AN ELECTIVE UPPER HOUSE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 838, 5 August 1881, Page 2

AN ELECTIVE UPPER HOUSE.

Di' Wallis moved, that in the opinion of this House, the time has come when the 1 members of the Legislative' Council should be elected by the people.of the colony,' He referred to the 'fact'' of the Government appointing their particular friends to the Upper House. Such appointments were made, be said, just to satisfy certain members and immediate supporters of such Government, and not for any particular ability that such gentlemen had, He d'd not believe in life-Ion;; appointment, and considered it was laying the foundation for a hereditary aristocracy. He was sure the members of the Upper House were necessarily conservative in their ideas, This he considered a great mistake. 'He' hopedtherefore that his motion would be passed.

Mr De L:itour looked forward to the time when the Government : would he able to carry out its business with less cumbersome machinery, and' probably eventually dtie Chamber would do all the business.' ■ Captain Russell disapproved of i the Upper Chamber being elective, but was in favor of such nomination-lasting, for life. He maintained', if they were niade elective, that a certain amount o'f poltical feeling would influence tli'o electors in arriving at their'decisions, and the House would not achieve what the country desired.

The Srpmier said that the motiori'wasa very important'one, and had come on very unexpectedly on account of'several motions having 'been adjourned;"-'He said that experience had proved that a second chamber was necessary. The Upper House was in a'position to put a check on any hasty actions of the Lower House, and such a check was often necessary. He fhoushV '(ho Legijdajiive Chamber of New Zealand, though a nominated olio had doiie great service to the colony, At the same" tiqie he'could not say that h/iP 3 jn favqr of having those lion gentlemen elected fqp Jifo. The Upper Hopsp could not djschargp thpir duty if they were not in harmony with the feeling of the colony. Ho did; not think the nominations had been abused neither did he think the people thought so. Ho was glad that the lion, member had brought forward such a motion,, beoausp jt gave the House the oppor- : tunitjr of venlijVtjiii'liihe'rn'tUtqr.'' Jf they resolved' to sicl.Spt' tjW system qf electing for the. tipper Ijfous'e, the. coqntry would lose, lie thought the public' services of many desirable gentlemen who' could not goto a poll. The best particular solution he thought was to have the members of the Upper Hori'se elected by the Government and tho House, such elaojjqn tfl bp by ballot. He hoped members would nqt be Rrpmatqro iii in arriving' Sit 'a 1 decision',' and suggested that the rrjo'tion sjin'qld'be p'osjpmied.' ■""" Sir Cjeqfgp Qrey s.ajd f.|]e of the House were q> jo th,e qoq. tneinber for Auckland, iv 1)0 brought forward, the motion. Ho was very sorry to see. so poor a House. He was jn favor of one chamber. Where there woro two sets of legislators, he contended one or the other was sure to bo careless; one would roly on the other and vice' versa, He thought that wjiero popular qpjnjoq was expressed,' )eg'islature"was' guided by it, and would be so, whether 1 there were two, chambers or one. l He was convinced that the tipper (Ihnmber lud'inferfcred with the progress qf the cqlqijy. 'psppally in cqnnecti.qn with tl|e lap. It was wrong, l)e nfaftitained, wheii a candidate was defeated, that suph a'person, if he was found fq bp fit n?e 'to fhfl Qov'renmesit, should be nominated to the Upper House. No man In New Zealand would say that such was a healthy state of affairs. From the Premier's speech at Leeston, ho understood that gentleman to say. that he intended bringing forward a Bill bearing on this suMegt. If sqch a Bill was brought forwai'di'lifl wn's sure they would pats sqch a measure that would do for' very many years to come. He ..would, vote, for the motion. - .i ; ! ; ' ■

Theadjourumentfor dinner interrupted tlia 'dobato,. ■• ''