COUNCIL REFORM.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 184, 4 August 1913, Page 6

COUNCIL REFORM.

A GAME OT HIDE AND SEEK. LEGISLATORS' GROWING DOUBTS. (By Telestaph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON.. Saturday. Developments are likely to occur which will swiftly elevate Coumsrt Kftorm into a prominent place in public view. Parlk-mentariane :irP undergoing a mental process, the result* of which will surprise the public when made known, for a r,ubetanUal propor tiou o>l them are prepared to throw over the direct elective principle altogether in spite of much pLUfonu pledging. The right-about-face will not. of course, be effected in so transparent afashion as reunnoiation of pledges; it will come more smoothly and plausibly ill the shape of a compromise. This wav out. 1 predict, will be in the form of "ejection of legislative Councillors by members of the- Uwer Uonee. It is not unlikely that the proposal will be the outcome of the deliberartiont, of tli« Legislative Council ConmiiUee. which wiH be set on Wednesday, in accordance with the nrotion t>l the Council. I under«U.iul that the committee will be chosen on liner! indicative of the Coverninent's dvsirc to evolve, rfome acceptable arrangement with v. chance of passing both Houries. rather than a report which would favour standing by the present bill at all cofite. Kames of certain-tier; hare been mentioned in well-informed quarters. These gentlemen being the Hous. Samuel, Sinclair, Dutliie. Carncross, Smith. Barr. and the. Leader ot the Council (the Hon. Mr. Bell), "diverse. views are well represented. A game of political hide-andi s eek seem* to be in progress over the bill. Reformers generally do not want the measure which the Hon. Mr. Bell hps introduced. They fear that »uch * wide and open method of election will play into the hands of the great labour unions, with their well-spread gro-upe of compact supporters. Australian results under a. similar system of election are held up a* the horrible example, and oven Mr. U. W. Rurtscll, on the front. Opposition benches, seemed tv> have bep.n infected with aJ. least n dose of the prevailing doiiht. Lpprrilative Councillors have an idc-a. that if they killed the hill, v sigh of relief would go up in another place, but by the sneers and critic-isms nf the people's elected representatives, they are not going to rre I placed in t 1 false position. It \v;is plain enough that the bill could have been killed by the Council at its «ond reading, but the derided nominative legislators haye decided to let the Lower House take some -responaibility over the awkward business this "It is an oprn secret that some of these men in another pla<-e, who declared at the hustings for an elective Council, now hope the bill will be rejected." a veteran Councillor to your correspondent. 'Some oi these same men would proki.biy later £o upon the platform and den-nutK-e us for doing what they secretly desire. We have been treated that way before, and we are getting tired of ftiich under hand trentmen.t." "1 am an old man now." said another respected lceislator. who hn-; a>r\ - er| in both brn.nche* of Parliament, "ami f h»ve rxi personal interests tn serve. We are quietly i-nhniitted to much vnlga.r abrw,e. and th4nk our course now is to let the bill go on and let the ruling party take the responsibility."