THE SUPERINTENDENT ENTANGLEMENT.

Press, Volume III, Issue 335, 26 November 1863, Page 2

THE SUPERINTENDENT ENTANGLEMENT.

TO TUB SDITOB OF TUB * PBISB.' Sib, —In jour issue of the 24th instant there if i letter inserted signed " Times," attacking Mr. ! iloss's short but most sensible observations upon Mr. Ollirier't circular calling together the Provincial Council at his office, and at the same tun* 'Timed 1, attempts to defend this assumption of provincial dictation. That Mr. Ollivier if juite free to call together the members of his party in the Council to discuss and decide upon their best course of action under any particuler :ircumstance, no one will deny. But this eaU, ioth from Mr. Ollivier's letter, inserted in yonr column 9, and from " Times , " course taken in his lefending him, evidently aimed at dictation to others, and not to preparatory measure* to be taken by himself and friends. To the misconstruction which "Times" has .ut upon a clause of the " New Zealand Constitution Act" I shall now, however, only address* uyself. lie says, " a clause in that Act enact* that his Excellency the Governor may remove theSuperintendent from office at the request of twothirds (a majority) of the Council." And free : his he goes on to argue that the requisite propor* tion of the Council hare nothing to do but to boH t private meeting to draw up a petition tow* Jovernorand to get rid of the Superintendent obnoxious to their clique. Where M Times " go* his reading of the law I know not; search English Parliamentary history from end to end* md search the New Zealand Constitution Act ai losely as you may,ani everywhere the direct eon* rary to this private hole-and-corner mode of pro* ■ceding stares you in the face. In the first place, jach individual member of the Council during • prorogation is but a simple member of the com* nunity, and has as> more to do with legislation lian any other person. Had it been otherwise ihcre had been uo necessity during stormy periods >f our history for the attempting to confioe the speaker of the Ilouse of Comraous in his chain ?or the few minutes necessary to pass a particular resolution. Could private assemblages of the members have acted out of Seeeion, the majoreX: would have had nothing to do but to »g«« meet and carry out their proposition. i

But more than this, the Council must be asambled all together legally before any act can b> done by t!,at Council. A private petition of can be in no way construed to be the ggto? the Council. The matter must be put u> the Council —that is, to all the members leg;dly uiembleu , — before the decision come to can be taken the act of that Council. The minority must bo heard, the question tnustbe debated, —that is, fully wjnsiflercd— before a legal conclusion can beconvto There must also be laid before that Council gad before the public, all the documents and information necessary to assist them in arriving at n righteous conclusion. In this case of getting ri.' of* Superintendent no information whatever hsi« been itw- &ll these necessary forms and the exhibition of all the information possible would be required in a Bill relating only to a pot-house. Can " Times " and his friends suppose that in a point of infinite consequence as relates to our provincial Government a resolution passed by a ptrtieularly selected private clique of persons in »n auctioneer's office could be allowed to be acted noon? Why. cix months hence, or sooner, Mr Oilier may have some other scent to follow— gome other scheme of self-importance to carry out. until our general political integrity shall have become » mere sham, and our Provincial Governmrnt officers but the cringing tools of a dictator »nd hie followers. I hate troubled you enoueh. Mr. Editor. Tin's absurd assumption of MY.OHivier, even supported byiuch advocates as "Times," willnever cause the people of Canterbury to enter headlong upon n matter to them of great importance without sufficient investigation, and I am quite ready to cay that the sooner explanations are given, and investigation hy the people—not by a clique—tates place, the better. I am, &c. A Fhiind of Tlais Deaiikq. Kov. 25,1W53.