WELLINSTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 November 1933, Page 3

WELLINSTON TOPICS

STORY OF ELECTORAL REFORM

REVIVAL FROM 1914

(Special Correspondent),

WELLINGTON, November 10. Tile report to the effect that the present Government is seriously thinking of vivifying the Legislative Council Act of 1914, which has remained iu a torpid condition sinfce the forma* tion of the National Ministry in August 1915, dfoes hot rcht upon very impressive "authority. It was just upon twelve months after the outbreak of the Great War that th 2 , Earl of Liverpool, then Governor of this Dominion, persuaded Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, the, party leaders of the time, to lay their political differences aside and devote themselves, with their fol-

lowers, to the welfare of the nation

and the world, at large. Tb© first clause added to the Act after the: establishment of the National Gov- : erhmeut provided that •“subsection two, of section one arid sub-section two of. section three of the Legislative Coun-J cjl Act.- : of 1914 are each amended by omitting the words ‘the first day of January 1916’ and substituting thej words ‘the first day of September 1917.” These substitutions at the time were expected to cover the whole period of the war then in progress. But any one informed enough to follow the course of’ the world wide upheaval will remember fliat the war lasted long, beyond the margin 'the authorities of the da : V at’ first predicted. The Legislative' Council 1 Act after its suspension rested upon the instigation of, Sr Joseph Ward, approved by the -Govern cr-Gtoner al, and as the year’s rol'ed round it was revised in a score of directions, though, of course, not for active operation. In 1916 it was resolved that “the first election of members of the Council shall take place simultaneously with the first election of members of the House held after the commencement of this Act,, and, except as provided by this section, the next and every succeeding election of members of the Council shall take place simultaneously with the ©lection of members of the House held, next after the expiration of five years from the last preceding election of members of the House.” In 1917 no amendment 'nor. addition was made; but in’l9lß and .1920 the'Act, though •still suspended, was extensively amended, and' handed over to the Government of that day. Without further notice Air Forbes and his colleagues can to-day take charge of the whole business if they-please# ■ .After, thev.-extinetioii of the labours pf the Rt.; ITojji Sir. Francis Bell, who gave: long' liofrrs . and much effort towards the construction •of the"'Legislativc: Council Act of 1914 —wliiclr Mr •Maslseypin-all’ good f'aith, had promised to the public in " 1913-—Sir Ffancis would' not;,he > - likely 'to have Heart enough ‘to move , the present Prime Minister and his colleagues from the con ti nnance f.ofy the ■ present m a ke&hift system tiffs • country r'seems content to endure.: .Mr .. 'Forbes • himself,- Mr Coates and Mr- -Masters’ loilg-Ago, committed themselves to the reform of the present , system of election, Mr Forh.es and Mr Masters .to-the length of consigning it- to extinction forthwith, and yet with from fifteen to twentyfive years of experience between them they 'hesitate to give'the rank and file of their party a lead. And yet in, a few weeks tini©. we shall have these gentlemen,' at the head of- the affairs of the country, actually -persuading the public at large to believe that Atkinson t Rolieston, Stout, Grey, BalJance, S-eddon, Massey, Bell, Ward arid other big men of the past were wrong in submitting tlie occupancy of their seats in the House every third year in succession