The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News,Morning News and The Echo. FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1923. REFORMERS' "REFORM."

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 129, 1 June 1923, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1923. REFORMERS' "REFORM."

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance. For the future in the distance, And the good that we eon do.

The batch of appointments to the Legislative Council announced to-day is a fresh proof of tho power of political circumstances to niter political cases. LMr. Alassey used to be ardent for reform of the Legislative Council. "If reform was necessary in the House of Lords," he told a Wellington audience in 1911, before ho reached office, "it was twenty times more necessary in the case of the Legislative Council." Also, "ho could not understand any country alJowiug bucli a body to moke laws—a body not elected by the people themselves." He put forward then a plan for an elected Council, and in 1014 his Government gave effect to it in tho Legislative Council Act, which is still on the Statute Book. The Act was to come into operation at tho first election of members of the House held after January 1, 1010. The war upset the Government's plans, and the Act was postponed. When the war was over it was naturally thought that the reform would bo introduced. Thu Legislative Council had not changed in essentials; if Mr. Massey in 1011 was surprised that people should tolerate such an anachronism there was just as much reason for his surprise in 1919. But circumstances do alter cases, especially with Reformers. The operation of the Act was again postponed. I The position now is that it is to be j brought into operation at a date specifiod ' by proclamation; in other words, when the Government thinks , fit. Practically the whole question has been shelved. It is never mentioned by Reformers now. ' They are in office, and they enjoy the support of a Council that is overwhelm- j ingly of their political persuasion. Tho four new European nominees are men who have given years to politics, and have earned the respect of all parties. All of them sat for a long period In tho House, and nono of them goes to the Council with the mark of. popular disapproval expressed at the I polls. Three, of them, however, were j members of the Reform party in the House, and the fourth detached himself j from the Liberal party and showed a | good deal of sympathy for the Govern- i ment. In view of tho fact that the ! Government was virtually defeated at j the last elections, and now holds office only with the help of certain member* who were elected to oppose it, we submit ' that to appoint a batch of Councillors all of whom have Reform sympathies, shows fto put it mildly) a striking lack.' of a sense of proportion. (We leave ] out of account Mr. Wiremu Rikihana; \ we do not know his politics, but expert-! ence shows that Maori Councillors are ' not conspicuous for criticism of the ! Government.) Some people would go' further and call these appointments an i impertinent and rather acandalous use ! of political power. Where, it. will be ; asked, is the Liberal and Labour repre- , sentation? When ia Labour going to be j adequately represented in Uir: Council? It had an admirable representative in Mr. -I. T. Paul; has he been invited to i

resume his scat? Moreover, these nominees are old men, and though they will bring experience to the Council they will not bring the intellectual vigour, the spirit of inquiry and experiment, that our whole Parliament needs. Further, since the law provides that nominated Councillors shall serve their full term, I despite the establishment of an elected Council, these nominees and others will be members of the new body unless pro-' clamation is postponed indefinitely. Taking into consideration the Reform party's former zeal for an elected Council, and its present political position its whole policy in respect to the Council is as choice a piece of political cvnicrsm as this dotmtrv lias witnessed. I