UPPER HOUSE REFORM.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 October 1920, Page 4

UPPER HOUSE REFORM.

The proceedings in the House on Thursday night in connection with the reform of the Legislative Council may well raise a doubt as to whether the Government really intends to try the experiment, of making the Upper Mouse an elective assembly instead of a nominative one. An Act of Parliament has been passed, milking that branch of the Legislature elective, but just before the time when it should become operative the Government lias thought fit to hold up the Act. and postpone its coming into force. The only reason assigned by the Premier for his action was "that many members desired an amendment of the Act." The fact is that many of those who previously supported elective principle, and no one less so the Premier, have come to

! see that it is not likely to work out so satisfactorily a(i they anticipated. In order to get this and other legislation througli at the time the Reform Party took office, the Upper House, it will be remembered, was filled with supporters of the Party in power, and a partly elective Upper House being one of the pltinks of its platform, the Bill was put through. A week or two ago these same members performed a "volte face" over this question, voting almost "en bloc"' against an elective Council, to the embarrassment of the Leader of the Council, who had somewhat grandiloquently nailed his colors to the mast. ' It will be granted that tilings have changed since 1914. The Government is shying off applying proportional representation to the election of Upper House members, as that means the disappearance of the country quota, feeling that once the principle is admitted it will be difficult to withhold it from the election of the Lower House. Proportional representation applied to elections generally would play into the hands of the labor unions, and penalise the farming community. That is no doubt the Government's fear, and not without justification: Again, if say the whole of Taranaki elected one member to the Legislative Council, that member would naturally possess greater weight than a member of tiie Lower House elected by one constituency, 'and a Chamber elected by similarly large districts might demand a share in the determining of financial and other big questions. This is another danger that cannot be overlooked. But our opinion is that the Legislative Council, as at present constituted, is akin to a fifth wheel in a coach, and we would prefer converting it into an expert revising chamber, the need for which is recognised more and more each year. A •eforrn of the nature would certainly be in the best interests of the Dominion, and it would seem advisable to postpone tinkering with, the Legislative Council until after the next general election, when the people could indicate which course they favored—an elective or a revising Chamber. It may be taken for granted that the general feeling throughout the country is against continuing the nominative system, which practically stands condemned, yet it is conceivable an effort will be made to perpetuate the evil in a modified form, and thus create a hybrid Chamber, partly elective and partly nominative, so that politicians who have a chance of being elected to a seat in either branch of the Legislature, but have been useful to the party in power, may be rewarded at the expense of the country. Such a system has become repellant to all right-minded people, and should no longer be tolerated in this democratic age. The ideal solution is a revising Chamber, not representative of the people, but composed of the best and most practical men that can be sscured. That w.Juld be reform of which the country might, well be proud.