PARLIAMENTARY UNION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7648, 23 August 1886, Page 4

PARLIAMENTARY UNION.

There was a very small attendance at the Dunedin Parliamentary Union on Saturday night. Mr ConEM moved—" That the House go into Committee o£ Ways and Means." Mr Caiaan moved as an amendment to the motion to the effect that the House adjourn until September 11. It was a most uninteresting thing, he said, for hon. members to come there and discuss questions when there was barely a sufficient number present to form a quorum. He did not know what to attribute the meagre attendance to. Mr F. R. Chapman, in seconding the amendment, said he regretted very much that it should be necessary to adjourn the House. The interest in these proceedings, however, certainly appeared to be flagging, and at this lato stage of the session, the unfortunate break in the weather having occurred, it was difficult to stir up members and induce them to attend. It was to be hoped, seeing the proceedings were to be curtailed in this way, that they would lose no sterling or interesting debates, but that the curtailment of this session would have the effect of leaving a certain amount of vigour for the next. Mr Daeltno supported the amendment. He was very sorry to see the effect of the example set by the present Government they had in Wellington—one of the most immoral and corrupt Governments we have had in these times. (Oh ! oh!) So long as members of this union and the public generally supported such men as were in power, and so long as they were indifferent to the objects ol this union and the questions brought forward there, they could not hope for any alteration in the state of affairs. He thought if they all attempted to work together, and tried to revive some interest in the union before next general election, they might be able to form public opinion in those matters that .were to be decided by the public of the colony. Mr Mauk Sincaie thought as the session was drawing to a close, they might have had some rery lively discussions. It was well known that a great many members could speak well on certain subjects which, however, could not be introduced by any Government. At the same time these questions might be' brought forward if a, committee were appointed to select subjects for discussion. Mr Pieie blamed the Government for the want_of inter/^sjiownjnjhejroceedings.p^tte and momentous subjects they were always divided.

Mr Hastings did not think the whole fault rested with the Government. At the beginning of the session there was a great deal of wet weather, and that accounted in a measure for the scanty attendance. He hoped that before next session members would put their heads together and create some enthusiasm in the proceedings, and let it not be recorded in the press —as had been the case with other unions—that the union was dying. Mr Isbael thought the want of interest shown this session was really the result of the reaction of the last two sessions, and was only what

might have been anticipated. There was no doubt the bad weather which had prevailed lately had thrown a chill over the discussions and had affected not only members but the attendance in the galleries. He thought it would be a, pity if the union were allowed to die out, and expressed a hope that by next session they might lie able to infuse a little enthusiasm into the proceedings and prevent it from dying. Mr Jago would offer no opposition to the adjournment, seeing it had the support of members on both sides of the House. He attributed the want of interest shown in the union to the Government, who had not introduced any measures during the session that could give rise to any debates. .

Mr Ramsay believed the Government were not altogether to blame. If the Opposition thought so, why did they not turn them out of office: and occupy the Government benches themselves? He should like very much to see the union continued, and he did not know but what it might be advisable to alter the constitution in some way so as to admit of subjects being discussed in which more interest might be taken.

DrCoi/juHOUN thought there was a deeper cause for the decay of the union than the failings of the Government or the Opposition. Epidemics visited different countries at different times. Sometimes it was the cholera, sometimes the plague; and so it seemed this year was one which was particularly fatal to parliamentary unions all over the country. If he reviewed the session as regards the doings of Ministers, he should be disposed to give them unqualified praise. Nobody could work more conscientiously than they had done; but it seemed to be an exceedingly difficult matter to get a number of men together to discuss general political matters, and what was equally of great importance, municipal matters. It seemed to be a failing everywhere in democracies—when people began to manage their own aii'airs, they took very little interest in them. The general details of government were to most people dry and uninteresting, and there was a cry out for sensational measures— measures out of which really good debates could be. got. It seemed to him that the fault had not been with the questions brought, forward for discussion, but that it lay altogether in members themselves. Surely there could not have been any discussion—if they looked at the matter aright—of more interest to the people in a democratic state than the method of representation. He thought the whole future of this country depended on its method of representation and on people getting a good class of members for their representatives.—(Hear, hear.) The hon. member opposite (Mr Cohen) had taken up the question of education during the session—a question which was second to none inimportancefor the well-being of thewholo community, and whoever was to blame for the want of interest shown in the union, it was not the hon. members of the Government. There was no use in indulging in recriminations on one side of the House, aud then on the other. The question was, Was it possible in Dunedin to get together a number of men sufficiently interested in the public matters of the country and of this town to discuss such practical questions as they might arise from time to time? It seemed to him that in our municipal affairs alone they had sufficient to awaken the interest of every thinking man in the community. Perhaps he was digressing a little, but he wished to state that the affairs just now in Dunedin and in nearly every town throughout the country were in a most alarming state as regards the government of municipalities; and he hoped that in talking about arranging for the adjournment that night it would not lead to the extinction of this union as a union. — (Hear, hear.) It seemed to him that there was abundance of work to do, and more to be done than to learn to talk and denounce members on this or that side of the House. If they kept their eyes open more to the actual benefit to be derived, and I less to the mere forms of doing business, they would find abundance of necessary work to do. He did not feel capable of throwing out any suggestions as to what should be the outcome" of this union, but he hoped that it would fee formed under a somewhat different constitution than hitherto; that it would bo composed of the same men, or nearly the same men as formerly, nnd as great a number as possible of those who were interested in good local and good general government. That was the main point. Whether a man could speak with fluency or not was a secondary matter. What they wanted most to do was to direct their attention to questions that affected them as belonging to a particular kind of state. In concluding he expressed a hope that the adjournment of the union would only be to see it arise again in a stronger and greater form.—(Loud applause.) Mr Fenwick thought, instead of adjourning to September 11, it would be a better plan to take into consideration some means of reorganising the union. He felt quite conviaced

that it would require to be reorganised before any vitality was shown in it again, Under its present constitution it would never improve, but would simply dwindle away anil die a natural death. If the members who still took a considerable interest in tho union wero to agree to abolish the forms with whirOi they at present carried on their business, and formed a vigorous debating society, vesting the control in a suitable business management, it w»uld do more good, command more attention, and bo more generally interesting. Ho thought some scheme Bhould bo brought forward next Saturday night by tho council for tho reorganisation of the union. After some further discussion, tho motion for the adjournment was carried by a large majority. Mr Cohen moved—" That a bill to amend the constitution of this uuion be read a first time." —Carried. NOTICES OP MOTION. Mr Mahk Sinclaih gave notice of motion for the annual meeting as follows: —*' That a committee, consisting of two members from each side of tho House, be appointed to select special subjects for discussion during the next session of this union."