UPPER HOUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 117, 20 May 1933, Page 6

UPPER HOUSE.

SMALL MEMBERSHIP.

SIR F. D. BELL REAPPOINTED

MR. COATES' ANNOUNCEMENT,

The Legislative Council of to-day is only a skeleton of its former self. For a long period its membership hovered around the 40 mark, but the last few years have seen the numbers dwindle, until iiow the roll of the Upper House consists of 22 names only. Since' its inception the Coalition Government has applied to the Legislative Council the principles of the economy policy which it has enforced in_ other directions. When the new. Ministry came into office on September 22, 1931, there were 35 members of the senior chamber, but since then there have been no reappointments, and only one fresh appointment has been made, that of the Hon. Sir James Pair, on October !), 1931. The reappointment of the present Speaker, the Hon. Sir Walter Carncross, was made on March 17, several months before the Forbes Government was superseded by the Coalition Ministry. The term of membership is seven years, and as the periods of appointment expired the Coalition followed the practice of neither reappointing members nor replacing them. The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, held the view that the work of the Upper House could quite effectively be carried on by the smaller personnel which has functioned during the past IS months, and that, particularly in the light of the country's economic difficulties, an immediate addition to numerical strength was not then warranted. At the same time, it is understood, the present recess is lo provide the opportunity for a review of the whole position/having regard to the fact that the three retirements now pending will reduce I lie membership to 19. It is anticipated that, while the question will be gone into at an early date, no hurried announcement of appointments or reappointments will be made, owing to the postponement of the date of the •opening of the next session of Parliament. Sir Francis Bell's " Majority." Twenty-one years' continuous service as a Legislative councillor will be completed to-morrow by the Rt. Hon. Sir Francis Bell, but the Press Association reports to-day that the Acting-Prime Minister, Mi*. Coates, announced that Sir Francis has been reappointed for a further term of seven years. Next month the terms of appointment of two other members, the Hon. C. J. Carringtou '(Auckland) and the Hon. J. A. llanait (Otago), will also expire. Next year Hie term of five other councillors will be completed—that of the, Hon. Sir James Allen (Otago) on June 1, those of the Hons. Sir Edwin Mitclielson (Auckland), Colonel C. G. Smith (Canterbury) and R. Scott (Canterbury) on June 25, and that of the Hon. Sir Wm.. Hall-Jones on October 0. Existing Membership. Tn addition to Sir Francis Bell, the members still remaining, and the dates on which their terms expire, are: — Hon. J. MacGregor (Otago), June 14. 193j. Hon. W. H. Mclntvrc (Nelson), September 3, 1935. Hon. R v Masters (Taranaki), June 11, 1937. Hon. Sir Edwin Mitchelson (Auckland), June 25, 1934. Hon. R. Moore (Canterbury), July 14,' 1935. Hon. Sir James Parr (Auckland)', October 9, 1935. Hon. 1L Scott (Otago), June 25, 1934; Hon. Sir Thomas Sidey (Otago), December 10, 1935. Hon. C. J. Smith (Canterbury), Jun£ 25, 1934. ; Hon. W. W. Snodgrass (Nelson), September 3, 1935.

Hon. Sir James Allen (Otago), June 1, 19:54. . Hon. D. Buddo (Canterbury), June 11, 1037. Hon. Sir Walter Carncrosß (Tflranaki), March 17, 1938. Hon. C. J. Carrington (Auckland), June 17, ,1933. Hon. W. E. Collins (Wellington), July 14. 1935. Hon. M. Fagan (Wellington), June 11, 1037. Hon. Sir William Hall-Jones (Wellington), October 0, 1934. Hon. J. A. Hanan (Otago), June 17, 1933. Hon. R. McCallum (Marlborough.), June 11, 1937. Hon. W. Stevenson (Otago), June 11, 1937. Hon. J. Trevethick (Auckland), June 11, 1937. The Rt. Hon. Sir Francis Bell, P.C., G.C.M.G., K.C., who was born in 1851, was Prime Minister of tho Dominion in May, 1925, for tho period between tho death of the late Rt. Hon. W. F. Maseey and tho election to the leadership of the Reform party of the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coatee. He joined the Maesey Ministry in 1912 as Minister of Internal Affairs. Ho was Attorney-General for eight years, from 1918 until 1926, was Leader of the Legislative Council for a long period, represented New Zealand at tho League of Nations in 1922 and 1925, and in the latter year was a delegate to tho Imperial Confer-; ence.