The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2810, 28 July 1866, Page 4

The Daily Southern Cross.

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

SATURDAY, JULY 28.

On Tuesday last, the 24<th, Mr. "Whitaker was to move the following resolutions in the House of Representatives ; and it was agreed to by the G-overnment that the debate was to be continued from day to day without interruption until the question was finally settled: — ]. Mr. Whitaker to move: That this House resolve itself into a Committee of the_ whole House to consider the following resolutions :—: — 1. That in the opinion of this House, temporary provision should be made for the better government of the vrovince of Auckland. 2. That with a view to that object the office of Superintendent of the Province should be abolished, andtthe whole administration of the government conducted by a Lieutenant-Governor, with the advice of an Executive Council. ' 3. That the Provincial Council should be abolished, and a Provincial Assembly established. 4. That such Provincial Assembly should have exclusive power of legislation on all subjects except such as shall be reserved for the General Assembly. 5. That no law to be passed by the Provincial Assembly for any of the purposes hereinafter mentioned should have any force unless assented to by the Governor-in-Chief, that is to say : — (1.) The imposition, abolition, alteration, or regulation, of i)uties of Customs. (2.) The establishment or abolition of a Supreme Court, or the alteration of the constitution, jurisdiction, or practice of such Court. (3. ) The regulating of the -current coin, or the issue of any paper currency. (4.) The regulation of the carriage of letters between any of the provinces of the colony and between the colony and foreign places. (5.) The regulation of weight-, and measures. (6.) The erection and maintenance of beacons and lighthouses on the coasts. , (7.) The regulation of marriages. 6. That on all such subjecte'the General Assembly of the colony, and the Provincial Assembly, should have concurrent powers of legislation : provided that all laws made by the General Assembly control and supersede any law made by the Provincial Assembly on any such subject. 7 That all pecuniary debts and liabilities of the colony should remain as at present a charge on the colony, »nd proper arrangements made for securing the due payment of the share chargeable" to the province of Auckland. 8. That after a day to be fixed the whole revenue arising within the" province should: be made -provincial revenue. ~ / 9. That after such a day the whole cost of the_civil and military government of the province should be borne by the province, and an equitable contribution provided for towards the expense of the* General Assembly v 10. That in consideration of the continuation of the existing arrangements whereby the land fund is made provincial revenue, and in consideration of the province of Auckland relieving the colony of the expense of the administration of native affairs, and the cost of military defence within the province, an annual allowance, to be fixed upon the basis of the estimated amount of suqh expense, should be made by the colony to the province. ' ' '

11. That effect be given at once to these resolu tions, so far as it is competent for the General Assembly to do so, and that the Imperial Government be applied to, to give full effect thereto with the least possible delay. We have been for some time aware that this was the probable shape the A uckland resolutions would take ; but as a good deal depended on the issue of negotiations pending "with members from other provinces, we deemed it advisable to do no more than hint at such a measure. We -have not space at our disposal to discuss* the resolutions thoroughly to-day, and will content ourselves by remarking that, although they may disappoint some, in our opinion they go a good way towards meeting the requirements of the province, as indicated by Mr. Cardwell. We think also, these resolutions may be found "within the four corners" of the despatch. It is a question, however, how far the majority will support them. We know that our members have not been idle, and that a general understanding subsists between them and the Otago representatives ; but the votes of that province will be divided. Otago will not go so far as we desire, and there is great likelihood that the majority of the House will refuse to the province the control of native affairs. Still, it is possible that a compromise may be effected, which will give to Otago,. as a province, equal control over its own revenue, without changing its provincial form of government ; aud in that case Auckland will get the control of her own revenue, and power to legislate on all subjects not directly affecting the whole colony. The proposal is a compromise at best, and any modification will only weacen its salutary points.- But even an instalment of justice is preferable to the existing state of things, and will place us in a better position to press for a further extension of our local power hereafter. The Auckland members have agreed to pay '£40 to the Wellington papers to report the debate.