THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1092, 27 January 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 1872.

Among the questions which the Government will no doubt give their attention to during the recess is that of reforming Upper House, for it is absurd to suppose that the business of the country can be delayed and obstructed by a few men over whom, in fact, the country has no control ; and who appear by their acts to consider themselves immeasurably above the bulk of the population. The Legislative Council fully endorses the sentiment of Lord John Manners— "Let art and trade and commerce die, but give us still our old nobility," and the Council, in its own opinion, is the old nobility of New Zealand, with one exception the House of Lords of this Colony condescends i;o accept au honorarium, and fight for it too with as much pertinacity as the vulgar lower House. A glance over Hansard gives a very faithful picture of the value which our lords place upon themselves, and, accordingly, at one of the very first meetings of the Council we find the Hon. Mr M'Lean going in strong for instituting Colonial peerages — not being satisfied with the title of "Hon.," but wanting to aspire to that of " Lord" — and this view was supported by other "hon. members." What an opening for some of our Colonial ladies, and how " His Excellency" would be badgered if such a misfortune was to befall New Zealand. But then it would be profitable to herald painters and ingenious gentlemen who invent genealogies. The discussion on the honorarium question shows our would-be Peers up in another light. On the 24th October, the hon. Mr Robinson moved — " That in the opinion of this Council all honorarium to members of the Legislative Council should cease at the termination of this session." He observed that the Council were not elected by any constituency, but were appointed to seats in the Council by the highest authority as the greatest honor the country could bestow. Though not elected by .my constituency, they were receiving pay from the people, who had no voice in rolnrning them to the Council. In facl, they were taking payment from their own servants, among others, for attending to their own duties ; for they were elected as representing a great amount of interest in the country, and thus they were looking after their own business. Poor "Hon. Mr Robinson" had no idea what a storm he was bringing about his ears. All the army of "hon. Colonels," "hon. Majors," "hon. Captains," and "hon. Doctors" were down upon him at once, led on by the hon. and gallant Colonel Brett, who considered the Volunteer movement worse than useless, and Volunteer officers a set of incapables. The gallant Colonel would oppose the motion. He could not help feeling surprised that a millionaire like Mr Robinson shoHld bring forward the motion ; he was grieved at it. Should the motion be carried, the whole of the legislative power would bo thrown into the hands of freeholders. The |Hon. Dr Buchanan followed suit. In England there was an hereditary aristocracy, which had been the growth of centuries, but in New Zealand the only aristocracy was that of wealth, which had a spurious ring about it, and would not pass current anywhere except in the colonies. He had actually seen a dignitary of the church in Wellington cleaning his own boots. Dr Buchanan felt no degradation to take the honorarium. In fact it if wa3 not paid he could not give the Colony the

benefit of his valuable services. The Hon. Mr Mantell contended, that they were only theoretically nominees. But one of the funniest arguments was that of the | Hon. Mr Miller, who said— " It was quite true the people did not send them to the Council, but it wa3 equally true that the people kept there." His ground of argument being that the Council waited for the Assembly, who were elected by the people ; and so the discussion went on, one hon. and gallant Colonel making a fierce onslaught on the "cockatoo interest," as represented by Mr Robinson, and bewailing that he could not bring his family with him, as the honorarium was not sufficient, and recommending that the Council should consist of military men, "as they had a wide and extended experience in all parts of the world." As a matter of cgurse, the motion was lost, and the honorable members, who are not elected by the people, and who would be hereditary heirs still receive their honorarium. But this is not all. It is amusing to read how these pensioners regard the " common herd." In speaking on the Oamaru Trust Borrowing Bill, the Hon. Mr Miller thus expresses himself regarding the Gold Fields constituencies — . " If the proposition now before the Council came from a community like the Gold Fields, who would roll up their swags, put their pipes in their mouths, and with a whistle be off and away, leaving us behind them to pay their taxes, it would be quite right to refuse ; but they must remember that the community the Bill was intended to benefit was in reality the bone and sinew of the country, and upon whose prosperity the conntry was to depend. It was true that a great amount of gold was being exported at present, but honorable members knew perfectly well that the grain and wool and meat preserving industry were the solid basis of the prosperity of New Zealand." According to Mr Miller, it would be a waste of money to spend money on the Gold Fields ; but then this "Lord" is not interested in the Gold Fields — only in the grain, wool, and meat preserving industries, and it is to such gentlemen that we pay an honararium for his valuable services in carrying on the legislation of the Colony. One more allusion and we have done, aud it is unequalled, a perfect gem in its way, and it comes from the mouth of the Hon. Dr Grace. When speaking on the Education question, he said — "It was wise and necessary to check the growth of an unruly democracy by taxation, for if the people got into the habit of having their wants supplied by the State they would be in a position to dictate to the landed proprietors, and no check, such as the responsibility and burdens of taxation involved would remain to secure their steadiness and strengthen their good sense." The wants referred to is education. This Hon. Dr would have the " democracy," as he calls the people, in contradistinction "to us the aristocracy," taxed for the benefit of the landed proprietors. Jtismen such as these who are "called to the Upper House," and who arrogate to themselves a power which it was never intended by the Constitution Act they should wield. The stand taken by the Government and the Lower House during last session against the interference oi the Council was a sufficient indication that ere long our paid aristocrats will be compelled to stand their election to legislative honors on -the same footing as other less-favored men do.