LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 6094, 9 November 1887, Page 4

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

„,. _ TnESDAT, XOVKMDEH a The Council met at 2..<tt) p H , Colonel Brett aud Dr. Meuzics present** several petitions in favor of Bible r«fi in State schools. «"»ujj Dr. Menziea presented a petition frem the tenants of the Otago School UoveS prayinc for relief. wuunj iU , Swanson presented petitions from the unemployed of Auckland proving praying tor relief. v«mnce, i ,. au ~ S ? c £ ey P r ?eented a petition from the Catholics of Thorndou {WehWtonk praying for relief under the Education Act. ■ . Mr Dignan presented a petition from Catholics of Auckland pwmuco on sau« subject, UAUiIOND KEXCIMi DILL. This Bill was committed and repotted With amcndmeutSj the third reading ti&£ made for next sitting day. supply. The Imprest Supply Bill received from the House was passed through all ite stages. THE NUMHEH OF MESIBEKS. Sir F. Whjltakisr moved—" That in tht evuut of a reduction being made iv the number of members ofHsm House of licpresentatives. the mem. bers of this Council should be reduced to one-half of the number of members'af the House, and that the same proportion should thereafter be maintained; that U be referred to a Select Committee to «m> sider and report as to the best pka by which rhe reduction can b6 effected." In moving the motion t}» Attorney - General admitted that hit duty was nob an agreeable one, but the country demanded that there should be i reduction. ("No.") Well, he tabtigjfc differently, and believed that the busiuesi of the country aud of the Council was transacted better when members of Council were fewer thau they were it present. In 1877 the number of nafetnbfcn of the Council was forty-three, while uj 18S5 the number of members of tho Coinual was ijity-four. He believed that if the Council agreed to a reduction of its members, the effectiveness of the Council would not be diminished. Looking at the time when the Council numbered oaly thirty-live, ho did not think that the colony would nuli'er by the diminution ot members. Tho colony would certainly gain Unancially by the motion If it -was ' agreed to and became law. He believed . that now that tho excitement attendant upon the general election was over, the time, if ever it would be ripe, was ripe vow. As to the manner in which the reduction ! should be arrived at, the Select Commit, tee, which he desired should be appointed, no doubt would decide; and he believed .that in addition to the saving" of tho honorarium, the proposed reduction in the I number of members of the Council would effect a large reduction in the public ex--1 penditure, and if this expenditure could be ) effected without any diminution in the I effectiveness of the public service, he appealed to the Council to adopt his proposj- . tion. For his own part he bellevwl ithat the public service had beei transacted in years past quite as well with a smaller number aa at present with the increased numbers. He put the matte* before tho Council in the hope that they would accede to the will of the country for retrenchment, which could be accomplished without interfering in the slightest degree with the efficiency of the upper House. He appealed to hon. members to make the sacrifice he asked of them instead of waifing until the sacrifice was demanded ol them by the popular branch of tho Legislature.

Mr Oliver complimented the Attorney General upon his speech, but lie entirely disagreed with his premisses tbafc the country would attain a benefit by the reduction, of lion, members of the Legislative Council, inasmuch as the reduction of the members of the Council would have the effect of throwing an enormous and increased degree of power in the hands of the Council. He sympathised deeply with the Attorney-General in his desire to effect retrenchment, but at the same time jhe would point out that the Council had j.no power over the public purse, and there-, fore the positions of the two Chamber*; ao far as the reduction- ot member* *V-£lf .their honorarium were not far aa the payment of members of T» Council was concerned, he always hat disapproved of the system ever since Aβ had landed in the colony, and consequently his opposition to the motion could not be Bet down from an interested point of view. Mr Richmond moved the adjournmeet of the debate. 3 Mr Watejihouse suggested that tte debate be adjourned for a week. ; Colonel Bbett suggested that the debate be adjourned for six months. Eventually the debate was adjourned to Tuesday next. The Council at four o'clock adjourned to Thursday next.