Evening Post. THURSDAY, MAY 26, 1881. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REFORM.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 121, 26 May 1881, Page 2

Evening Post. THURSDAY , MAY 26, 1881. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REFORM.

? It is rumoured that among the measures introduced during the approaching session of Parliament will be one having a very important bearing upon Constitutional Reform, namely, a plan for the re-construction of the Legislative Council. The Upper House of the New Zealand Legislature has received a large share of invidious attention from politicians of Sir Geobge Gbet's class, whose idea of Legislative Council reform is either to "reform it altogether" off tha faße bf the earth, or else to deprive it of its special character by making it an elective body. These ore Bchemes of reform somewhat drastio in their character, and we do not purpose on this occasion to deal with the arguments for or against them. For the sake of convenience we will take it for granted that our readers are fully acquainted with all that has been urged either in favor of the bicameral system of Government, or on the other side. We will content ourselves with assuming that a second Chamber is useful for the purpose of checking hasty legislation, of acting, in fact, as a brake upon the wheels of legislation, and ensuring that no radical change shall be made without due consideration. The question of the constitution of the second chamber has long been a much vexed one, and still remains a subject of the widest difference of opinion and practice. Some ardent reformers advocate an elective Council as being directly representative of the people. Others objeot that thia representative character would give the Upper House a standing character so similar to that of the Lower that conflicts would be apt to arise between the two as to which really was the more accurate exponent of popular opinion on any particular question. Those who adopt this view argue further that the Legislative Council 1b essentially a representative body tinder the nominee system, because its members are really appointed by the Ministry of the day, such Ministry directly representing the Parliamentary majority, and therefore presumably the will of the people. This was the view acted upon by the late Government when they appointed Sir William Fitzherbert Speaker of the Legislative Council, calling him to the Upper House for that express purpose, instead of allowing that body to choose its own President. We do not intend at present to discuss these different theories, but simply mention them in passing to clear the ground for our explanation of what we gather to be the nature of the proposals now in contemplation. We understand then that the main feature of the plan are threefold. Ist. Fixing the numerical strength of the Legislative Council. 2nd. Rendering it a quasi*eleoiive body, and providing a mode of elßctiSn. 3rd. Making provision in case of a conflict of opinion between the two Houses. In regard to the first of these points, we believe the proposal will be to fix the number of Legislative Councillors at exactly half that of the members of the House of Representatives. That is to say, if the latter continues to have its present strength of 88 members, then the Council would have 44, neither more nor less. It follows under this plan that while no new members could be added to the Council if its number is complete, any deficiency would become a vacancy, requiring to be immediately filled up At the present time the Legislative Council is considerable below this theoretical standard of numerical strength, owing to recent deaths and resignation, and to the fact that the Government now in office have not created a single new Councillor, excepting the Hon. Mr. Whitaker. The proposed change would therefore not affect present members of the Council, who, we imagine, would continue to retain their seats until they voluntarily resigned or departed this life. But the vacanoies now existing would have to be filled up, and this brings us to the second part of tho scheme — the mode by which it ia proposed to be effected. This is the most radical alteration contained in the whole measure, consisting, as it does, in the election of all new Legislative Councillors by direct resolution of the House of Representatives, notice of motion being given in the ordinary cours e, and an open vote taken in the usual way. It is argued that this plan would ensure the people being directly represented in the Upper House, and would afford an opportunity of rendering that body less exclusively representative of wealth and age than it is looked on as being at present. On the other hand, it will no doubt be pointed out that this would weaken the power of a Ministry and of the Parliamentary majority, of which they are presumed to be the exponent, by taking away the right of appointing fresh " peers," if necessary, to ensure the passage of a particular measure. This difficulty, however, is supposed to be obviated by the third provision to whioh we have referred, that relating to the case of a deadlock between the two Houses. The proposal is that, in such event, if during a session all efforts have been vainly tried to bring about an agreement, the two Houses should sit together at the beginning of the next session, and then and there decide the matter by an absolute majority of the Joint House. Such are said to be the chief provisions of this important measure in its original shape. How far it may be modified before its official announcement to the world, we do not profess to say. Nor have we the slightest intention of discussing the question at all just now. The proposals we have roughly sketched out above contain matter for long and earnest consideration, and for much vigorous and even heated argument. All this will doubtless come in due course, when the proposals are fairly before the public, and it is tolerably certain that they will elicit some energetic debates, whatever the result may be. It is believed that the measure will be submitted this session, bat will probably not be pressed to a vote, as it may be more convenient to allow the constituencies to express their opinion on the scheme during the general election, whioh is now so closely impending.

The Premier is to address his Selwyn con•stituents this evening, when it may be presumed that he will make a definite statement as to the Ministerial programme for the coming session. Mr. Hall's speech will be looked for with much interest not only in political circles, but by the people of New Zealand generally. It will be seen from our cable news to-day that the death is announced of Sir W. P. Adam', G.C.8., C.1.E., Governor of Madras. His Excellency was only appointed to the position last year, succeeding the Duke of Buckingham. For a short time previously he held the post of Chief Commissioner of Public Works, being called to that office by Mr. Gladstone on the accession of the Liberals to power last year. He sat in the House of Commons as member for Clackmannan. Mr. A. S. Allan, Registrar, held a sitting of the Bankruptcy Court yesterday, when on the application of Mr. Sandilanda a certificate of discharge was granted to Arthur Edward Grimßtone, clerK, of Wellington. Before Mr. E. Shaw, R.M., at the Lower Hutt Resident Magistrate's Court, yesterday, Mr. X J. M'intoah, the landlord of the Railway Hotel, was charged with supplying two glasses of beer to Harry Cunningham on Sunday, the 15th inst. The defendant pleaded that he understood Cunningham to be a bond fide traveller, having come from Petoni, a distance of two miles. Mr. thaw pointed out that to travel this distance was not sufficient to constitute him a traveller, but, as the defendant was apparently ignorant on tho subject, he would dismiss the present information. At ten minutes past one o'clock this morning, the lights in the street lamps became suddenly extinguished. Constable O'Donovan, who was instructed to report the matter at the gasworks, states that the officials could assign no reason for the occurrence. It caused a good deal of inconvenience, and ought to be enquired into by the proper authorities.

It is quite needless to invent imaginary " leaks " in the reservoir to account for the recent rapid dimmuation of the water therein. Even with the water supply cnt off all day, excepting for two hours, the depth of the reservoir decreased several inches daily, bo it is only natural that when the supply is on all day it should fall a foot or two. Beside this, there is the fact that no"appre?iable rainfall has yet taken place — indeed, we pointed out months ago, that none could be depended on before June— and so the streams and their springe are cteadily diminishing, while fcheftrea of the basin also decreases as the bottom is approached, thus expediting the apparent wasting. It must not be forgotten, also, that the denudation of the watershed by indiscriminate burning of the bush has permanently reduced the volume of the stream feeding the reservoir. Two more locomotives of theFairlie singleboiler clsss have arrived from England for the Wellington-Masterton railway, and have been sent to the Petoni workshops for erection. They are very similar to the three sir.gle Fairies already at work on the line, but of a more powerful type, having 13 inch cylinders instead of 12 inch. It is expected that these new engines will successfully solve the difficulty of profitably working the heavy banks of 1 in 35 and 1 in 40 between Upper Hutt and the Summit, and between Cross Creek and Pigeon Bush, which — and not the Fell In* dine— are the real Btumbling-bloeks on our j railway* . It apj3ea?3 on subsequent investigation Wiat the men Seymour and Grant, whose names have been brought so prominently before the public in connection with the i Edinburgh highway outrages, did not serve ! in the New Zealand Police Force, as previously stated. They were in the Armed Constabulary Force for a few months, but were discharged for misconduct. This explanation is necessary, as otherwise the public might be led to form the erroneous j impression that men are admitted into the j police force without the strictest investigation respecting their character and antecedents. Some gorae on the property of Mr. H. Dnncan, to the south of Polhill Gully, caught fire last night shortly before 8 o'clock, but was soon extinguished. The flrebells rang for some minutes, but all apprehensions were dispelled when the nature of the conflagration became known. In the Appeal Court yesterday afternoon, after we went to press, arguments were concluded in re Regina v. Walter Rice (of Oamaru), a motion to quash a conviction. Mr. D. D. Macdonald appeared to appeal, and Mr. Bell on behalf of the Crown. It appears Bice, who was formerly the bailiff of the B M. Court at Oamatu, was convicted of embezzling .£8 2s sd, the moneys of the Government. The questions on which the appeal was made were ( I) whether the prisoner received the money by virtue of his employment, and (2) whether the cheque, being sisrned with a name other than the person making it (there" being no evidence to show that the person who made it had authority to use it), was a valuable security. The conviction was quashed. Frequent complaints are made to us about the dangerous obstruction which somebody's stupidity has created along the new asphalte footpath in the lower part of TaranakiBtreet, from Ghuznee-street to Conrtenay Place. We refer to the posts indicating the vicinity of fire-plugs. The3e are placed on the footpath quite inside the kerbing, and consequently nearly in the middle of the asphalted portion, which is barely wide enough for two persons to walk abreaßt. The result is that people have constantly to " dodge '' theae posts in the daytime by stepping either into the gutter or oft' the asphalte, and at night they are absolutely dangerous. There is nothing to show their whereabouts in the dark until a pedestrian tumbles over them, or injures himself or herself severely by running against them. Several people have been much hurt in this way. There is no earthly reason why these posts should not have been put outside the kerbing, as in other streets, and the sooner they are properly placed the better. The inquest on the body of Samuel Trotter, who was found dead at the back of the Makara School-house early yesterday ' morning, will be held by the City Coroner at noon to-morrow, at the residence of the deceased's father. A meeting of the creditors of W. Prideaux, to oonsider his application for discharge, was to have been held at the office of the trustee, Mr. C. A. Baker, at eleven o'clock this morning, but owing to insufficient attendance was adjourned until to-morrow, at the same hour and place. The penalty of £2 inflicted on Mr. C. A. Knigge, landlord of the,. Brunswick Hotel, for selling liquor on Sunday, the 24th April, has been remitted by the Government. It may be remembered that Mr. Knigge supplied the liquor to a little boy for a sick lady, and Mr. Shaw, 8.M., in imposing the penalty, made some strong remarks regarding the ridiculousness of the present state of the law with respect to Sunday traffic, pointing out that not only were publicans debarred from selling liquor on a Sunday in cases of emergency, such as sickness or accident, but also from even giving it away. We referred to this case at the time in our leading columns, urging the Government to remit the fine so irrationally imposed under the Procrustean enactments of a faulty law, and are therefore gratified to find that this has at length been done. At the opera last night, Gounod's "Faust" was produced for the benefit of Signor Paladini, the deservedly popular tenor of the Simonsen Company. The performance was remarkably good throughout. Madame Simonsen's Margherita is well known as one of her finest parts, and she was seen and heard to special advantage last evening. Similarly Miss Leonora Simonsen's Siebel, Signor Paladini's Faust, and Signor Riccardi's Mephistopheles also are among their best parts, and they all acquitted themselves admirably on this occasion. We have so lately reviewed their production of this opera that it is needless to enter into further detail. The novelty, and one of the chief features last night was the first appearance of Signor Luisetti in this city as Valentine. It will be recollected that he only appeared on the concluding night of last season. He achieved an unqualified success, singing and acting splendidly, and receiving a special recall after the fourth act. This evening, Weber's great work " Der Freischutz " will be given, with all the spectacular a ccsssories in the famous " Incantation Scene." "Believer" writes to us as follows t — "Will you allow me, through you, to ask the committee of the Exhibition being held at the Athenaeum to take away .the pictures named " Imprudence " and "Surprise," the chief features of which are of a lascivious character, far in excess of their artistic merits. They \t ere condemned as unfit to be Bhown at the Working Men's exhibition hold some time ago in Wellington, and surely for the sake of our young people the committee will give this request their serious attention." The Kaiwhara Rifles fired, on their own range, on the Queen's birthday, for prizes presented to the company by Messrs. C. J. Johnston (cup), A. R. Hislop (cup). A. de B. Brandon, jun., C. B. Izard, and Wilson and Richardson ; ranges, 300, 400, and 500 yards ; 5 Bhote at each range :— Sergeant Colman, 51 points; Volunteer Harris, 50; Sergeant Davis, 50; Volunteer Colman, 46; Volunteer Gibson, 42 ; Corporal Clark, 40. Tho Naval Brigade mustered last evening, and were exercised in field gun-drill by Lieut. Hislop, after whioh the usual monthly meeting of the Brigade was held. Several matters relating to the welfare of the corps were dwelt with, and amongst other things Capt Johnston stated that he was in treaty for the purchase of a fully equipped 12-oar cutter for rowing and sailing purposes. The boat was to be of the same pattern as those used in H.M. Navy. Paymaster Cruickshank Btated his intention of presenting a medal to the best attendant at drill, to take effect from the present date up to 31st December next. Lieut. Wallace intimated that he would present the Brigade with nine cups, to be competed for by field gun detachments and won on the Ist September next. It was unanimously resolved that Capt. Johnston should take such steps as he thought advisable with a view of having the whole of the Naval Brigades in the colony brigaded into one distinct body. The resignation of Lhief Petty Officer Silbery was sent in. He has been a most energetic officer, but his resignation is forced upon him owing to his being about to leave for Australia. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to P.O. Silbery, and hopes were expressed that he would succeed in his new sphere of labonr. Mr. Young, the head-master of the Terrace School, has had occasion to complain to the police of the conduct of a man who frightened a number of his scholars on their way to school yesterday morning and afternoon. Unfortunately a description of the man was unobtainable; but the police authorities have stationed an officer in the locality, and should the scoundrel repeat thi3 kind of behaviour, he will most likely make acquaintance with the Resident Magistrate. The first important football match of the season will take place on the Basin Reserve on Saturday next— Civil Service v. Town. The following are the names of the town team :— Barton, W. Berry, P. C. Brown, H. Burnes, A. B. Campbell, Flint, Harris, Hodgson, Mansill, Morrah, Roberts, Sandilands, Thompson, Todd, and Williams ; emergencies— Kirk and Luxford. Players are requested to be on the ground in time, so as to allow play to be commenced at 3 o'clock. The usual monthly inspection of the Naval Brigade, which took place last night, was attended by Captain Johnston, Lieutenants Bennett, Hislop, and Wallace, Paymaster Cxuikßhank, 9 petty officers, and 48 men.

The Iheadquarters of the Government Insurance Department have at length been removed from the General Government Buildings to the old Provincial Government Buildings on Custom House Quay. These latter have recently been vacated by the transfer of the Resident Magistrate's Court and offices to to the new Court House on the reclaimed land, and the removal of the insurance offices from the General Government Buildings will Bet free a suite ©f rooms badly needed for other departmental puft>ose§-. A private cable message received in town yesterday states that Mr J. C. Williamson opened in the " Pirates of Penzance" at the Opera House, Melbourne, on Monday night last. The piece proved an immense success there, as it did previously in Sydney, where, after a sev»n weeks' run, the takings of the last week equalled those of any previous week, and on the last night every seat in the Theatre was booked, and when the doors were opened only standing room was available in all parts of the house. Its rnn in Sydney had to be prematurely cut short, owing to Mr. Williamson being under engagement to open the Opera House in Melbourne. For the production of "The Pirates" here, Mr Cary is arranging a capital cast, and the chorus, under direction of Mr. S. Wolfe, is well advanced. The depth of water in the reservoir this morning was only 6ft 6iri. A telegram published yesterday in our Australian Summary stated that the Rev. Mr. Bavin, New Zealand delegate to the Wesleyan Conference at Adelaide, was unable to attend the sittings, owing to indisposition; t The friends of the rev. gentleman will be glad to learn that a cable message was received from him to-day, in reply to an inquiry, stating that he has now quite recovered, and intends leaving Adelaide for Wellington on Saturday. The monthly meeting of the Board of College Governors was held this morning. Present —Mr. A. de B. Brandon (chairman), Mr. H. Bunny, Dr. Hector, Rev. J. Paterson, and Mr. W. H. Levin. It was resolved to forward copies of the minutes of the Board's meetings held since the 31st of March last to the Government. The secretary reported that the* deDit balance at the bank was £150. It was resolved to give Messrs. Pridham. and Francis (masters in the College whose services are being dispensed with owing to changes in the Board's arrangements^ certificates that they had faithfully performed their duties. Mr. Levin brought under the notice of the Board that the proposal to give half a day's tuition on Saturdays would affect the sons of Jewish parents, who would lose half a day's teaching. It was resolved to point out this objection to the proposal to Mr Mackay, and obtain his opinion upon it. After disposing of two or three trifling mattera, the Board adjourned. A very heavy N.W. gale was experienced in Wellington last night, but no damage has been reported either in the city or tho harbor. The Excelsior Lodge of Good Templars met last evening at the Rechabite Hall. The names of five members were added to the roll. Fither the Auckland Herald is unkindly disposed towards Christofani's waxworks (recently exhibiting in St. George's Hall) or its reporters are imperfectly acquainted with Scripture history. It may be remembered that the centre of the collection is occupied by a group representing the Judgment of King Solomon. The Auckland Herald, however, describes this as " a group representing the conversion of England from Paganism." (!) There have recently been made at the laboratory of the Technological Museum at Melbourne, a series of analyses of teas, obtained from all manner of sources in .tffllt city, including all the kinds in common use in New Zealand, and the results are rather startling. Out of thirty samples purchased out of bulk from importers, and varying in price from lOd to 3s 3d per lb in bond, not a single one would pass the standard even for a low class genuine tea. Speaking at Adelaide, the other evening (says the Sydney Bulletin), the Rev£ J. Watsford related that the late Rev. Mr. Waterhouse, who perished in the Tararua. had a warning of his fate in a dream, in which he saw himself and his son going down in a sinking ship; and also Mentioned that just at the time of the wreck, a young woman who was dying in Melbourne suddenly exclaimed to her mother, "Mother, yonder is Mr. Waterhouse; he is standing on the shore, beckoning to me." The Rev. Mr. Morley also intended to sail by the Tararua, but his wife had a presentiment of evil, and prevailed on him not to go. An amusing story is told by the Waikato Mail of a great chief who resides not over one hundred miles from Punui. He suffered from "hakihaki" and bronchitis. A sympathising pakeha friend sent him remedies for both these complaints; some ointment to be applied externally and a bottle of cod liver oil to be taken internally. Somehow the directions got mixed up, and the chief in his untutored innocence reversed the order of things, eating the ointment and rubbing on the cod liver oil. The distinguished ''Rangatira" has since been troubled'with serious misgivings as to the efficacy of pakeha "ronga," and has decided to let nature take its course. Dr. Wilkins. oculist and aurist to the Christohurch Hospital, announces that he will visit Wellington on the 19th June, when he may be consulted regarding diseases of the eye, ear, and throat. Mr. W. Munro, draper, of Cuba-street, announces that his premises will be closed to-morrow for tho purpose of arranging the stock for a clearing-out sale, to commence on Saturday. The sale of the Royal Oak Hotel, advertised to take place to-day, has been postponed for a fortnight.