The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1883. ELECTIVE UPPER CHAMBERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1287, 26 January 1883, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1883. ELECTIVE UPPER CHAMBERS.

A writer in the January number of the Victorian Review describes the political outlook of the colony in whicli that periodical is published as "a coming revolution." The Victorians enjoy the blessings of an eloctivo Upper Chamber, and as there aro many, people in New Zealand who desire a similar privilege, the result of our neighbor's experience is not without interest to us. In Victoria the elective Upper Houbb . hag become a more powerful body than the elective Lower House—so much so that it is almost superseding tho popular chamber, but in doing this it is coming into collision with it. The Upper Chamber in Victoria has the support of all the people who have a stake in the colony, and the lower one is recruited from the residuum. It follows that it is a distinction to become a member of the Upper House and almost a reproach to git in the lower one, and all the best public men in the colony seek seats in the former, The writer to whom we refer speaks of the demoralisation and degradation of the Victorian Lower House, its utter uselessness, and of the contempt with which it is everywhere regarded. We may be thankful that we have been a little more conservative in New Zealand than our neighbors have in Victoria, It is true that our Upper Chamber is a little old fashioned' and antiquated. Nevertheless it works smoothly with the lower one, and the latter is evidently immeasurably superior to what may be ironically termed the popular chamber in Victoria. Of this chamber the writer in question says—"The Lower House cannot descend to a much lower point than it has reached this session; but it is more likoly to sink than to rise. The daily press keeps up the dismal record of abuse and counter abuse, jobbery and corruption, waste of time and negleot of the public welfare. . . . . The Assembly of Victoria is doomed to insignificance, the conduot of it is detestable, and the Chamber is at present singularly destitute of capable men," No writer can with any degree of truth apply such terms as these to our House of Representatives; but possibly a day may come, if w6 grow as radical as Victoria, when our Assembly will sink to the degraded level of the Victorian Lower Chamber. The clamor of reformers now in Victoria is to emasculate the Assembly by removing from its control State railways, State schools, and the Civil Service. The Assembly, is supposed to be incapable of administering these great departments, and many Victorians would rather entrust them to independent boards.