FIVE MONTHS AT LAWMAKING

Otago Witness, Issue 2804, 11 December 1907, Page 88

FIVE MONTHS AT LAWMAKING

By the Hon. J. T. Path,, M.L.C.

The man who declared in his haste that there was nothing new under the sun had never been to New Zealand. Nor did he know anything of our politics. Nor did he ever have the experience of quitting a stool in a factory for a seat in the Legislature. Neither can it be argued that he owned 1 a large estate which would be subject to the new Graduated Land Tax, nor yet that he was even a bookmaker, who woke up after many years to find himself with a legal status in a country where the totalisator was supposed to be instituted to abolish him. And so on. The hasty man committed himself before he had heard the evidence or had seen everything. He was not the first; neither will he be the last.

Make haste slowly, is a workable motto with reservations. It is a good motto for a new chum in Parliament. But a man who goes to Parliament, be he ever so young, cannot afford to waste time. Nevertheless he must make sure of all his ground. If he goes to Wellington expecting to revolutionise everything in the first three weeks and to teach the veterans all they don't know about statecraft in the same time he will probably learn before long that if he remains a member of Parliament till doomsday his influence will be nil. A man goes to Parliament to learn as well as to teach, and neither lesson can be accomplished in a day. The history of Parliament is a history of failure for the. men who knew too much. In the beginning of a parliamentary career success or failure is implanted. It is much more so in the House of Commons but it is to some extent true in our colonial parliaments. To test the truth of this preconception I sounded more than one veteran. One 6uch took me to the lobby, where hangs the photograph groups of the successive Parliaments. I could pick out the successes, but he knew the failures and the reasons for them. And the reason for the failure in more than one case was a single injudicious speech. Silence would have been pure gold to such, but they knew it not.

The^easiest part of this philosophy the preaching of it. One often knows the right course to take, but the knowledge of the right is only an aid — it does not compel on© to take it. And so the reformer in a hurry sometimes takes ricks in an earnest zeal for his cause. And to the genuine reformer who possesses the true viius in his veins his cause in everything. But if he can accomplish his aims in two ways and one is wrong he ie not justified under any circumstances in taking the wrong one. So the reformer who enters Parliament must of necessity be whole master, first and always, cf himself.

But I'd like to say a word about the parliamentary machine. Readers have probably had ample opportunities to read all they cm re to about the politics and parties and principles which have been discussed during the past five months. And, if they have not — well, Hansaid is available, and Hansard for 1907 is bigger than for any previous sesbion. The parliamentary machine it. fearfully and wond-er-fully made, nnd it is fearfully and wonderfully eiiMtie. It goes when it likeg, and to all appearances cease 6 when it pleases. There is a, chief engineer in charge, but there are opposing crewe. The closest approach to mutiny to be seen nowadays is in connection with the Ship of State. * The good, old house wife, if transfoimed suddenly from the cook-§h.oj> U> the factory

where laws are made would, despite the wisdoms of making haste slowly, declare that there were too many cooks, and consequently the broth, was suffering in quantity and quality. As we know, of course, the present system of parliamentary government ie the most complete and workable yet devised by the wit of man. But the machine is a creature of vagaries and moods.

I have now seen it from all points of vantage and disadvantage too. I remember on one opening day of Parliament not many years ago, I had neither the influence jior the means by which to gain admittance to the magic circle to witness the opening ceremony. As I viewed the whole spectacle from the outside, th© desire to be inside burned more fiercely than in normal moments. And from the galleries of both Houses I had since taken stock of the Parliamentary machine. A keen observer and lover of his country must always be elated and dejected in turn by a constant observation of the machine at work. It is declared to be set going by a Governor's proclamation and speech. It may go along as smothly ac a machine should' till it strikes private members' night. And then you sometimes witness the limits of screaming farce : perhaps buffoonery. In such moments the machine is worse than a rudderless barque on a stormy sea. It is worse than useless. It splutters, kicks, creates a veritable pandemonium, and does nothing but waste money. You may see a lightning change from the sublime, in the shape of the machine at work on some national policy, to the ridiculous, when it is set to deal with a legislative freak. It is usually unwise to employ a steam hammer to break an eggshell. Nevertheless the great lawmaking machine is sometimes set in motion to persuade a private member that his little feantling is a freak, and in his own and his country's interests must never become part of statute law. And the absurdity of the whole business is that every other man in Parliament but the father of the bill knows it should be immediately slaughtered. Yet knowing all this, its second reading may foe carried, and even some clauses put through committee. But it was dead from the beginning. It might almost be well that a society for the prevention of cruelty to legislative freaks should be established so that such creations might be quickly and decently put to rest. It would save their creators a good deal of suspense and the country a lot of money. One thing that strikes the novice when he get inside is the utter absence of pettiness of spirit. Members may, and often do, say hard — even unfair — things in the heat of the debate, but no bad feeling is allowed to rankle. Sworn political opponents always are they, but in the lobby good fellowship is the rule. The exceptions need not be noted. And when one thinks a moment about- the matter it will be seen that it is the only way. Political life would be intolerable if whenever one crossed an opponent in debate he 'was ever afterwards an enemy.

To the casual visitor the House is a luxurious and comfortable building where men talk. Which is half true when applied to some men. But if a member is conscientious and industrious he gets little leisure during his five months' sojourn in the capital city. And a Minister gets none. One would like to know when Ministers are supposed to do their thinking, and the real work of casting legislation. Immediately on his arrival at the House the would-be interviewer comes into view. Some of him has arrived before, and is waiting and will wait till it sees the Minister. " The Minister is busy." " Oh, that's all right — I'll wait." And he waits. I remember one who waited at the Prime Minister's office. Fortune did not favour him there. Then for days he took up his stand at the^Hill street gate through which the Prime Minister might pass. He would accost members and ask if Sir Joseph had gone to lunch. Whether hiß^patience was ever rewarded I do not know. There are too many of . this species to keep tally. Then there is the correspondence. An important committee may also be meeting in the morning, and the House sits in the afternoon* and evening — perhaps on into the next morning. And when he arrives back at the House the inteVviewer is waiting. lam not able to find out what the interviewer does in the recess.

And what applies in the cace of Ministers and their time is true to lesser extent with nvembers. If a man takes his responsibilities seriously he has not much time to fritter away. He can do as much as ho likes, almost as little as he pleases ; but if he is to be useful he must keep busy. The work is there, but it can be left undone. To the credit of members it is generally done. Law-making in New Zealand has more novelty in it than in any other country. There is always something new in the lawmaking lin«. It may be enacted amid fear and trembling, and it may turn out to be a most unqualified success. The reason that a principle is new does not deter the New Zealand Legislature from trying it. Some of the experiments of the poet have b&en magnificent successes. With these examples behind ue, the lot of the reactionary is hard and the role of the pessimist unpopular. And so he who is looking for something new in the lawmaking line must need? come to the Dominion.

Bills come and bills go. They cense after a time to be interesting. The novelty of the phraseology or the get-up might fittingly appeal to the public. But when one iii compelled to read and re-read bills by the hour then the novelty is apt to wear off. And all the while the machine is working more or less smoothly. It ifi governed by standing orders, and the modesty or loquacity of parliamentarians. The Government may reasonably expect to get through half a dozen bills in a certain time, but when the end of that time comes they may not get one through. The end is at interesitng as the opening The novice sees many interesting thinge inside Parliament House ip. five months.

None .k more surprising, and to me moz* distasteful, than the madcap, hurry-scurry at the finish. One is inclined to remonstrate. It has always been so you aim told. .And the look accompanying it tells you that if you don't know when you have> been worsted in an argument you should 1 .) I am sure the veteran is sorry for tli« novice in these times. I imagine he Hast a faint recollection of his 'own. righteous*, indignation when he was new to Parliamentary life. But now he tries to make your feel ashamed of 6uch feelings. I am certain the first indignation is creditable and justified. And I believe there is a betterr way. We'll never find it if we merely] assert that there has always been an un*6eemly rush at the closing of Parliament. But a last word as to the machine legiflv lative. Because it is composed of humansr, it is the more interesting and varied. Atl times, as I have told you, it refuses tab move ; then it goes by fits ; then steadily, for a time. Some good folk wonder why itf should ever 6top. It is a human machine andi it gets tired. A few weeks before the end of the session the veteran comes along andi telk you the session will soon close. But? look at the bills remaining to be detilti with, you say. I have seen it all before* he answers. . Some — he names them, each) , veteran according to his predilection — will be jettisoned. But even then the new chum, measuring the remaining work by what has been done, cannot see how s» much can be accomplished in such short time., But he hasn't seen the old machine under pressure. Members contract their speeches y they are impatient of all discussion. Theyarenready to Bit early. The home feelingis on them. You can hear them humming the "Old folks at home." Since "Mothec Goose " happened along, " Somebody's! sweetheart" was not unheard. And so tot the wondering eyes of the novice, th« machine travels at lightning speed, and you leave Wellington with the vision ofa machine strained to its utmost because all hands were sitting on the safety valve. Next year remains, however. Mistakes',, if any, can be rectified then. Perhaps if next year were not so dose, more atten. tion would be paid to perfecting legislation this year. But I would like to take the man who found nothing jew to Parlia,* merit for five months. He would, tbea revise his old saw.