"WHAT THE PEOPLE MAKE IT"

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1270, 27 October 1911, Page 7

"WHAT THE PEOPLE MAKE IT"

OUR PARLIAMENT. One of the toasts at the "Wairarapa and East Coast l>. amlA. Society's smoke concert on Wednesday evening was "The I'nrliaiiient of. New Zealand." Tho toast wa.. proposed by 31 r. 0. W. ]Idler, who presided at the gathering. Mr. Del lor raid that not enough interest was taken by young people in tho Parliament of New Zealand. The country' tlcnonded a groat deal upon the selection sent to Parliament. Ho coupled tho toast with the name of Mr. W. C. Buchanan, M.P. A voice: "May ho (Mr. Buchanan) always regain his seat, sir?" Mr. Buchanan thanked tho gathering for tho cordial manner in which Parliament's toast had bcou received. Uo said that at present Parliament was practically undergoing tho process of disillusion—a very tough disillusion, too. As to when the session would be concluded, ho had asked Mr. Ma?sey that question, and Mr. Masi-ey had said, "Ask someone wiser than me." Someone ha.l been talking of three- weeks hence as tho time, but .Mr. Buchanan did not Ihink tho session was going to last that much longer. Members would soon bo out in various electorates asking tho people to re-elect them. Parliaments were what the people made them. The people would eoon have, an opportunity of electing a now Parliament, and upon them would rest the responsibility of electing good men. Thero was ono thing lie could say for the Parliament of Xew Zealand—they had never needed (he policemen in the House, as had been the ease in 2\'ew South Wales, and, ho was afraid, in tho Mother Country, too: Tho members , of tho Now Zealand House managed to behave themselves, lie could not say, however, that (hey were without faults: they frequently talked too much, and did (w> lilt.le work. He na.s afraid country interests weremsufiijeiently represented in Parliament. The country interests were not represented at all ill proportion to their importance—not (lint ho decried manufacturers and town industries; the farmer couid not do without them. Mr. Buchanan went on to point to tho very lone; hours tin House wr.s working now, and to tlie easy sittings early in the ser-sion. ne spoke of how FJ'ls wero now pouring in. and receiving scant consideration, and of tho great sums of money which had been voted at a sitting. "