THE UPPER HOUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 152, 27 June 1914, Page 11

THE UPPER HOUSE.

S»EEMXEK*S EXPERIENCE. AX ASTONISRiKG CONFESSION", iliy Telegraph.—l'arliamenlary Reporter.) WELLINGTON. Friday. Legislative Council appointments "and the i'rimo Alinktor's interesting ex-peri-.nt-s over the impending batch of honours formed the subject of an interlude which appreciably livened v dull period of the Imprest Hill delate in the House of Representatives this afternoon. It was tl«- curiosity of the Leader of the Opposition which drew v confession from the Prime Minister. Sir .Joseph Ward expressing an anxiety a s to what mos being done with the Council. Would the new Councillors, he asked, lie appointed in tiie same way us the Govern-j i.r,ent appointed Land Board members" In any ease, they were to pledge them-1 selves to a particular course. This! anomalous p.-ition was without pre- I cedent. He wunb-il to know why the! House, which represented the people, was ■ denied the right of dealing with such an important mutter first. Did the Prime Minister really believe that lie had -i ' mandate from the people to carry out j the change? The Prime Minister! Certainly. Sir .losepii Ward: You were in a minority of three after last election, and yon would be in that position now but for some members crossing over in diS.inoe of their pledges. The prime Minister replied that +1 members Mere returned pledged to vote out. the Ward Government. These included Messrs Robertson and Payne, who went against their pledges. Tiie t'eneriil election went against the Ward Government The speaker and his party under-' took to reform the toper House, and the great majority of the people favoured it. As for the Lund Hoard suggestion, he was unable to think of a single, ease in which the old Liberal party appointed any but it- friends to the Land Boards. Mr. MuCallum: Three in Marlborough alone. The Prime "Minister added that next week he hoped to announce the names of the new Councillors. Mr. Colvim Heie.ts. The Prime Minister: Yon need not talk nf rejects, bee.inso n deputation from your own district asked mc to appoint Mr Witty: You arc anxious to get him out of the way. The Prime Minister: One of the most "Vtraordinary things that has happened to mc in my career is that during the last month I have boon asked by the friends of four candidates on the other side that they should lo appointed. (Laughter.) Mr. Colvin: It's an absolute—well. I have not heard of it: it never emanated from mc. The Prime Minister: I did not say so. Mr. Colvin: Stick to facts. Who asked you ? The Prime Minister: Don't drive mc too hard. I'll tell you the names privately. Mr. Colvin: Make, it public. No man bad any mandate to ask for mc. The Prime Minister: I do not say so. Mr. Forbes: They wanted to get him out of tL<! way. The Prime Minister: Xo, they were some of his own personal friends and supporters. We appoint men to the L'pper House, not because they are our political supporters, but because we think they are impartial and well qualified mon. and that will be the basis of the appointments. I hope to be able to announce next week. Mr Massey went ou to express the hope that before the present session ended an Act would be passed making the Legislative Council an elective body. Had it not been the Council's rejection of last year's bill, half of the members of that Chamber would have been elected this year. That was now, however, impossible. ■WHY THE DELAY? "There is a proposal in the Governor's speech to malce additions to the Legislative Council, and also to make it. elective, but not till 1015," said Sir ..loseph Ward. "Wiry not until 1015?'' he astad. TJhe Phimc Minister: Do yon want a Council of sixty? Sir Joseph Ward: ilndepemlerrtly of that, tiie fact remains that tlrere ia a large section of people in chis country determined to see adivaneed legislation dealing with landed estates, and 1 believe this .is a move on the part of the Government to frustrate She wiil of .tihe people in that direction after tire next general election should the present Opposition-be returued to power. Sir Joseph proceeded to assert that itwas not fair tror just to ignore the will of the people's representatives in a matter of such vital importance as the change contemplated- <i;i the constitution of hire Upper Cham-bar. If, when the 'bill came to the House, thcpeople's representatives made alterations to it, what happened? It would have to go back to the l'pper Oham'ber again, ■where the alterations would -be struck out again. The whole thing was wrong. The 'Prime. Minister: Are you in LrvottT of tiie reform of the LegMative Council or not; Sir Joseph Ward: T am not rsspou si-blc for the changes you propose. THE IEEOPLE-'S MANDATE The Prime Ministvr: 'Ts it not a fad that a. large majority of the House of Representatives was elected on th-e distinct understanding tihat their support would be given to the reform of the ■legislative Council? 'Forty-four mera-bcm-i of this- House received a .mandate lo support a proposal for an elective l'pper House." As to the suggeFitioii that the trovennncnt were putting a number-of mnmibers into the Council with the object of frustrating increases in the graduated land tax, that was the -first ihe had' heard of it. He was sure that the idVa had never entered their minds. On the contrary, as a result of what had taken place, mostly through toe legislation of the present Government, he -would shortly be ah:'? to produce a return showing that in the last two years ovct 1,500.0(10 acres of land had been subdivided and settled. Such a thing hid never previously been done in the history of this country. As to tbe nurrrbeT of aten the Government wouid .appoint to the Council for ihe purpose of spearing the passage of legislation, it was proposed to bring the strength up to between 3S ami 41 to make the 'bill effective immcdiiately r.ft.cr its passage, supposing half the Council became elected at each election in a Council of 60 members. That would' be an absurdity. Far better to piss the Jiefom-. Bill with the understanding that it should come into force at the first general election afiwr that oi the present year. IS THETiF. A MJAvJOETTY ? It v..is ron Leaded iby 'Mr. C. W. P."ss.--!i t'aar. if allowance wore made £or menibtT2 aijCijt on the last- crucial

; division on. the Council Reform [Bill, ! •there was actually a majority for tine ;n.«as,uTe in that chamber without a I single additional appointment. Tfhe pro- ' posed appoinianeaiie constituted an act ' ctf political pcrtidiy. tocauso it was ■placing a bar in tho iway of Ti-fonn. rendering it impossible to carry- out ! any measures of reform and progress that might be passed) by that chamber. !