THE MESSAGE TRICK.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIV, Issue 1059, 21 August 1857, Page 3

THE MESSAGE TRICK.

The Superintendent, as our readers are aware, departed from the usual course of opening the Session of Council, in person by an address ; but, as we are now informed, sent, down a message to the Council, while the doors were locked for division. That this particular time was purposely chosen, no one can doubt. A seeming excuse was ob- | tamed for taking the message back again. Hut unfortunately for the Provincial Government, the excuse was no more than seeming It is unfortunate for the Government that their memories are not as long as they need to be. What was there to hiuder the messenger from coming in with bis message ? On a former occasion, during division, the Speaker ordered the doors to be unlocked for the admission of a message from the Superintendent; and of course, upon this occasion, would have followed his own precedent. I The Message, it is stated, was one referring the question of the double return to the Provincial Council. May we be allowed to ask, upon whose petition ? Certainly not upon petition of the unsuccessful candidate, or of his supporters.

Among the many charges so indignantly hurled against the member for the Bay of Islands (Mr. Carleton) by the Provincial Law Officer, in Council on Monday last, was one which especially amused us, — namely, that this very overweening personage claims to be the- member, as if there were no other member for the Hay. This very serious imputation is based, we suppose, upon the fact of his being some l ,imes mentioned by that title in the columns of the "Southern Cross." For it is a rule with us, in leading: articles, to avid the use of proper names, as far as we conveniently can The object, high-toned and amiable, was to raise jealousy between two colleagues. But we should be much obliged if the Provincial Law Officer would inform us, how else he would describe the member in question ? The custom is, to use the simple form — "member for such a place," whenever there can be no doubt, from the context, which member is intended j but whenever there might be a doubt, to add the proper name in a parenthesis. We mind the tirae^ when our contemporary, attempting to devia^from this simple rule, fell into a very foolish error. The gentleman in question was describedas the senior member for the Bay. He happens not to be the elder, but the younger of the two. The Provincial Law Officer was naturally exasperated at being told that his writs were good for nothing, — the more so, that he could not venture to defend them. Their informality "Vfas too palpable. But why should exasperation hurry him into stating, by way of reproach, not only what is contrary to fact, but what, moreover, would be utterly immaterial, if it were fact. He accused the member for the Bay of being the organ of the General Government. No great harm, we should suppose, if he were. But it happens that such is not the case. He knows no more of the proceedings of the Government than what any member of the House of Representatives can learn, by taking the trouble of enquiry. Theie is no mystery in the Colonial Secretary's Office ; plain answers are given there to plain questions, and documentary information freely afforded The member for the Bay does not even belong to the ministerial party in the House; but has merely given, what in Parliamentary language is termed " independent support."

In the columns of our contemporary, we read as follows : — As our readers and the people of the Province have unfortunately too much reason to be aware, the present Council cannot proceed with any business until the question lelative to the Suburban Election shall have been heard and determined. Tbis is directly contrary to fact. The standing orders relieved^ the Council from any difficulty whatever, by providing that iv the case of a double return neither member should be capable of voting.

If the writer was really not aware of tb's, be ought to have been so. The 6rst duty of a public writer is to supply correct information to the ! public. He is therefore bound to take the trouble of thoroughly mastering every subject he desires to write upon, so as to avoid all risk of mis-infor-ming his readers. The palmy days uf newspaper declamation are over now, for it has been abused until there are few who mind it. but for the conveying of solid information, the press is still a most valuable institution. By inverse proportion to this value, is the mischievousness of | the press when it misleads.

000 We postponed in our last the statement of the division which took place in the Provincial Council on Monday last, having been unable to obtain it, with certainty of correctness, before going to Press. It was as follows : — Ates -Messrs. J. O'Neill, Boylan, Hay, Dil worth, A. O'Neill. Lewis, Merriman, Kelly, Dignan, Buckland, Henderson, Brennan, Mataon, Powditch, Schultz. Noks— Messrs. Hay, Carleton, Brodie, A. K. Taylor, Goodfellow.

It will be seen by a notice in our advertising columns that a new journal, to be termed the Hawkb's Bay Herald and Ahuriri Advocate, is about to be established. The Ahuriri settlers have long been anxious for the means of making known their requirements, and of maintaining their legitimate political influence in the colony ; it is therefore with much gratification that we see their desire about to be accomplished. The new journal will be conducted by Mr J. Wood, for some while past sub-editor of the 'Southern Cross'. From our knowledge of his literary ability, and— what is of equal importance in the establishment of a newspaper — his perfect acquaintance with the more practical details of management, we venture to predict complete success to the undei taking.