SOME REASONS FOR THE NEEDED REFORM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9111, 31 January 1893, Page 3

SOME REASONS FOR THE NEEDED REFORM.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —As promised in my last, I will give some extracts from the report of the Constitutional Reform Committee. Section 1. Your committee have the honour to report that, in their opinion, many and very serious evils are inseparably connected with, and spring from, the system of party government here, etc. Section 2 showed how the committee had consulted standard works, which generally condemned party government as demoralising and wasteful, not only in a financial sense, but also of the time and energy of electors and their representatives. Sections 3 and 4 show that although party government has grown up by degrees in England, even there great reforms are needed ; while here, owing to a variety of circumstances which do not exist in Great Britain, our form of Government should be adapted to the requirements of the colony. Section 5. This is especially manifest with reference to the Parliamentary rule by which a Government is dependent for its existence from day to day upon being able to secure the support of a majority of the people's representatives for every one of its more important measures ; a system which offers a constant temptation to the members to struggle not for the common good of the nation, "But for the possession of place and power. In a country like England, where there are over 640 members of the House of Commons, and where only exalted station, strong influence, or transcendent ability can place a member within reach of a seat in the Cabinet, this demoralising feature is not so injuriously felt as it is in New Zealand, where a large proportion of members will probably believe themselves to be quite eligible for office. Section 6. Gives reasons why we should not adopt any system under which the less important power of controversy is sure to be preferred to the far more essential qualification of administrative ability. Section 7. The rule that a Ministry must be unanimous in all its decisions, that each member is responsible for the actions of the whole, and the whole for the actions of each member, is calculated to destroy independence of thought and action, and not unfrequently results in the exclusion of valuable men from a Ministry. Section S. The constitutional practice of a Ministry resigning when any important measure which it has introduced has been rejected has led to, the mischievous practice of allowing Bills to drop whenever their passage becomes doubtful, thus compelling the Ministry to become followers, rather than wise and courageous leaders, etc. Section 9, But what the colonies have most to deplore is the fact that each Ministry is tempted to entrench its position and to buy off opposition by the expenditure of public money, a proceeding which has been felt to answer the double purpose of making the work pleasant at the time, and difficult to any succeeding Ministry taking office with the intention of pursuing a more prudent and honest policy. I Thus, clearly and forcibly have the committee given reasons why the abolition of party government is desirable. Their recommendations of " Executive Reform "will require to be separately given.— am, etc., R. French.