THE Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 1879. A PERIPATETIC PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 66, 15 April 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 1879. A PERIPATETIC PARLIAMENT.

» A few days before the close of last session, Mr. Shrimski, member for Waitaki, succeeded in getting a resolution passed, " That the next session of Parliament be held at Christchurch." The voting was very close — Ayes, 29 ; Noes, 28 ; majority for the motion, 1. It will therefore be seen that Mr. Shrimski had not a strong majority to back up his resolution, and consequently could not reasonably expect the Government to carry it out. The Mayor of Christchurch, however, knowing the ad* vantage of a pressure of public opinion, recently depatched a circular to all the IJorough and County Councils in the South Island, asking an expression of opinion from them as to the desirability or otherwise of the resolution of Parliament being carried out. This circular has met with faint success, only thirteen favorable replies being received. The arguments in favour of the sitting at Christchurch are either extremely weak, or very badly put. When Mr. Shrimski proposed his motion in the House, all that flansard records him having said is as follows: — "lie thought the time had arrived when a change should be made in the place of sitting. The buildings in which they at present met were anything but convenient, and the health of members was not likely to be improved by coming to them." Not another word was uttered by any one of the 29 anfci-Wellingtonians who followed Mr. Shrimski into the lobby to vote with the " Ayes." On Thursday evening last, a small pubs lie meeting regarding the question was held in Christchurch, of which a tolerably full report is now before us. The Mayor of Christchurch presided, and in urging his view of the case stated that " the railway would enable South Island members to visit their homes at the end of the week. Their climate was a beautiful one, and they had those manly sports in full swing which were so much supported by English gentlemen" The only. other gentlemen who appear to have spoken in behalf of the idea were Mr. J. C. Brown. M.H.E. for Ashlay, and Mr. Wakefield, M.H.R. for Geraldine, who gave no argu^ ments in favour of the proposal, but simply defended it from arguments used against it. We venture to say that were Parliament held at Christchurch next year, a vast expense would be incurred to the country, and not one single clear advantage would result. The geographical reasons which make Wellington fitted to be the Seat of Government, apply witb tenfold f oroe to it as the city for the meeting of Parliament. But apart from this, the fact that it is the Seat reason why Parliament should regularly hold its sittings there. It may not have the most genial of climates, nor be the best drained city in th (

""^--"" 'Mnwi»--TiT-rrviirnntirii rr'i i" •«!■— r Colony, nov possess the uniform hedges and poplar plantations of tlio " Oathedml City," but the Fact that i ; the whole of the big wheels df tlie Governmental machine aro there, [■ would render it almost impossible • efllcionily to discuss the business of ■ the country, and to lay public mat- \ ters bofore Parliament, when it was I holding its sitting away from the . Seat of Government. The estimated s oost of holding a session of Parlia ment at Christchurch, is £-10,000 over and above the cost of Holding it at Wellington. So large a sum the taxpayers of New Zealand are unwilling to subscribe, simply to en. able a few members who dislike Wellington, to bask for a few months in the sunshine of Christchurch aristocracy. We do not believe it could be done for £40,000. At least two steamers would leqnire- bo be kept constantly tunning between Welling 1 ton and Lyttelton : with papers and officials ; whilst the Printing office, which is an important institution during Parliament, being SO far" asvay, would probably divert a few thousands into the pockets of the master printers of Chvistchurch. The fact, also, that no buildings exist in Ohristchurch suitaMo for Parliament, is a strong argument against it. Tha only api proaeli to it, Is the small Provincial Chamber. It would need at least £10,000, we should say, to prepare and furnish buildings suitable for j the proposed purpose. This sum, spent upon those already existent at 1 Wellington, would remedy present | defects and make the Parliament ! buildings comfortable for the future. | Any expenditure on buildings at Chris i church would bo a dead loss. The following year a resolution would I most certainly be carried for the next session to be held at Dunedin. Auokland, Nelson, Invereargill, and other towns, would in turn claim a share in the Parliamentary loaves and fishes, and having once estab* 1 lished a precedent, the chief towns in • the Colony would justly expect Parliament to "go the rounds." The , idea of a peripatetic Parliament is crude, puerjle, and ill-advised. In no country m the world, we believe, does such a practice obtain. It is opposed to expediency, custom, and economy. The supporters of the idea in this Colony are for the most part men who lack colonial spirit, and who are anxious to air their elo* quence in the ears of their constituents. The " national spirit," about which we hear so much, nowadays, should prompt to the concentration of interest upon the capital city. New Zealand is scarcely old enough for that. We have only recently escaped from Provincialism, which was the swaddling bands that swathed our national body The desire for a peripatetic Parliament is one of the results of our national juvenility. It is growing weaker each year, and before long any one proposing a re« solution similar to Mr Shriinski's will be ridiculed as a political idiot.