The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 1891.

Timaru Herald, Volume LII, Issue 5163, 9 June 1891, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 1891.

Tub Premier has denied that the Government intend to make appointments to the Legislative Oonncil, but the announcement must be taken with an important limitation or reservation. There may be no intention Of making any _mch appointments just at present, but an intimation has been given that, I under certain conditions, which appar' ( ently tho Government think muy not < improbably arise m tho course of tbe * approaching session of Parliament, they I will be prepared to make as many calls ] to the Council as will be sufficient to _ secure the ends which Ministers have m . viotv. In this connection a few re- x marks wbich recently appeared m Mr l .Ballanoe'a poper, the Wanganui Berald, \ will be read with interest. "We aro [

aware that the paper iv question disclaims being m the smallest degree under the dictation or influence of Mr Ballance now that his position as a Minister has necessitated bis vacating the editorial chair. Those who choose to do so may believe tbat the member for Wanganui has thua deprived himself of a political advantage of no small importance. We are not amongst the number, and feel quite sure that the paper is still a reflex of Mr Ballance 's opinions, or of what he wishes people to accept as his opinions. Now this is what the Wanganui Herald said a few days ago with reference to the approaching session : — " The Government will bring down its measures, and defend them successfully m the House of Representatives, but they will be fiercely opposed m the Council, which has been stuffed with the nominees of the Tory party, who will, no doubt, throw out every Government measure that comes before them, or mutilate them so seriously as to compel tbe Government to refuse to accept the alterations. There will be a bitter struggle between the two Chambers, but tbe victory must eventually be with the House of Representatives, as the day has passed by for the irresponsible branch of the Legislature to be allowed to interfere with the will of the people." There is a very strong Ballance flavour or taint about those words, and if tbey are not actually his, they are the result of his inspiration. He would be prepared to reform the Legislative Council out of existence if he thought that the country was ripe for such a change ; but as things are, he will rest content with making the Council a mere machine for registering the doings of the so-called Liberal party m the House of Representatives. And here we would remark that the success of the Government m defending their measures m the lower Chamber may not be quite as full as appears to be anticipated. We do not think that thoy will be beaten during the course of the approaching session m such a manner as to necessitate their resignation. But, on the other hand, if they are to keep their party together i; will be necessary to pare down the programme a good deal, for that portion of the House which is not m opposition is not a well consolidated whole, and to secure a majority, tbe diverse opinions of the various sections will have to be considered. On some important points the Government will have to contend with more than the recognised Opposi. tion m the House of Representatives. The proposed legislation will not be of quite such a sans culotte character when it reaches the Legislative Council as it was when it left the draftsman's handa. Perhaps, indeed, party considerations may somewhat mutilate the Ballance-Seddon programme before it is handed to tbe draftsman to be put into the Bhape of policy Bills. However, let us suppose that the Bills pass the ordeal of the House and make their appearance m tbe Council. We are told by Mr Ballance's organ that there ithey will meet with fierce opposition from the Tory element, but that the Council must not be allowed to block the way. We think it may fairly be assumed that with regard to some of the Ministerial measures the Premier aud his colleagues anticipate a hostile majority m the Council, and if so the paragraph m the Wanganui Herald has a significance which would otherwise not attach to it. We understand the writer m that journal to mean that opposition m the Legislative Council will be overcome by a sufficient number of new appointments. In short Mr Ballance uses a threat that he will swamp the majority m tbe Upper Chamber m order tbat Ministerial success may beaehieved. As a mere question of political tactics we should say that at the present juncture such a threat is a blunder, but Mr Ballance is not noted for sound judgment as a leader. That he is prepared to swamp the Council under certain contingencies, ia evident from what he recently intimated to a representative of the New Zealand Times, who questioned him with regard to rumours that some appointments were to be made at once. Our Wellington contemporary says : — " We have the Premier's authority for atating that they [the rumours] are unfounded. The Ministerial policy Mr Ballance explained thus : — A Bill for tbe reform of tbe Council will be introduced into that Chamber probably witliin the first week of the session. The Cabinet holds that it is courteous and proper to introduce all meaßures affecting either Houso of tbe Legislature, first m the House affected. If the Council receives the Reform Bill well, no new appointments will be made, but the Government are determined that they will be prepared to use the means provided by the Constitution for enabling Ministers to carry their measures. The Reform Bill will provide for a limit of seven years as the tenure of office, but will not propose to limit the number of members." But if we admit that the country deaires reform of the Legislative Council, is it at all clear that the desire bas been rightly interpreted m such reform as is intimated m the last Bentence which we have quoted? Does the country desire more or leßs, or does it desire that sort of reform at all ? Those are points which have certainly not yet been settled. Tho Ministry have seemingly formulated a scheme for tinkering with the Legislative Council, but we cannot see that the swamping of that body m order that the tinkering may be accomplished would be justifiable, at all events until public opinion on the subject had been very clearly pronounced. We are not aware tbat the Constitution of New Zealand provides for the swamping of the Council whenever a majority stands m the way of a Government fad.