The Daily News. SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1912. THE UPPER HOUSE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 65, 3 August 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 1912. THE UPPER HOUSE.

An aitempt to reform or to abolish the Upper House-of the New Zealand Parliament ueems inevitable. Under the conditions that have prevailed in New Zealand a position in the Legislative Council ha» been largely a matter of reward for real or alleged services to one party, or as a method of disarming enemies by dragging thein into the ranks of Parliament without reference to the people. Men of great attainments, who certainly should be in Parliament, ure colleagues of men wjth no attainments | whatever, and who certainly should not be in Parliament. A number of gentlemen, whether valuable or otherwise, survive the shocks of any election by being life members. Mr. George Jones, a member of the I ppcr House, has lately unburdened himself in regard to the Chamber to which he belongs. His arguments, shortly, a-re that no representative Upper House would- be acceptable to the people, and that the best known men would get the best ehaiice on polling day if the Council were elected. Further, that a "rising citizen" would have no chance. It would appear that logic is not a strong subject with at least one Legislative Councillor. Tn effect, the contention of the able councillor is that the people are incompetent to choose their own Parliament, or at least a part of it. It is therefore better to allow a system to continue which musters many men of extremely varying talents, and many with none at all, to "revise" the work of the popular chamber. No Legislative Councillor who is wort!) his place in the august body would fear an election, and the people -who are not fools—would be quite as quick to recognise the "rising citizen" as .Mr. .Jones himself. The. arguments in favor of an elected Upper House are that such a system would assuredly empty the mere drones out of the Chamber, that every member would have the imprimatur of the people, that it would be a far higher honor to obtain a seat in the Upper House at the gift of the people than at the gift of seven or nine men (who might be swept ofT the Treasury benches at any time), and thait the Upper House would be a far more useful and independent body than it now is. There are some legislative Councillors in Xc U - Zealand who would much rather belong to the "working slumber." The faet that many useful men have resigned seats in ihe Council to appeal to the electors is one of many proofs of (his. We do not, think thai, the people f)|p f . lhlt( , s( .

illf|,| '"' ! HI 111- < n;,n.'il. jiur ■'•'""•r whcth-r i; i-. nominated " r I!' (li.-'v lii ii) !c nK if nt all.

fliiiv il.lv lvjrard i! vaguely as the I"" '" f a "if-i'liiiic \viili -no particularly ii-cful function*. imt wiiidi is included iW '' ,l,ill( ' 1 ' "I lial.it. Methods

<>f ff'.vcrmii'cnt il„. world over arc in the ,„,t. and the people arc stirring it. j t is cut the Government of New Zealand is quite aware of this, and will anticipate public demand by permitting the people

some small privilege in regard to the constitution of Parliament. Just what its scheme is remains to be seen. Probably it will provide for a partly nominated, partly elective Chamber. Maybe it will go the length of accepting the proposal of the United Labor Party for the wiping out of the Chamber and the substitution therefor of a purely revisionary chamber composed of a limited number of barristers.