THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4228, 27 September 1892, Page 2

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS.

Wellihsion, Monday. His Excellency Lord Glasgow received a cable message from the Colonial Office yesterday, instructing him to accept the advice of Ministers respecting the appointments : to the legislative Council, It is understood that the Governor is prepared to make twelve appointments at once, but Ministers refuse at present 'to state what course they propose to toko.. The Premier was too unwell to attend the House this afternoon, having had to take to his bed again. Referring to the subject the Post says:—Should the Secretary have decided on tho general prinoiplo, and not on the particular instance submitted to him, it will have established;a precedent for the Australasian colonies in the matter of appointments to the Upper Chamber, such as was established at the instance, of the New Zealand Government recently in the matter of the commutation of the death penalty being granted on the advice "of the Executive, instead of being as previously, a prerogative of the Crown apart from its Responsible Advisers. Comment in the lobbies upon the news is strong, Government supporters being jubilant, aud the Opposition holding' that if this is to be taken as a precedent, a principle dangerous to the Constitution will have been established, inasmuch as the. usefulness of the Council as a check upon hasty and ill-digested legislation will be destroyed, because any Ministry finding its measures delayed could swamp the Upper Ohauibor. Speculation is rife as to the course Government will adopt; It is said, on the one hand, that the patents for the appointments have been recently prepared, and merely require that the names be filled in before the signature of His Excellency is attached. As against this, it is considered probable that no appointments will be made ibis session, and that the principal Government measures will be passed into law by the Council as at present constituted, the appointments being deferred until. next session, Tho Government have determined to bring the present session to a olose within a fortnight, and as a result of this deoision, business will be forced in both Chambers, Tho new Councillors would therefore, if appointed now, have only aboutone week's work. It is also probable that, for other reasons, Government would defer the actual nomination as long as possible to postpone the disappointments which must follow the announcement of the favoured dozen, and it is also probable that they would not object to have their hands further strengthened by tho rejection of some of their bills, The chief difference will be over the Mcctoral Bill, which comes on for its third reading in the Council to-morrow, and iu this caso there will be a Free Conference between the Houses, and it is anticipated that the Council amendments most generally objected to will be abandoned, and those which are merely in the direction of improvements accepted, As showing the manner in which business is to be pushed on, there are 16 orders of the day set down for the Council to-morrow, and it is expected that the majority of them will be disposed of, a late sitting being proposed for the purpose.