Taranaki Herald. (DAILY EVENING.) WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1913. UPPER HOUSE REFORM.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144146, 16 July 1913, Page 2

Taranaki Herald. (DAILY EVENING.) WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1913. UPPER HOUSE REFORM.

A summary of the Legislative Council Reform Bill, which has been introduced in the Tipper House, has already appeared in our columns, and we do not propose to refer to its details at present, hut merely to the general principle underlying it. As everyone knows, the Legislative Council is a nominated body, nominated theoretically by the Governor, but actually by the Ministry which happens to bo in power. Now Zealand’s constitution provides for a Legislature consisting of a Governor, representing the Crown, a Legislative Council, and a House of Representatives. The last-named is directly represented by the people, while the Council, as we take it, is intended to stand between the popular body and the Crown, to advise the Governor and to act as a check to hasty legislation or to legislation which may trespass too much upon the Crown’s prerogatives. For many years this Legislature was upon the whole satisfactory to all parties, but for a long time there has been a growing dissatisfaction with the Legislative Council. In the early days of the Seddon regime it was regarded by the Liberal Party as not sufficiently progressive, therefore Mr. Seddon made, or recommended—which is practically the same thing—appointments of men. who could be depended upon to support the legislation which the House of Representatives passed at his bidding. , Hence the Council ceased to act as a check to hasty legislation in any appreciable degree, though it for a time satisfied the Liberal Party. For a time only, and when it appeared to be drifting towards Conservatism more appointments were made “to keep it in touch with public opinion,” or, in other words, with Seddonian measures. When it again ventured to turn down legislation of an extreme nature it incurred the hostility of the extremists and a demand arose for its ending or mending in the direction of making it an elective body. In the meantime, too, the more conservative element of the people came to look upon the Council as having failed to fulfil its proper part in the legislative machine. It was too subservient, it was held, to Seddonism. Therefore the demand for a change came from both sides of politics, and now it is scarcely a party question at all. There is a strong feeling throughout the country that the Council is not, and has not for many years, been what it should he. If a plebiscite were taken to-morrow, probably the verdict would be in favour of an elective Council, though views might differ as to the method of election and other details. Mr. Massey has yielded to the clamour and produced a Bill providing in that direction. There are many people, however, who are not satisfied that the change will he a wise one —ourselves among the number. We are conservative enough oven to believe that the limitation of the Councillors’ term of office was not altogether wise, for it has made them to some extent dependent for their position—or at least for their reappointment—upon the favour of the Ministry of the day, and so they are not altogether superior to party, as the Upper House should be. They should not bo appointed for party purposes, but because by their ripe experience and mature wisdom they are qualified to act as x’evisors of the measures passed by the popular chamber and as trusted advisers of the Crown. If they are to be subject ‘o the will of the electors they will, as surely as do members of the “other place,” trim their sails to catch favouring breezes, which is not what is wanted in a revising chamber. Mr. Massey, if ho

agrees that the Council requires reforming, and there is little douht that it does, has it in his power, without the trouble of pushing a Bill through Parliament, to make it everything it should be. The appointments he has already made are a step in that direction, and in a year or two he could complete its reform by equally judicious appointments, not all, or even chiefly, from among his own political friends, but from the ranks of men whose careers have earned them the respect and c\nfl- I,i i;ce of at any rate the great ma, ty of the people. We propose to deal another day with the details of the measure that has been introduced.