WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 22 April 1932, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

SHALL IT ENDURE?

(Special Correspondent).

WELLINGTON

', April'l9,

Were there ally real demand in the country for the reform or the abolition of the Legislative Council now would ho the time for the advocates of one or the other of these revolutions to take action. In July 1929 there were forty one members in the Council, forty nominated b.v the Reform Party, which had been ousted from office seven months before, and one nominated by the United Party, which had mounted the Treasury Benches by grace of the Labour Party which with nineteen members, was able to determine the fate of the two other parties.' Sir Joseph Ward, the leader of the United Party, was not extravagant in his nominations to the Legislative Council, Sir Thomas Sidev, needed for the leadership of that body, being his only appointment forthwith. Those that followed in due course were the Hou. D. Buddo, the Hon. ,M. Fa'.an, the Hon. R. McCallum, the Hon. R. Masters and the Hon. ,1. Trevethick to whom no exception could have been taken.

A REDUCED HOUSE. So far the United Party had added only six member,s to the Council, "hose names already have been mentioned, and these additions have been s lice substantially' exceeded by deaths and expirations of time. In the former category are the names of the Hon. J. Barr, the Hon. W. Earnshow, the Hon. E. Marnier, the Hon H. Michel, the Hon. Sir Thomas Mackenzie, the Hon. W. Rikiliana. the Right Hon. Sir Robert Stout and the Hon. T. AVes-« ton. and in the latter tne names of the Hon. J. Craigie, the Hon. S ; r F. Lang, the Hon A. Malcolm the Hon. E. Newman and the Hon. W. Reed, leaving only thirty-four members in the present Council. And tliiis is not the end of the depletion of the numerical strength of the nominated chamber in the near future. On the seventh of next month, whether Parliament is in session Or not there will l>e a veritable exodus from the Council. It will be a procession containing j several useful Counc illors.

FURTHER RETIREMENTS. The retiring members next month, all on the same day, will be the Hon. E. Alison, the Hon. I). Fleming, the Hon. G. Garland, the Hon. ,J. Gow, the Hon. A. Hawke, the Hon. Sir John Sinclair, the Hon. W. Stewart (no relative of the Minister of Finance, tlie Hon. G. Thomson and the Hon. AV. TrigC’S. They will he followed on October 28, when the present Parliament, in all probability, will lie in the midst of its second session, by the Hon. Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes, the Hon. G. Witty and tlie Hon. Leonard Isitt. The Council, assum ng that no appointment•••[»—muck-— to- its —hallowprecincts meanwhile. will then he reduced to twenty-two members to be followed bv nineteen in 1934, byte n in 1.93(5 and by half a dozen in 1937, the Hon. Sir W. C*. F. Cai-ner-oss as the latest and the longest Speaker, that lias presided over the Second Chamber. It is time that the Government and the electors were looking at tlie.se possibilities of the future.