THE Kaipara Advertiser, AND WAITEMATA CHRONICLE. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 1912.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 18 September 1912, Page 2

THE Kaipara Advertiser, AND WAITEMATA CHRONICLE. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18, 1912.

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL The government has determined to push its reform plans, and we have in consequence the second stage of the attempt from their side. It takes the form of asking the House to affirm the principles and almost all the details of the late bill and to pass a, J short measure permitting the appointment of new councillors for t\ie purpose of helping to pass the measure of reform approved by the House in the. resolutions. This short Bill is a reform bill in itself, for the reduction of the period of nominations from seven years as at present to three. If the house does not pass the resolutions, the short bill becomes the reform Bill. In that case the government having set out to affirm the elective direct principle ends by applying the most mischievous form of the nominative system. This is of course foreign to the intention of the government. But unless the resolutions are carried it will be a bad piece of tactics to pass the short bill. We should advise the government, if they really want to strengthen their position in the Council with regard to the policy measures they expect to get through that branch of the legistature to set about appointments without all this circumlocution. At the same time it is fair to admit that the object of the government is to be quite just to the constitution, acquitting them of any desire to exercise patronage. There has been too much of this objectionable policy of imputing motives. Let the principles be discussed in the future without such disgraceful unfairness, or unsemly aquabbling.