THE NEW LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13812, 28 January 1907, Page 5

THE NEW LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS.

FURTHER MITICULABS AND COMMENT. (Tiiou On Om Cokmsfondjnt.) WELLINGTON, January 26. The general feeling in the city with regard lo the new unnoinlmonls to the Legislative Council is ono of disappointment. From what hud been stated by tho Prime Minister about the intention of appointing representative men, a, much better solcetion was confidently looked for. It is generally concluded that both commerce and tho fanning interests ure but poorly represented.. Several of tho Government supporters, including ono prominent member, to whom I liavo spoken declare that these appointments in particular arc far from sal isfaetory. Tho idea of appointing Wi l'erc as ft representative of the- farmer. is' ludicrous. Tlio appointment of Jfr. Hamilton Gilmev as a representative ot commereo w;ia a great surprise. He was born at Castleblaney, County Jlonajjan, Ireland, some 63 years ago, and sailed for Victoria at tho time the whole world was rushing 10 the goldfields.. Ho came across to AVcslland in (lie middle sixties to toy his luck in New Zealand. For a- time lie was engaged in gold mining, but abandoned that to oommunco Jwtfilkcetiing. lit 1870 lie went back to Ireland 1o get married, and returning to Grey-month continued in the hotel business unl.il soino 25 years ago, wben ho decided to settle in Wellington. Ho lias never taken an active Interest in polities or even in local government; •'lt was anticipated that mon of tho calibre of Mr John Roberts, of Duiicdin, or Mr 0. (i. Slead, of Christcliiirch, would be appointed. There is general disappointment in commercial circles hero with the now commercial representatives. Tho reappointment of Sir Lee Smith was also looked for, and ho would certainly havebeen an able representative of commerce;, but Sir Joseph Ward has laid it down a3 a new axiom that when a, man has been ecven years in iho Council lie must not bo disappointed if ho is not reappointed. in accordance with this policy all thn foiu'tceu men aro new lo the Council, and as a. wholo arc lacking in legislative experience. Meeting a. leading light in tho labour world this morning I asked his opinion about the labour representative?. Mr Paul, ho said, was looked upon us an ablo representative, and just about an good 11 one as could be yot. He thought Iwo out of M rather a p ow representation ot Labour, and expected that Mr Belcher, of the Seamen's Union, would have received a. "call." Of the other men appointed not a great dcnl is known liern. but it is recognised that niediooiity prevails; indeed, oven the Xow Zealand Times, tho Ministerial organ here, decs not cnthuso over the new " batch.' The Times admits that "tliero is not a single man amongst them that can be pronounced brilliant," but. "on thn whole " "think.; them _" a very respecij able selection. " Other tilings lx?ing equal," adds tho Times, '"it is of course right, as a homely Scotch proverb has it, to 'keep your ain fish guts for your ain seamaws, , but wo confess that wo should ourselves jisivo more pride and satisfaction in belongin? to a party wirh sufficient breadth ami strength to recognise publio merit to some pxlcnt, even in the camps of its opponents. Wo cannot find any particularly marked indication of this generosity of spirit in tho appointments just made 'by tho present Government. A certain appointment which, as wo havo indicated in a previous article, wo should have been glad to see tho Government make has not been made, i£ it has been even in contemplation, and wo cannot but think that in deciding to so act the Government has omitted what it would have been not only a generous Imt a politic thing lo do." Tho reference here is no doubt to the apDointmctit of Sir William Russell. The Ministerial organ adds: "In fiie case of sone of the gentlo- j raent appointed wo ask ourselves, without

receiving any very conclusive answer, what tho public ssrrice3 havo beon which entitlo them to this promotion." The New Zealand Times, by tho way, will now have no fewer tlinn three of ihj directors in tho Upper House, and one o£ iU lorcest fbaivholders in-addition,

Tlio New Zealand Horald, in dealing with the Legislative Council appoiJitinents, says:— "Thoro wfll naturally bo much cHeappointoerrt anions those etanneh parfisiiia whoso hopes hate piovod futile, 'birt the whole nominee system is so hopeless tliab tho colony will console itself -with tile tnoiTlodge that iho appointments might luvo been much Tvorse. uteorera! ouesr tho now I/?gisilativ i e Connoifiois »re all that oould bo desired, tho fertoh aa a whole will decrease, lutlior iliaji increase tt* influence of the second dhamher. The gifeat majority o£ tho ineinbors of tlw Council could hob . hojjo for Euoeess in an election to the House of Representatives, and are, consequently, tho mere creatures o{ party organisation, but even in siioh a system thort' ought to bfe some proixjrtion observed. Tiie mijting inditßtry has been overlooked, and the Kqrtli Island members of the batch aro ' ' chiefly from tho southern «od of tho Island, Auckland city being entirely overlooked."