MINISTERS' EMOLUMENTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 861, 12 August 1879, Page 2

MINISTERS' EMOLUMENTS.

New Zealand occupies a unique position j m many respects. She is the only British colony m which the Parliament have a tenure of five years. This is about to be remedied by a Bill now before the House to restrict the tenure to 3 years. But there is an eVil m connexion with our Legislature which the Government have not proposed to deal with, and we are glad to find that Mr. Murray has taken the matter up. The constitutional practice observed m England and the colonies is that any member of the House accepting an office of profit under the Crown must go before his constituents who will thus have a chance to endorse or to condemn hia conduct m joining the Ministry. New Zealand, however, eschews this salutary practice. A member joins the Ministers here, and his constituents have no more power to approve or disapprove of his action then if they were inhabitants of the moon. This might lead to very grave abuses. A man might be elected on the distinct pledge to oppose a Government with all his might, and within a week of his election he might sell himself for a portfolio to that Ministry. We are not a little surprised that Sir George Grey, who sets himself up as the Saviour of the people, has. done nothing to remove this monstrous injustice.