WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1931, Page 2

WELLINGTON TOPICS

K v • I‘V tr ■' '*•'> :■ v • -V" •; • • -r { .« . , 'V; " COUNCIL.' . d/, !•,. «■ . '• ■ f Vir • • . . - A STAGNANT BODY. .'. , • ‘ WELLINGTON, December 24. ; ' When Mr Massey in 1913 removed fi'oih' , 'the" , S'tattfte t 'B6ok the 4 Second Ballot Act,-which Siv Joseph Ward had dmpqsed. upon a 'too confiding public in 19Q8, ,vhe promised ~that- in due - course he would-submit to Parliament a ureKofi 1 electoral ,-reform which would meet the 'needs of the 1 country -much more: adequatelyf:thari : :had' 7 ,tbe one. his. predecessor ..in office had thrust upon an uninformed community. The task of ..preparing the contemplated measure Was assigned to' Sir -Francis Bell,, the Leader of the Legislative Council, than whom, it is scarcely : necessary to say, no . more’ tactful 'and capable ; custodian . Icoujd -hyvie been found.; When; the drift’ Bi’i'l.made its appearance, however, it was foqnd that it, was -.to apply only to |he Upor House and that lor tire timjj .vbeuig,’'; at any rate, ’ the elected •Chamber'-was to remain with the defects which’Sir;Joseph Ward, somewhat' clumsily' it must ;be admitted, had attempted to remove. !!. ' s > ■ v -c - ■ ,vpV / ■ ■ ", /, ' . _; , - , A HALF MEASURE. 1 ' ;-But in Reform P.w‘y, '•• »•*' comfnrtahje {majorities in ths Legislative , Councji' the Rouse of Representatives hadf no d-ifllpulty, .w! putting'dtp ..RP 1 through bptjl brajpehas’of ithe. Legislature ' and -'placin'g /it op ' the Statute' Book. . Then: : cnme-'th©‘Oif'eat • Whr, the, partial discibntinU|.ncp'Of party strife and finally 'the formation of a National •Ministry-; jn 1915'- involving,, among \ other adjustments, thq suspension of the Legu>lative Copncd Act ‘ .during . the,■ pleasure of TtheGovetnmppt of; the day!? Since the suspension of the Act it has been, subject to ;£ number of 'amendments. In "decreed that ; instead, of; coming into force on . the fiiisf 'day of January- 4 : -IQX6 it should bewmie operative oh ithe first day'of September 1917,;' in 1916 -it' was decided that it should be 'Opera.fjiv.e.on ithe first dayof December. 1919 and so on and so on until in wjjich |ime Parliament • obvious--ly ’S had ; made up its . mind thatithere there ishould be no 'elective Legislative Council. - , .STAGNATION. . • W , - The -law ? : noWithstanding the efforts; ithat have made during the laitfourteen ( or ,*‘ fifteen - y.e|rs .to' deprive it, / entirely ;*of' itG vitality;; is t still on the Statute Bopk,/and it' is just conceivable thaif (during . th« next' dedade Or two a •atout-heinted: party may • arise - ftp ■ put It dntb operation. Sir, ,F-ran6is - Bell; spent ‘Jw&tyssTr*i h< wM d,hd;,3%bo»« i ;- r ‘the-Act; and it haa been.: 'suggested "■ ' that, it*: -is kept alive only. by/the ‘feds, of successive Ministers :,!tp.: ral; > offending ;its, author. ...If that really-/la - the ‘ case tlUn' .those iff! authority aro paying a‘ .very poor coni- ; |ilim,ent'!. i to ~4if.!, Francis, '■yydjQ.vfi l ! ..the i&r&iiji- place -.tki'al j itr!epted! : 'j : a|»ythfhg A,.but' hfindsomely^by,^jp pwp colleagues. .That,; , however, - another/ matter.; ’ What;. ,is ’ Ranted! frojn the Coalition 'Government in- 'Shis respect’ just now. is a definite statement; /ai'/to/!;what it is going; t0,,,d0 .with 'its bvpr-flOwing Legislative Councillors. . ,•■;-:!;!. /; _ > , j”.’ " , ' THE BILL.;’ ' ' iSir Francis' Bell's a measure that met with, the approval of all the critics. ; The Liberals, and the " Labourites /of the day protested against the; advantage the. Reformers would have, in, the presence of six , or sfven’ life., members remaining, in the Council and of a-s many nominated members that could be trusted to vote with tthe party in office. It was a reasonable objection in vietv of the prevailing conditions.; But as matters turned out probably a Liberal and Labour , concession to Reform would have proved an advantage to thb Opposition. It certainly, would have hastened the development of a .second chamber that , would have been really representative of the constituencies and more, useful to them than the present nominated body which is not altogether a reflex of the ability and the aspirations‘ of the community at large. It is to be hoped that Sir 'Francis’s BiU yefc will- see ithe realisation of. his efforts of seventeen, years ago. ■ ’.'■ ■ ■