THE SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, June 30, 1854

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XI, Issue 731, 30 June 1854, Page 2

THE SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, June 30, 1854

LUCEO NON URO. "If I have been extinguished, yet there rise A thousand beacons from the spark I bore."

Yesterday, Mr. E. G. Wakefield brought forward the motion of which he h:id given notice, for the appointment of a Committee "to inquire, whether or not, in justice, the Province of Auckland ought to be at once relieved from bearing any portion of the New Zealand Company's debt." The honourable gentleman, after explaining how he came to brine forward the question rather than le^ve it for o^e of the Nothern members, went at great length into the merits of the question as between Auckland and the other Provinces ; and showed, very satisfactorily, (to our minds at least,) that this Province had nothing whatever to do with the debt, — had never received any thing but injury from the Company, and could not, upon any ground that he could fancy or imagine, be called upon to bear any portion of that debt. It was indeed a question to what extent the Southern Provinces could be called upon to v&y, but there could be no doubt that Auckland should be freed from it. This concluding portion of the hon. member's address was particularly effective; — as showing that besides being an act of strict justice, it would be good policy to grant the relief sought for by this Province. That the Southern Provinces must seek relief themselves, not upon technical and quibbling objections to the Act of Parliament, but upon the bioad ground of justice ;—; — that they had not received from the Company the pretended acres handed over for the debt in question ; and that the Southern Provinces would best claim attention to their own part of the grievance by first doing justice to Auckland In thus settling the question, there would be the further advantage of drawing the Provinces more closely together, encouraging signs of which he already recognized in many. Mr. Bartley seconded the motion in a speech of some length, contending that there was nothing due from this Province ; but that should the proposed Committee be able to show that there was, that this Province was both able and willing to pay it. Mr. Cutten and several other members spoke, not against the proposed Committee, but against Auckland being relieved from the debt. They contended that there was in truth no debt fairly due to the Company at all, and that it paid at oil, it ought to be so by all the Provinces. That this was the more clear, inasmuch as the Auckland Province had a boundary fixed by mere chance, and that it could not be discovered where the line of country was where the obligation to pay, began or ended. Various other speakers followed, but we have no space even to indicate thejine of argument which they adduced The debate was a very animated one, and lasted between four and five hours. The result was an unanimous vote in favor of the Committee of Enquiry, and we have but little doubt that it will report favourably to this Province. There was a strongly marked feeling to do justice and to deal fairly in the matter, and we are satisfied that it will be error of judgment solely, and not a want of will, should the ultimate decision be against our claims. The Ministry have specially guarded themselves against making this a cabinet question, and have left each member to follow his own individual views. This, Mr. Wakefield took occasion to say ought not to have been done — that it should not have been made an open question; but taken up as a Government measure, the more especially so, as it had been alluded to in the Governor's address, and not merely the general question of the Company's debt, but the special exemption of this Province, as now contended for.

The new Ministry brong'it forvr.rrl their Srst measure on Tuesday last, in the shape of an Executive Government Bill, the principle^ nf which was cordially commended by all parries, notwithstanding that its details and arrangements were picked to pieces and debated with all the seafching scrupulosity of determined fault finders. We shall not swell the list by endeavouring to add any objections of our ov.n. We could adjvance a whole phalanx of arguments in depreciation of saddling a young Colony with the payment of odious, and, it may be, undeserved pensions; but cvi bono, if two or three pensions are the price that must be paid for relieving the Colony from irresponsible dictation, and for achieving the long coveted boon of Responsible Government. The Executive Government Bill we consider to be the pioneer to this good work ; we cannot, therefore, but feel an earnest anxiety for the full and faithful development of its admitted principle. There appeared to be a general dislike to place the question in its true and uuvarnished shape before the House. This led to much misapprehension and much discussion, and to little purpose. To our thinking, the question was not whether certain officers held Patent appointments from Her Majesty, — and, whether, by reason of their long and meritorious public services they deserved retiring pensions in the event of their being no longer required ; — but whether these officers stand in the way of Responsible Govern ment being immediately carried out. This we consider the true question to be decided. It therefore becomes a wise, prudent, and economical measure to buy off the opposition of these parties. This, we repeat, is the true question : and it clears away many diffi ulties to look the question straight in the face, instead of mystifying it about patents, honour, merit, and other high sounding phrases, pretending much, but signifying little. Every one will appreciate the question as we have put it. The truth is, the Home Government made a bad

bargain for us j but as we cannot alter it, we must make the best of it — and that best is, we have no hesitation in saying, to pay a sum as retiring allowances, and end it. As for the amount of these retiring allowan:es, that is a separate question, and for the discussion of a Committee; but the principle of paying something in order to get quit of the old officers and their worn out system is, we repeat, well worth paying for, since we cannot have the responsible system at once for nothing No one can say that the pensions are deserved j but, upon the common rule of giving a servant even a bad one— a reasonable length of warning, or an equivalent in money, before turning him away, so, upon this principle, may be justiGed a retiring allowance, of a reasonable amount, to the officers in question We are well aware that the public voice is opposed to such allowances. It is clearly a choice of evils; but we think there is no room for hesitating what to do, especially after hearing the minister's declaration that he could not advise the Governor to pass the Executive Sill for bringing Responsible Government into immediate opera-, tiun, unless these allowances were agreed to.