PETITIONS.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 123, 17 November 1876, Page 3

PETITIONS.

The Committe appointed to prepaid an address to her Yiajesty, praying, in accordance with the first resolution carried at the Convention, that an inquiry be made into the conduct of the Governor of the Colony, presented the following: draft of a petition : — To Her Most Gracious Majesty "Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dependencies thereof j Empress of India, etc. j etc. May it please your Majesty; the humble jJetitioii df the undersigned, &c. , sheweth— 1; That your petitioners recognise the msdonl that has actuated yoiir Majesty in retaining the appointment of a Governor for this Colony., believing that such is retained in order that the great interests of

the Empire and the welfare of the colonists may be better conserved. 2. That we believe that it is of the utmost importance that the Governor should be one who is not in any way identified with any political party or parties thafc may exist in the Colony. 3. That we have to deplore that his Excellency the Governor haa identified himself with the Centralist party, and has thereby become the representative only of the opinions of the party dominant for the time being in the House of Representatives and the Legislative Council, and that his recent action has had a tendency to impair the feeling of loyalty for your Maj 3s : y's representative; "lour petitioners therefore pray that your Majesty will be pleased to inquire into the grievances mentioned in our petition, and appoint some person to fulfil the onerous and responsible duties of Governor, who will not be biased against a political party, even though such party niay be in the minority. After a debate the petition was adopted. The following is the report and petition brought up by the Committee appointed by the second resolution to draft a petition to Her Majesty, setting forth the limited and unequal character of the representation of the people, and asking that the rights of Otago conferred on her by the Constitution Act may be preserved 3if not attainable otherwise, by proclaiming her a separate and independent, Colony: — Your Committee have to report thafc they have drafted the petition which they annex, and they recommend that the chairman sign it on behalf of the Committee. John Smyth Fleming, Chairman. 1. That a Convention of members of tho House of Representatives for Otago, of members of the Provincial Council of Ofcago, of Mayors of Incorporated Towns, Chairmen of Road Boards, and Chairmen of School Committee 0 , was held on the Bth and 9th days of November, 1876, and there attended — . The following refused to attend — . The following sent letters of sympathy with the objects of tho Convention, and regretted their inability to attend — . 2. That the Province of Otagd contains an area of square miles, a population of about , and the general revenue collected within the past year amounted to . 3. That the Province was founded in 1848, and its rapid development has, we believe, to a great extent been due to the large powers of local self-government so graciously bestowed upon the colonists by your Majestj*" and the Imperial Parliament. 4. That at present one of the main provisions of the Constitution Act, 14 and 15 "Vie. , has not been obeyed, which provides that representation should be according to population. 5. That a majority of the House of Representatives passed an Act intituled " The Abolition of Provinces Act " repealing the main provisions of tlie Constitution Act. ....-■ 6. That such Act was not to come into force until the day after the' next session of Pai'liament. 7. That at the last election of "members for the House of Representatives in the various districts of Otagd, almost all those who voted for the Abolition of Provinces Act were rejected by their constituents, and candidates opposed to Abolition were returned in tlieir places. ■8. That the vast majority of tho members for the Provinces of Auckland and Otago are opposed to the policy of Centralism which the said Act has originated. 9. That your petitioners believe that greater powers of local self-government should be given to the districts far removed from the centre of the island than are enjoyed by thSm at present. 10. That your petitioners believe that in wealth, population, and area, the Province of Otago excels many Colonies, as will be seen by the following table : — 1871. Canada (Dominion) ... £4,028,200 Victoria 3,305,300 New South Wales (1870) 2,490,200 New Zealand ... ... 1,342,100 Ceylon ... 1,121,700 Queensland 890,000 South Australia ... 778,100 Cape ... 744,800 Mauritius 617,000 Jamaica ..; .. ; 434,400 British Guiana ... 379,600 Straits Settlements ... 298,700 Tasmania • 269,700 Trinidad .. ; ... 264,400 Windward Isles ... 208,200 Natal ; ... 176,500 Hong Kong 176,000 Malta ... 170,900 West African Settlements 167,700 Fewfoundland . ... 165,300 Prince Edward's Isle . . . 117,700 Leeward Isles ..i 106,900 Western Australia .;. 97,600 Honduras .;. ..; 42,900 Bahamas 41,900 St. Helena ] Turks Island | Labaun )- ... 39,100 Heligoland | .. ; Falkland Isles J Gibraltar 38,200 Bermuda .;. ... 35^000 £18,462,100 11. Tkat -the government from. Wellington will neither be efficient nor agreeable to the feelings of the people of this Province. 12. That it will he injuridus to the best interests of the 1 Colony to have about onehalf of the population discdnteiited with the form of government Uride"r which they live: 13. That your petitioners are earnestly of the opinion that Otagd should have granted to it the large pdwers of selfgovernment bestdwed by the Constitution Act, or that it should be created a separate and independent Colony. 14. That the manner in which the Constitution Ac b has been altered in a hurried and thoughtless way, and without reference to the opinions of the local legislatures abolished in violatidii of the provisions of the Constitution Actj has created in the minds of your petitidriers a grave distrust of the" General Assembly and its legislation. " . That your petitioners therefore pray that your Majesty will be pleased to take' this'i

petition into your gracious consideration* and grant that cither the Province of Otago should have bestowed d lit the large 1 powers of soif-government granted by the Constitution Act, or else that Otago should be c cc ed into a separate and independent Colony. And as in duty bound, etc. The petition was adopted by the Convention.