The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1912. THE UPPER CHAMBER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 70, 9 August 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1912. THE UPPER CHAMBER.

The Government's proposals with regard to flie re-construction of the Legislative Council will probably find their way to the Statute Book, as there is more than a little sympathy wit!) them in the ranks of the Opposition, In fact, the measure can hardly be regarded as a party one at all. The question of whether an upper Chamber is necessary at all wiH always be a moot one, and there is,a good deal to recommend the suggestion thijt a small revisory committee of a nominative character, quite dissociated from party polities', should be appointed for the expert revision of measures passed by the House of Representatives. Probably the country is not yet ripe for such a reform, and in the meantime it will be satisfied to accept the principle of an elective Legislative Council. The intention of the Government is to place the. Upper Chamber upon a similar footing to that of the lower House, with a reduction of its members to forty, twenty representing the North Island and twenty the South Island. The councillors are to be elected upon the broad Parliamentary franchise, .simultaneously with the membere of the House of Representatives at alternate elections, for instead of the one-time life-tenure and the more recent seven years' tenure, it is now provided that the life of a Legislative Councillor shall be "a term of two ; Parliaments." This is obviously aimed at a period of six years, but it is, of course, (juite possible that it might mean only one. In any event, the system will provide direct representation of the people, and make the revisory chamber an up-to-date reflection of the views of the country, instead of the obsolete collect tion of honored political veterans that it has been in the past. Of course, this particular form of election really means a reduplication of the House to a great i extent, for it is safe to assume that with elections for the House of Representatives and the Legislative Council proceeding simultaneously, the political party returned in the popular ciuun- | ber will be similarly represented in the l.'ppcr House. This is really an argument in favor of the total abolition of the Upper Hou; ; .' and the substitution of an advisory committti! on the we lime suggeste.L Of course, with the longer tenure of life it may be found that the Council elected fo.-one Parliament may not represent fie House after flic following general ek'.;iion, and (his appears to u- to be a marked disability in the method proposed. Had. for instance, a Council been elected at the last general election to represent the Liberal Party, it would now find itself in office over another general election as revisory to the legislation of (he Reform Parly. The Council, of course, is supposed to be a non-party body, but under the elective system this supposition will necessarily be more imaginary

ttian real. We have not, so far, been advised as to the Government's intentions with regard to the distribution of districts, but it will require a very careful consideration of community of interests if the electorates for the Council are to bo satisfactorily framed. In the meantime, however, the proposed alteration is decidedly more democratic than the existing nominative one, and if the responsibility -of election is left to the people, the people will have only themselves to b'lama if the new re»imo is found to he unsatisfactory. The proposal is purely an experimental one, but it certainly possesses-, on the face of it, many advantages over the existing one. Anything is better than the constitution of a revisory chamber from political (lisappointees and time-honored derelicts of \ public life. It will at least remove the reproach that the Legislative Council is a refuge for the aged needy of political life.