The Waikato Time AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, AUG. 9, 1888.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2509, 9 August 1888, Page 2

The Waikato Time AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, AUG. 9, 1888.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

After the latest experience before us there can be no denying the fact that an absolute and ininniediate necessity exists for a radical reform in the system of representative government in force in New Zealand. Whatevr the benefits originally intended to be conferred upon the people of the colony by the Constitution Act and the popular legislative institutions it introduced, the painful experience of many years has proved the whole experiment a failure. 80 far as government by tho people is concerned it has been a political fiction. We have, incieed, been losing more and more the true substance of democratic government until but a shadow of it remains. The principle has been departed from almost unconsciously, its place being usurped by a vicious bureaucracy. The character of Parliament, inasmuch as it should be the embodiment of tho nation's will on all questions affecting its welfare, has long been destroyed by a reprehensible practice which has held its actions and movements under . sway; that is to say, the

practice commonly called Government by Party. The abuses that

have crept in under this guise have sapped the foundations of the popular representative system, rendering the whole fabric useless and positively unsafe to the country at largo. A thorough change is unquestionable; for the evil has reached this stage that Parliament no longer is the reflex of the people's will, !" and, therefore, is anti-national. The Representation Act of last year, although pissed move in consequence of the desire for retrenchment, is also a measure with a large promise of the reform needed to ro-muuld our representative institutions more in concert with popular desire. The Act provides for a re-cast of the electorates, and reduces the number of members to be returned to the Lower House by twenty less than the present number. Whilst feeling that, it would have been preferable to have made a still greater reduction in the personnel of that Chamber, we, nevertheless, look hopefully to the coming into operation of the Act as affording a turn in the road that will lead us on to better things in the future. Until then we must regard any efforts in the direction of securing economy or any other kind of reform as futile, and so much labour thrown away. It is true we may have to suffer still more for the 'laches and neglect of the present session, of which so much had been expected by the country. The provisions of the Representation Act would have been rendered of a more complete and beneficial nature if the Bill for reforming the mode of electing members, which was to have been introduced this session, had been brought forward and passed into law. This was a modification of the Hare system, or Proportional representation by which absolute, representation by the majority, would have been secured, and would have gained for the country a superior class of representatives who could hi! depended upon. If we could gain the boon of increased powers of local self-govornmont, an improved opportunity for reforming our Parliamentary system would be afforded. Tho County system cou'd be enlarged, providing for the extended area, or union of counties, and the Councils entrusted with the absolute control of all the public affairs of their respective districts which also should enjoy the expenditure of their own revenues from all sources, and relieve the Central Government in Wellington of the mass of parish business, so aptly termed, with which the latter has loaded itself. We could then borrow from an idea put forward recently in England, where it lias been suggested to create chairmen of County Councils, life peors with seats in the Upper House. It would, perhaps, be a judicious step to make our County Chairmen, ex, ojficlo, nifiiiber.s of (he L gislature. No sot of men could better represent their constituents than they, being already hi honourable, positions, thoroughly versed in local requirements and filled with a truer national spirit than Ihe class who are now generally elected as representatives of the people. County chairmen being elected for three years could constitute the tivnnial Parliament for the time being, and actually do away with the necessity and cost for the general elections that now take place to fifl the House of Representatives.