WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 August 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

UGH TEN ING LEG ISI. ATJ ON

TAKEN ON TRUST.

(Special to “Guardian”.)

WELLINGTON. Aug. 20

Happily the Prime Minister does not go to an Imperial Conference every year. If he did, and if his departure entailed such methods of law making as have been witnessed in the House of Representatives during the last day or two the whole system of parliamentarv government, would be brought into contempt. -Bills, presumably of some consequence to the community, have been passed ilirouglt all their stages in much the same fashion as a morning’s washing might be put through the mangle. The Minister in charge had had confidence in the Bill draughtsmen. the members of the House have had confidence in the Minister, and the long suffering public, who will be expected to respect the machine made laws, have had no say in the matter at all. Ministers themselves have pleaded there was no time to examine the measure prepared by the Bill draughtsmen and have compromised with their own consciences and with menacing opposition by promising to set right next session whatever may he found wrong. This sort of thing may lie tolerated once in a while, when a plausible excuse, such ns the departure of a Prime Minister, is available; blit the habit of slovenly legislation is one rapidly growing upon the politicians and already is responsible for an annual crop of Amending Bills. THE REVISING CHAMBER.

Under such conditions as prevailed in Parliament yesterday the Legislative Council, the constituted "revising chamber,” had no sort of opportunity to exercise its allotted functions. Bills were sent, up to the Council from the House in hatches of three or four at a time to he introduced, read a first time, read a second time, considered in committee, reported, read a third time and passed, while, so to sjienk, the messenger who brought them waited to carry them back. Here is a paraginpli from the evening paper eloquent in its testimony to the expedition with which 1 1 it- councillors worked. "The Legislative Council met at 10 a.ill. today,” Ii runs, "and alter referring a number of Bills to committers adjourned at 10.10 a..m till 10.15 a.in. and again to 11.15 a.in." One worth) councillor luul the hardihood to ask for an interpretation of a clause in a Bill that was supposed to be under consideration and was told by the sponsor of the measure that he did not think ids explanation of the obscure point would be of attv value. Ihe Bill was put through its remaining stages without any further unseemly interruption of its passage.

MO DIE I El) .PLEDGES. Naturally amidst all tills haste and bustle, member- of tile House who still were at l muting to follow the proceedings with some understanding, found their nerves a little frayed. Yeslcrdav afternoon, tin- lion Nosworthy, the Minister ol Agrii oil me. announced that he had not vet seen the Emit Control Bill, which the Prime Minister had promised would bp brought, down this session. Great difficulty had been experienced in getting Bills ready owing to the rush during the session, he said, and it was not now intended to bring the Bill down. The promise made would be kept, but it would not be kepi this session. Air Hudson, the member for Motuoku, protested comparatively mildly, but Air Atmore. the member for Nelson, did not mince his words in denouncing the Prime .Minister and his colleague as "pledgebreakers.” He declared that hundreds of fruit -growers throughoui the Alotucktl and Nelson districts would be ruined if tlie Government went hack oil its word and simply would have to walk oil' their holdings. Later in the afternoon Mr Nosvori hy returned to the subject, imputing, *it seemed, some impropriety to the member for Nelson and that gentleman was retorting with righteous indignation when he was called to order by the .Speaker. The wonder is that under such tension more scenes of thi- kind were mil. provoked.

THE PRIME- MINISTER'S TAUT. Considering all the circumstances the Prime Minister is to be congratulated upon the patience and tact with which lie piloted the House through this extremely difficult period, lie luul irritation enough from both sides of the House, from Ids iriomls as well as from the two sections of lus opponents; but lie kepi Ins bead and his temper admirably and 101 l behind hint an impression ot I riendhuoss and good fellowship thnl: will be good to remember. But when a Prime Minister next goes to tut Imperial Conference with the work of a session of Parliament only- half done it will lie well for him to make some sail" arrangement- for its conclusion. The proceedings ol the hist few days have not only brought discredit upon the country's legislative machinery, but they also have indicted real hardship upon -individuals and upon communities and have laid up a store of trouble for the future, fine mail government is the very worst form of autocracy, as Air Abt-soy himself was wont to sav when lie viewed it from a different standpoint, than the one be occupies to-day. and the conn try cannot afford to regard it with equanimity.