Proposed Constitution Handed To Premier

Press, Volume C, Issue 29536, 10 June 1961, Page 10

Proposed Constitution Handed To Premier

lA'eto Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON. June 9. The Constitutional Society has delivered to the Prime Minister <Mr Holyoake) the first printed copies of a suggested written constitution for New Zealand, which it has drafted. This is the first step in a campaign to interest the Government, Parliament and the people generally in efforts to curb the power of legislators and State departments and to provide more leisurely Parliamentary procedure so that the greater part of a session’s legislation is not rushed through in the last fortnight It is believed that the Constitution provides for the restoration of a second chamber of Parliament to be known as the Senate and for greater facility for challenging regulations in the Supreme Court The proposed Constitution is the result of several mouths of concentrated work by legal anl historical expef- after a close study of many other constitutions. Early in the new session of Parliament the society expects to be invited to submit evidence to a petitions committee of the House in support of its petition, presented near the end o' last session for a written constitution and a second chamber of Parliament That petition secured 11.525 signatures m about a Ti*e society is assembling a-

formidable team of experts to give evidence in support of the petition Last year the National Party conference approved of the principle of a written constitution, but the Parliamentary Party watered this down to a bill of rights in its election policy. The conference rejected a proposal for the restoration of a second chamber, but the society claims that this was hostility towards an inept scheme rather than the principle. The society considers that a bill of rights would be of little value. Labour leaders have been reported as saying that Labour would abolish a constitution as soon as it became the Government again, but the society hopes a constitution would be introduced after approval by the electors at a referendum, in which case it would require similar procedure for amendment or abolition.