Evening Post. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1889.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 18, 22 January 1889, Page 2

Evening Post. TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1889.

THE THREAT OF DISSOLUTION. Many people express surprise at the audacity of the Ministry in flouting Parliament aa they have done in so many of their actions during the present reces3. The secret is a very simple one. ihe Premier thinks he holds the whip hand over the House of Representatives, and that he can defy either or both Chambers without incurring any risk of ejection from office. It is too truo that ho does occupy this position to a very great extent. Despite all warnings—and they were many and earnest— the House was unwise enough in 1886 to make the Premier almost absolutely its master. It did this by passing the Act for the reduction of the number of members, and leaving it in the power of the Premier to bring the reduction into force at any time he might obtain a dissolution. The effect was admirably expressed by Mr. Macarthtjr in a debate which took place in tho dosing hours of the late session, onl a motion to re-appoint Colonol Haultain aa one of the Representation Commissioners. Mr. Macarthur contended that if the House paeBod the resolution the effeot would be to " hand over to the Government the power of dissolution, and therefore the power of excluding twenty-five members of the House from political life," and the member for Manawatu proceeded to say " that, no donbt, would be the whip held over the House, under the influonoe of which

probably members in many cases would vote in a direction in which thoy otherwise would not vote." Mr. Macarthur thus very correctly estimated tho position and ho was also right in saying that, in his opinion, it was altogether inexpedient that such a power should rest in the hands of any Governir.ont, however ereat their confidence in its integrity might be." Mr. Macarthur however, appearc d to labour under a singular misapprehension in supposing that the House was able to prevent the Ministry exercising this power by the simple expedient of refusing to fill up the vacancy on the Representation Commission. That Commission consists of five members when complete, two ex offido and three nominated, but there is an express provision that any three members can perform all the duties. It matters very little, therefore, whether Colonel Haoltain is re-appointed or not. There will still remain an effective and operative quorum to redistribute the seata, according to the new system, whenever a dissolution shall appear imminent. One of the ex officio memners of the Commission is the Surveyor-General, and Mr. Percy Ssiith will therefore succeed to the Commibsionership immediately ho becomes Surveyor-General in place of Mr. M'KbKrow. The House is practically poiverle.ss to take the whip out of the hands of the Government by any ordinary procedure of Parliament. It can only regain its independence and wrest the unconstitutional power bo foolishly conferred out of the hands of Ministers by some extraordinary and perhaps unprecedented proceeding. The Government must not be left to choose its own battle ground next session, nor must it be attacked on any question upon which defeat would g;ve it the right to claim a dissolution. What the Opposition and those independent | members who wish to bring Ministers to account for their atrocious misdeeds and abuse of power during the recess must do is to defeat them upon some issue which, while it will necessitate their retirement, will not afford them any pretext for asking the Governor to grant them a dissolution. It will require considerable skill to select a proper issue. So long as Ministers can hold the threat of dissolution in terrorem over the heads of members no doubt many of them will, as Mr. Macarthur exprosses it, "vote in a direction in which they otherwise would not vote." Perhaps the very best procedure for the House to adopt to recover its independence would be for some private member to introduce, as soon as everthe Address is passed, a brief Bill, suspending tho operation of the reduction of members until, say, the natural expiration, by effluxion of time, of the present Parliament. If a majority of the House could bo induced to insist on passing such a Bill before proceeding with any other business, it would most effectually clip the Premier's wings, and prevent his coercing members' votes by threatening that if they turn the Government out twenty-five seats will cease to exist. If things aro left as they are now in regard to this matter, there will be no limit to the Premier's arrogance next session, and wo shall witness bullock-punching upon a fccale as yet unknown. If membcra do not wish to bo treated as dumb driven cattle they will certainly do something to vindicate thoir independence. That an honest majority will be found to voluntarily support the Ministry and endorse its administration we do not believe, but it is too much to expect such an amount of disinterested and unselfish patriotism^ would be necessary to get together a majority determined to bravo the threat of dissolution with its attendant political extinction of at least twenty-fivo members of the present House. j