriously, and the Ministry which had served itself from a member's obedience in the House, would not be likely to brave remonstrances by making an unworthy appointment after the appointee had lost his power for good or evil ; especially as his importunity could be evaded by such a simple and usual thing as the breaking of a ministerial promise; while, on the other hand, undoubted evil might result from the ex elusion of some of the most useful and able men from the service of the country, [f the acceptance of a seat in the Legislature would not only cease to place a man in a position of profit, but absolutely act as a disability, prohibiting him from entering into the Government service for a length of time, the evils caused by this excess of reform will neutralise much of the benefit arising from the excellent and much needed measure contemplated for the purification of the Legislature.