The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1907. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13335, 11 July 1907, Page 4

The Timaru Herald THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1907. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

H whs Sir William Steward himself who reminded the public quite recently that his weakno.'i fur introducing Bills in the House of I'epßveula.tive:-; had earned for him {lisi zoological description uf "ornithorhyncus " —I ho ben si with a bill. He made the allusion at a, friendly function in Waiinalo when he was reviewing the work of hi'i long political career, and when ho was quoting the legislative reforms whieh ho had either carried through or suggested as disproof of tho a-ssertion .sometimes made that lie belonged to the cla- ; s oE " road's and bridges members.'' Tho list of his achievements was .surprisingly Inng, lmt> £ir William is evidently bent upon making il. longer still. Last night lie appeared once more in tho House of It presentatives willi one of tho mea-sui which hiivo mad.;, him tho butt of > political naturalist. The Bill which had warmed up again for the deliberatin! of members waoi. our o|d friend, the Legislative Council Election Bill, designed' to place thi3 selection of Legislative Councillors irpon a more, satisfactory system than obtains at present. On this subject, tlio member for Waitaki has bscn us one crying in the wilderness for a considerable number <»f years. Wo forget for tho moment what substitute lio offer.-) for the privilege of nomination now enjoyed by the (iovenmiient, but the exact nature of his 'prescription for the reform of th:. Upper House-is of lio very great consequence, for it will be many a day before the Cabinet consents to lay down the. immense inllucnce which it enjoya, 1:1 consequence of its unfettered choice in the appointment of Councillors. The Governor's Speech at the, opening of tho gei-siou of 1904 raised a, faint hope of reform by admitting that " tho time was rapidly approaching when soma chango should b> effected in tho constitution of the Legislative Council." Sir William, imagining that that timo was wit nveiely rapidly approaching, but that it had actually arrived, performed his mission"sin life by introducing a Bill, the forerunner 110 doubt of that which tho ITouwj debuted' last evening. His -innate courtesy prevented him from emphasising tha motives'which prompted him to suggest a. different me- > thod of recruiting :t-ho cuperior Chamber, but another member of t>he House supplied tha deficiency by quoting \i resolution adopted some tinte previously by a Trad and Labour Council. We do not know that tho resolution is quite out of da:e even now. Here it is:—■ That this Counci heartiy congratulates tho (iov-evninent on the appointment of Mr to til,a Upper liouve, and trusts that henceforth all appointments to tho Legislative Council will be made from the ranks of the Liberal and Labour Federation, which is neither Liberal nor Labour. Such appointments form the J best argument for t-h,;, abolition of such .an absurd appendage to our Constitution as the Upper House. Mr has onlybeen known as a- forlorn trailer at the heels of ——• politicians, and has never, one? i been returned to a ! public or sunipublic position by the public vote. In spite of the expression of opinion contained in tho Governor's Speech three years ago, and in spite of Sir Wiliiani Steward's persistent, efforts to **«uro reform, tlm vicious nominative system still holds sway, and the mordant sarcasm which the Trades and! Labour "Council applied to Komo of the appointee® in uygone -days would not bo entirely misdirected if moro recent appointments v.en ' put to the gauntlet of criticism. Wo j should like to think that last night's , debate would do something to stir up e public interest in this political problem, " but wo'are not very hopeful that such will be -thy care. Tho peopk'~"who aio inclined to bother their heads over 1 Legislative. Council are, as often as not. looking for a seat in it, while the majority of tha ■eLi'ciors are apparently indifferent to the e.ytravagant power with which th.; present isystem of nomination has endowel the Ministry of the day.