WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 30 January 1933, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

PARLIAMENT RESUMES WORK

KEEN EXPECTATION.

(Special to '“Guardian.”)

WELLINGTON, January 27

The second session of fcii-j twentyfourth Earl lament of the Dominion uavmg been adjourned for a month in meter that tne members of the two jranches of the Legislature might participate in the festivities o. Christmastime, was resumed yesterday Most of the United and Reform memuiys in' the Ojaliliion Clove,rnmoni wore in attendance at the caucuses o; Die party on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Labour Party was equally wel .epresented if less demonstrative. It .»■ as expected when the members oi the Coalition Party came to Wellington that the .Crime Minister and tin hew 5 Minister u f Finance would Inprepared with important information for their rank and file ol their followers, but apparently the. next day or two will be occupies by metely formal observances. M. ii. E. Holland, the Opposition leader, is itching'to table a motion of m confident.© in the Government, but si. far his aspirations iiave been frustrated.

THE TREASURY. The talk of the town, and now of the lobbies, is, the resignation,, of■ the portfolio of Finance by Mr D own in ofewart and its assumption by Mr J;. G. Coates. When the Coalition.’ Government was thrust upon the United;, and Reformers alike, a year or sc ago, .it was accepted mainly by both parties on the assurance that Mr. Downier Stewart would have charge f tin* Treasury. Mr Forbes was over uurdened with many lesponsioiiities; air Coates was unacquainted witi. jinance, except in its magnitude, anc. Mr Ransom already was sufficiently .©ailed. Mr Stewart, who had beei Mr Massey’s support in the later clay-' A the great Reform leader, was the mainstay of the v Coates .Governmen. ■ n the days of its waning prosperity .niul its main hope in the time of its actual • .adversity. Mr Coates Inn many qualities, which will carry him lar in public life, but the mastery o. finance is not among them. LEG ISI .-ATI VE COUNCIL.

There lias been a good deal of talk lately- coneernng the diminution of the number of members of the Legislative Council, which stood at forty-one three years ago and now reaches but twenty-two. Only seven of these twenty-two are under seventy years

of age, while six of them are over eighty. Interviewed upon this matter tlio other clay Mir Forbes told the inquirers that he and his colleagues had far too many important questions in hand to worry about additions to the Upper House. Later ho cheered, the inquirers, with the announcement that an -appointment would be made to the Cabinet after the session and that it w.is likely " That the arrangement of portfolios and the appointments to the,-Council would more or less coincide. Meanwhile the legislation making the Council an elected body and not a dominated one is held up a monument,,- to the legislation of eighteen years ago!

A HAPPY RETORT. 'l’hc local morning paper, which may not be altogether disinterested in the. expansion of the Legislative Council, makes a very happy retort to the Prime Minister’s -apology. “It is quite true,” it says, “that the Government has many complex and difficult problems on hand, but it is pertinent to. suggest that the future of tin-. Legislative- Council is really worth worrying about. It has been reduced to 22 members- from y normal personnel of about 40. There is ample scone in the filling of vacancies for strengthening its prestige, influence ami authority. The Government here has-a valuable opportunity of endorsing and re-ouforcing the principles from which the second chamber derives its functions. If these are to stand, and to win respect, that body must be more than -a mblier-stnmp, a political dumping ground.” Just so. But surely' the first step should be to expunge that- Legislative Act from the Statute Rook or make it the iavr cf the land,