EXPERIMENTS IN GOVERNMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 16 June 1913, Page 4

EXPERIMENTS IN GOVERNMENT.

It has often been said in New Zealand that the country's affairs ■ would be better managed by a Board of Commissioners than by a Parliament, especially if new departures in policy could be conveniently decided by a referendum of the people. Bo this as it may, America apparently may ere long supply the world with some shining or shocking examples of government on the lines referred to, for in a message sent to the Legislature of Kansas on the eve of its recent adir cml? cJ:' hf Governor of that State (Mr S. H. Hodges) declares that government by a two-chamber legislature is cumbersome and inefficient. He recommends that this old method should be superseded in Kansas by a State Commission to be! made up of eight or at most of sixteen, members, who should act as a board of directors for tiie Mate. "In common with a laro- e and 'aroTOg n umber of thoughtful people, .the Governor says in his message, 1 am persuaded that the instrumentalities for legislation provided tor in our State constitution have become antiquated and inefficient.' Our system is fashioned after the English Parliament, with its two houses based upon the distinction between the nobility and the common people, each house representing the divers interests of these classes. No such reason exists m this State for a dual legislative system, and even m England at the present time the dual system has been practically abandoned, and the Upper House shorn of its importance; and I believe that we should now concern ourselves in devising a system for legislating that will give us more efficiency and quicker response to the demands of our economic and social conditions and to the will of the people." The Governor of Kansas suggests that the members of the Board of State Commissioners should be paid salaries large enough to enable them to devote all their time to the work; that they should meet in frequent session, and be elected for terms of- four or six years, subject to the recall. "A legislative assembly such as I have suggested," he says, "could give simple time to the consideration of every measure, not only in relation to its subject matter, but to the drafting of it in plain, concise, and easily understandable language. It would be ready at any time to deal with new conditions, and to provide relief in emergency cases; and, with time to inform itself about conditions and to study the needs of the people and of our State institutions there seems to me to be no question that it would be vastly more efficient than our present system as well as vastly more economical." Mr Hodges does not desire a political revolution in the sense of sudden change, but he suggests earnest discussion for a year or two, with a view to seeing what the people of the State think of his proDosal. Kansas, however, is not the only 'State that is moving in this matter, and no doubt the people of New ealand will watch the developments with no common interest.