LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 143, 21 June 1927, Page 8

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

(To tho Editor.)

Sir,—Reference to the Legislative Coun- "' "jo the proposal to reform it, once affected by the men styling themselves the .tfetorm Party, naturally recalls some of Hie Council's history. At the General Election of 1890 the Atkinson Government were signal!}- defeated by, the combined liberal and Labour Opposition led by Mr Ballivnce. The election took place early in December, and a special session of Parliament was summoned for January, 1891 On 23rd January the Governor, Lord Onslow acting on the "advice" of the deieated Ministry, appointed sis gentlemen—Sir Harry Atkinson and Messrs. Downie Stewart, Johnston, C. C. Bowen, V- B \ Whyte, and J. D. Ormond—to the Legislative Council, of which body Sir Harry was soon elected president. How hurried the move was may be inferred irom the fact on the following day His excellency was reluctantly obliged to send for" Mr. Ballance, who remained ?oo c omle?t£ ntll his death on the 27th April, I&J3. When the appointments were announced Lord Onslow was on his way by steamer from Lyttelton to Wellington, and very shortly after he had reached Government House he was waited upon by a deputation comprising thirty members of tne ilouse of Representatives representing the Opposition, who entered a respectlul but emphatic protest against the Governor's acceptance of advice from a defeated Ministry. At the same time another deputation of three members of the popular Chamber—Messrs. Eugene O'Connor i. Thompson, and J. W. Thomson— while commending the appointment of Sir Harry Atkinson, joined in the protest against the other five appointments. Lord Onslow who was attended by the Hon. Captain (afterwards Sir William) Russell, then Colonial Secretary, made the following reply:—

Gentlemen,—lt would have been discourteous in me had I declined to receive the deputations which have waited on mo to-day. But I am bound to say in all candour that these appointments have already been made. I am not res sponsible to any person in this colony. I am responsible to the Secretary of State alone. I have naturally informed him of the circumstances under which these appointments have been made, and in due course,' after the House of Representatives has elected its Speaker, my dispatch will be laid on the Table of the House. Therefore, I beg leave to refer you to that dispatch for the views I

entertain on the subject,

The Ballance Government were in a hopeless minority in the Council, and in due course they advised the appointment of twelve new members. Lord Onslow on this occasion, however, refused to take the advice of his new Ministers—if I may borrow the make-believe phraseology used in this connection—and His Excellency left the situation to his successor, Lord Glasgow. That gentleman followed the lines of his predecessor, and in due course the controversy was remitted to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Lv the meantime the General Election of 1892 had brought the last Gladstone Government into power, and Lord Ripon became Secretary of State for the Colonies. Very soon we were apprised by cable of Lord Ripon's decision, namely, that in a colony enjoying Responsible Government the Governor must-accept the advice of his Ministers. As a matter of fact, no other decision was possible, and it is hardly to be believed that a different concluson would have been reached had the Government of Lord Salisbury remained in office. Needless to say, the decision was received with marked satisfaction in this country. I happen to know by the way that it was proposed to hold a demonstration in this city on receipt of the news, but Mr. Ballance used his influence against the proposal, and so no meeting took place.

The immediate effect of the controversy ivith the Governor was the passing of the Act in 1892 whereby the system of Jifc appointments tg the Connqfl yag obol-

lslied, and all future appointments limited to seven years. During their long term' m Opposition-from 1891 to 1912-Mr. Massey an d his friends became exceedingly scnsrUve regarding the purity of publio me, and they viewed with" concern the manner in which the Council was packed with supporters of the Government. Ungenerous critics would say no doubt that the real trouble lay in the fact that they themselves were excluded from the august assembly, but it must in all fairness be owned that they had some justification for the attacks they levelled at the Council and the Government that controlled it The Pity of it is that they have long since lorgotten both their indignation and their promises to reform it, and are now cheerfully indulging the practice they denounced with such unsparing severity when the fates excluded them from participation in the spoils.—l am, etc., 1\ J. O'REGAtf.