RETRENCHMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 172, 23 July 1890, Page 2

RETRENCHMENT.

(To the Editor.)

Sib,—The oolumn of letters on this subject in Saturday's Star was very good, and your leaders of late have, raised your paper to the foremost position in Auckland journalism. Will you allow me to call bhe attention of your correspondents to another quarter in which a drastic change is absolutely necessary. A Bill is before the House to limit the period for which members can be elected or nominated to the Legislative Council, to ten years. If the Council, as at present constituted, cannot be abolished, the beet thing the House could do would be to pass a Bill to legalise the election of a member from the County Councils (from the North.and South Islands alternately), to supply any vacancy in the Legislative Council. This, as bhe'old. members die out, would gradually introduce the' local element, or the " Federal," as Sir Robert Stout calls it, in our Legislature, and bring the ability of the* various counties North and South to the discussion of whatever measures may be introduced. The Lower House would represent thepobple, the Upper House would represent the connties; the one Would be national, the other federal; and the intelligence that is now brought to' bear on local matters in counties, would also have a voice in Parliament. —1 am, etc., Citizen.