WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

IMPENDING APPOINTMENTS. (Special to “ Guardian ”.) WELLINGTON, May 13. There is much curiosity and speculation ill political circles here concerning the impending appointments to t.lie Legislative Council, which are inevitable in view of the fact that lion. E. 11. Clarice, the lion. M. Cohen, the Hon. W. I [all-Jones, the Hon. E. Mitehel.snn. the lion. G. Smith, and the lion. I!. Scott will complete the term of their appointments a few days before the end of next month. These are the appointments made after flic genera! election of 1910 which gave Mr Massey a substantia! majority in the Lower House and entitled him to still further strengthen his position in the Council. Probably the retiring members will he re-appointed, hut two other vacancies have been created hv the deaths of Sir .James Carroll and the Hon. IV. Guthrie and it is known that quite a number of aspiring politicians have opinions as to how the shoes ot these deceased gentlemen should he filled. The Constitution places it? limitation upon the numbers of members that may he appointed to tiio Connell; hut it prescribes that the number of members shall not he lower than ten and the practice lor many years has been to keep it in ihe neighbourhood of forty. Ihe chances are, therefore, that the Prime Minister will nominate no more than two members. IM POUT ANT ISSIT.S INVOLVED.

The appointments to he made on this occasion are of special interest oil account of the hearing they may have upon the fates of the Hon. L. M. I sift's Religious Exercises in Schoois Dili and Mr T. Sidey’s Summer Time Hill. The "Post'’ last evening set out this aspect of the position very clearly. “ Although both these Hills are private members’ measures,’’ it said, " no other Hills proved more contentious last session, or aroused greater interest both in and out of Parliament. Indeed, around them were waged two of the most memorable and most closely contested fights that have ever taken place in the Legislative Council. There is no reason for b. licv-

ing that the promoter* of these two measures arc so discouraged with the result of the final divisions upon them last year that they will not again bring them forward. As a matter ol fact, tiie Hon. Mr Isitt declared last August, when he saw defeat inevitable. Hial. from that time forward he and his supporters would redouble their energies; while Mr Sidey’s persistency and regularity in introducing his proposal fifteen limes in the past eighteen years gives no cause for suggesting that he will not presctil it for it further trial, especially as it succeeded last year in passing through the House of Representatives for the second time.” On the new appointments to the Council the fate of both these measures may depend. A DELICATE POSITION.

The Prime Minister must realise that he is in nit extremely delicate and difficult position, from which even Ids trusty and very capable councillor. Sir Francis Fell, may have some difficulty in extiicntiug hint unscathed. 'lhe Religious Exercises in Schools Hill was defeated on the third reading in the Council last year hv two votes. Ot the councillors who supported it throughout two are included in the June retirements and of those who opposed it four are in the same case. The Summer Time Dill, alter passing through the House of Representatives for tin second time, was defeated in the Council on the casting vote of the Speaker, four of the retiring councillors favouring the measure it ml two opposing il. Mr Coates’s position U made all this more difficult by the fact that, he and his colleagues took distinct sides on these two measures last session. II in making lii-s nominations to chi: Ciimic 1 lie now appears in the slightest degree to favour one side or the oilier he w.ll hear all about it from the disgruntled sctliun however judicial his selection may he. Governments have been wrecked over less momentous questions and tiie Prime Minister and his colleagues will well he advised to move warily. PREVIOUS ENTERFENCE.

'l'llo Prime Minister’s previous experience in ml vising His [excellency the Governor-General upon the appointment of legislative councillors lias not hcen altogether liappv. The nppointnients of the Hon. L. Al. Isitt anil the Hon. George Witty, two worthy members of the House of Representative-* who crossed over from the Opposition benches to uphold the Government against the assaults of Labour, as they said, were obligations, no doubt, imposed upon him by bis predecessor in office. But when he had the field all to himself last year, and the Council was at about its customary strength and needed no reinforcement, lie re-

commended to Mis Excellency the Gov-ernor-General the custodian of his party’s purse, the chairman of his own election committee and an invalided colleague, iiie appointments wore no more unhappy than those made by many another leader of a victor, our. party, but they were not the kind of appointments the public and his personal friends on all sides of politics had expected from him. However the lapse was condoned. Now. with twelve months of additional experience and a wider acquaintance with the affairs of the world, it may be honed that the Prime Minister in his forthcoming nominations to the Council will give j heed to the requirements of the conn-j try lather than to the needs of bis party and tbe service of individuals.