ABOUT OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 135, 3 March 1922, Page 6

ABOUT OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT

z ♦ LECTURE BY MR. J. CAUGHLEY. In the course of a lecture to Territorials at the Garrison Hall last evening, Mr. J. Caughley dealt at length with “Our Own Form of Government.” After detailing the ancient and modern forms of government, Mr. Caughley referred to how the general principles of British Government developed in New Zealand. He was able only to deal with the earliest stages, leaving the fuller discussion of the present highly-developed form of Dominion and local government for a, future lecture. “As was the case with most colonies,’ said the lecturer, “the govern? ment of New Zealand was vested in a Governor, who was responsible only to the King and the British Cabinet, though he had a , council with advisory powers. Thus New Zealand was at first a Crown colony. In 1847 this system was changed, and New Zealand was divided into two provinces—New. Ulster and New Munster. New Ulster consisted of the North Island north of a line from Pahiatua to Napier, and New Munster consisted of the rest of New Zealand. We thus had the elements of an Irish question early in New Zealand, but fortunately it was solved without difficulty. There was a Lieu-. tenant-Governor for each province, and a Governor-in-Chicf for the whole colony. Provision was made for a House of Representatives, but this was not established until a new system of government was established in 1852. It would he noted how the growing needs of the colony, the increase of settlement, and the development of trade caused various changes and developments in the system of govern--ment. Under this new system the provinces of New Ulster and New Munster were abolished, and the colony was divided into six new provinces—Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago. The <3l- - province included most of what were later known as the Wanganui and Hawke’s Bay provinces. Each province had a provincial council, over which presided an elected superintendent; the members of the council were elected on household suffrage for four years, lhe provincial council controlled, within their own borders,’but under the direction of the General Government all the matters now administered by Government Departments. These included roads, bridges, and other public works, education, etc. This system suited the needs of the colony at the time, since, owing to lack of railways and other means of communication, it was necessary to deal on the spot with matters which were largely of local interest only. By the vear 1876 the colony had outgrown this form of government, and the development of public works, educational, and other facilities, made it necessary to consolidate the work the provincial councils under more airect Government control. The provinces were, therefore, abolished as such, though the names and the traditions still have a distinct significance in New Zealand. The colony was now divided into counties for the purpose of local government in minor matters, while the General Government was carried on bv a Legislative Council, a House of Representatives, and Cabinet, of much the same type as we have at present. The only public service which was left to be administered still under the old provincial units and m the same areas was that of educatioi . each of the old provincial districts remained as an education district for the purposes of primary education, and this public service was under almost. the complete control of the various education boards.” Mr. Caughley said that in another lecture at some future time he hoped to be able to deal more ful l with our forms of Dominion and local government as they exist at present.