THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1913. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REFORM

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 8 October 1913, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1913 . LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REFORM

The Oamaru Mail, which is owned and edited by the Hon. George Jones, one of tho most remarkable specimens of confused "Liberal'" .sentiment that has been entrusted with the task of revising and reviewing the work of the popular representatives of the people, is overwhelmed with delight that the Legislative Council has rejected the Bill that was designed to give some of the "Lords" more leisure time to attend afternoon tea-parties and mothers' meetings. The Mail, after endeavouring to excuse those Councillors who made themselves ridiculous by voting for the principle of an elective Upper House, and then "turned down" a measure based entirely upon this principle, remarks : "A great danger to the constitution has been avoided, ami in comparison with that happy result, nothing matters. We have proserved the sheet-anchor of democracy, and notching else .matters; not even the self-respect of some members of tho Council."

Alas for the dignity and purity of our legislative institutions, when such puerilo rubbish as this can bo written or subscribed to by a Legislative Councillor! A danger to the constitution has been avoided! Arc we to understand that the reform of an institution that lias grown blue-mouldy and decrepit, and which has made; itself the laughing-stock of the world, is a menace to the constitution ? Would it be possible for any but a legislator who is on his last political logs to give expression to such arrant nonsense? If the Hotn. George Jones thinks that the retention of the nominative system is "preserving the sheet-anchor of democracv," he has an etxrnordiniry oooneeption of the meaning of words. Ts there anything

democratic about a system that permits popular opinion to be flouted by nominees of thoso who are in temporary possession of tlio Treasury benches? Can any , person, in his sane moments, regard the Legislative Council, as at present constituted, as a sheet-anchor of anything but the Councillors themselves ? How many men are there in the august Second Chamber who would be returned to a County Council or an Education Board if they were to offer themselves for election? To some members of the Council, nothing else matters but the retention of a little brief an- : thoritv. Dignity and self-respect may be oast to the winds,, so long as the happy little family who have an "honourable" prefix to their names, and assemble now and then to indulge in mutual admiration, are not required to submit themselves to the test of public: opinion. But none knows better than the Hon. George Jones that the present bi-cameral system is an extravagant and clumsy farce, witji nothing to reconrnend it other than its own inflated opinion of itself. Thoso Councillors who voted for the retention of the system, and who have temporarily frustrated the movement lor reform, will be afforded ample time to reflect upon their indiscretion. It is only a question of a few months when a number of them will be in political obscurity, and for the rest, they will have to answer for their actions should they ever face an election: A distinct mandate was given j by the electors at the last election in favour of reform. The party led by Sir Joseph Ward announced its deterj minatiori to bring the Legislative Council into line with public sentiment. The Reform Party, under Mr j W. F. Massey, declared itself in favour of an elective Council. The electors preferred the definite declaration of Mr Massey, and now that he is in power, it is his manifest duty to give effect, at all costs, to the mandate of the people. We feel a certain amount of sympathy for the Hon. George Jones in the contemplation of the probability of his going back to the bosom of hie Oamaru friends as plain "Mr Jones" ; but after all, the interests of the country are of greater concern than the retention of titles by nominated "democrats."