AMATEUR PARLIAMENTARIANS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6025, 9 October 1906, Page 6

AMATEUR PARLIAMENTARIANS

ADVICE FROM THE CHIEF JUSTICE. Tho annual supper and smoke concert of the Wellington Debating ■Societies’ I'nioii Parliament was field lust evening in Mr Godbcr'e, Cuba street, Mr J. G. Darkness (tne

“ Speaker”) iu the chair. The patron (.Sir Robert Stoii.: C'.J.l, delivered a stirring address to tile young Parliamentarians assembled; so did the Minister for Education, the Hon. George Eowlds.

In proposing "The Inion Parliament, 1 Sir Robert .Stout told members that he recognised that they, anu others like them, were to be tho country's fiuuro rulei's. The changes unit were taking place in tile colony within a few years were hardly realised. Looking up'a "Hansard” of 1870, he fonmi that not a single member of the then llou-e of Representatives was in that Uoii.su to-day. One of the present members. Sir William (then Major) Steward was in tho House prior to that, but lie was defeated at the elections in 187',. That Parliament was considering tins form of local government and things Horn a colonial point of view for the first time. This change in the personnel of Parliament showed how young men were stepping lorwarti and controlling our dcKlimes. People did not sufficiently recognise wlmc the Parliament had been to the race. A raco without a Parliament was not civilised. They heard a lot about the waste of time in talk : he did not think it was a waste of time at ail. The Union Parliament was training young men to the duties of citizenship. The aim of a Parliament was not merely to pass laws and administer. It had been said—and it might be true—that a strong man with thirty clerks would run tho country better and more cheaply; but tho object of Parliament was to create good citizens —to make the people feel that they themselves were governing themselves. A country without a Parliament did not make

Audi progress as a country which, though badly governed, had the feeling of citizenship through it. He feared our advantages over older countries, in soil, climate, and wealth —tended to make things easier and to lessen effort. A race was damned eternally without manual labour and muscular exercise. Ho .would like to sea the feeling promulgated throughout the country that every man should bo able to do something with his hands as well as wim his head. Referring to John Ruskiu's advice to students to " spend their holiday in making a road, ’ Sir Robert hoped that that feeling might get abroad among us. Work preserved the individual and the race; .it was the glory of humanity. 'Work and liberty should bo their aim. (Applause.) They did not need wealthy men; they would never have wealthy men, not having the groat output of countries like America. What was needed was ample opportunity for culture and education and citizen life, without millionaires and other wealthy people. The drinking and gambling evils existed among us, and wo wore continually passing laws to deal with them. He would not say that such passing of laws was not, in present circumstances, absolutely necessary, but they only touched the fringe. The real object was to ascertain tho cause and attack it. The cause of drink and gambling and the love of pleasure was that wo were not trying to live the simple life. (Applause.) Until a worthier ideal was substituted for .fondness of pleasure and tho desire to' get rich without work, tho real cause would not ;be reached. To raise our tone, to get rid of evils, to help forward civilisation — wo were not civilised yet—it was necessary to live the simple life, to “ hitch your waggon to a star” —to have high ideals. The highest aim of the Union Parliament was not the gymnastic exercise of being able to speak and debate well, but to cultivate high ideals and tho citizen life. (Applause.) Responding, Mr Harkness stated that tho Union Parliament included representatives of all tho debating societies in 'Wellington, besides other people, and had a membership of eighty to ono hundred. The business was carried on on strictly Parliamentary lines, as a training for what was hoped might be their future work. The advantage of a Union Parliament over a debating club was that a member could speak in harmony with ids opinions, and need not sacrifice his convictions to foronsic ambition. (Applause.) Mr Arthur E. Hean (‘’Premier”) proposed “The New Zealand Parliament,” which ho described as having a high, if not tho highest, place. Responding, tho Minister for Education said ho owed a great deal to debating societies, and but for his membership thereof he would never have entered tho New Zealand Parliament. Though that Parliament did not contain somo of tho. out-standing personalities of tho last and preceding Parliaments, ho thought it was a worthy one. It was a most pernicious principle to judge a Parliament by tho size of tho statute-book. He believed that the fewer laws Parliament passed tho bettor for the people of New Zealand. There had been far too much legislation in tho past. The legislative machine had worked far too freely. Tho trouble was that when an exceptional case or an isolated difficulty was met with in some part of tho country, pressure Was brought to hear, and a law was passed. He believed a great deal of harm was done in this way. Tho danger was not in too much talk but in too much law. (Applause.) While somo of tho matters Parliament discussed could better be dealt with by borough councils, still there was not too much talk in Parliament as far ns groat principles wore concerned. He enjoined his hearers to love the truth and cherish tho principles of liberty. Ho was afraid the principles of liberty woro as much in danger to-day as they had been in ages gone. People could not live together in society without a certain limitation of individual liberty; but every step of encroachment on that liberty should bo carefully watched. The tyranny of tho mass was likely to be more grinding than the tyranny ol an aristocracy. (Applause.) Liberty was tho great ideal—the greatest freedom for tho individual so long as ho did not tread on the rights and liberties of his follow.

Speaking to the same toast, Mr John Hutcheson expressed himself as raoro hopeful of politics in New Zealand than lie had ‘been for many years. Everyone, tho Opposition press included, looked to the Government for great results. Tho Government had clearly determined to got back to the best principles of constitutional government. There would be not only a collecnc responsibility of tho Government, i.ut an individual responsibility of Ministers. They had not dictators, but men who stated their principles, and tud not trim. Ho wished the Govern-

merit and the Union Parliament every success. Mr E. M. B. Eis her, proposed ••Diterajy ana Debating Socie-t-.es.' J to the work of which he paid a high tribute, both out of his experience and that of others. Mr H. X» Holmes replied, and advocated the offering of a trophy for competition by any member of the literary and debating societies' of Wellington. In a humourous, telling address Mr C. J. Nicklin proposed “Trade, Commerce, and the Future of Wellington.Mr C. M, Luke responded in an address, of which the main point was the importance of technical education. ‘Education” was proposed by Mr K. J Fitzgibbon, and responded to by Mr x. H. Gill, M.A.