THE N.S.W. REFERENDUM

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 531, 15 May 1933, Page 4

THE N.S.W. REFERENDUM

It was Max O'Rell who commenced his book "Jonathan and his Continent" with the remark "America has a population of sixty millionSi . . mostly Colonels" and, from the way things were moving in New South Wales, the same remark might wel. be made about members of the Upper House in that State. The position had been feduced to an absolute absur dity for, commencing with the. Larig Government in 1925, additions were

made to its personnel for purely politieal reasons in order to obtain a majority. This was just as promptly followed by the Bavin Government who also swelled the roll and Mr. Lang again swamped the Upper House with nominees to carry through his legislation. Then Mr. Stevens had' to make further appointments to get his measures through and apparently the increase would have gone on ad •infinitum. In fact, the position had got to be somewhat similar to that of the Legion d'Honneur in the days of the Third Napoleon — "few eseaped it." The move to take a referendum to limit the size and personnel of the House, the results of which we publish to-day, show that the country had determined to put some sort of a check upon the indiscriminate appointment of legislators and the consequent additional expense to the community, since these appointments earried with them for life a number of privileges from the public purse such as railway passes and the like. The decision of the electors has been in the affirmative on the question of reform and thoiigh the returns to hand do not disclose a big majority the bulk of the votes to eome are those from country districts where the elevations to the "Gold Pass Brigade" have not been so numerous as in the cities and where there is not such a pro-Lang bias. It is probable that the' result will be hailed with a good deal of satisf action by' tlie more responsible of- the electors.