The Lower House of a Colonial Parliament resembles, in most ways, the London County Council more than the House of Commons.  But in New Zealand members have always been paid—­their salary is now L240 a year.  Farmers and professional men make up the largest element.  The Labour members have never numbered more than half a dozen.  At present there are five in each House.  In the more important debates speeches are now limited to an hour, otherwise to half an hour.  The length of speeches in committee must not exceed ten minutes.  About twenty per cent. of the speaking is good; most of it is made with little or no preparation, and suffers—­together with its hearers—­accordingly.  Bores are never shouted or coughed down—­the House is too small, and nearly all the members are on friendly terms with each other.  Until the adoption of the time limit business was in daily danger of being arrested by speeches of phenomenal length and dreariness.  Anthony Trollope, who listened to a debate at Wellington in 1872, thought the New Zealand parliamentary bores the worst he had known.  The discussions in Committee are often admirably businesslike, except when there is obstruction, as there frequently is.  As elsewhere, special committees do much work and get little thanks therefor.  As compared with the House of Commons, the debates would seem to lack dignity; as compared with the proceedings of the Sydney Parliament, they would have appeared models of decorum, at any rate until quite recently.  No New Zealand debater would be held great in England, but seven or eight would be called distinctly good.  The House supports a strong Speaker, but is disposed to bully weakness in the chair.

For the last thirty years the Maori race has returned four members to the House.  They usually speak through an interpreter.  In spite of that, when discussing native questions they often show themselves fluent and even eloquent.  Outside local and private bills, nearly all important legislation is conducted by Government.  Private members often profess to put this down to the jealousy and tyranny of Ministers, but the truth is that Parliament, as a whole, has always been intolerant of private members’ bills.  There is no direct personal corruption.  If the House were as free from small-minded jealousy and disloyalty as it is from bribery and idleness, it would be a very noble assembly.  In character, the politicians have been at least equal to the average of their fellow-colonists.  But party ties are much looser than in England.  Members will sometimes support Governments for what they can get for their districts, or leave them because they have not been given a portfolio.  Attempts to form a third party are incessant but unsuccessful.  Ministries, if not strangled at the birth—­as was the “Clean Shirt” Cabinet—­usually last for three years.  Since August, 1884, there have virtually been but two changes of the party in power.  Reconstructions owing to death or retirement