Hawke's Bay Herald. SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1867. THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 859, 20 July 1867, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1867. THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

The sitting of the Provincial Council which closed on the night of Saturday last, deserves at our hands a few observations. Some of our correspondents have been facetious on the subject of the members, their sayings aud doings. Our own opinion is that the present Council is much superior to some of its predecessors ; and indeed that, in mauy respects, it need not yield the palm to any similarly constituted body in the colony. It is to be regretted that such a Council should not have been called into beiug at an earlier period — before the fine resources of the province gave unmistakeable indications of exhaustion. That faults were committed, it would be folly to deny. These, however, we cannot help thinking, were chiefly on the part of the government. Keeping back all the business till three or four days before the sailing of the steamer for Wellington, and then intimatiug that the essential, parts of it must be co m . pleted so as to allow of two member s o f the Executive leaving the province by thafc opportunity, was neither jusfc to the constituencies, nor courteous to members. The estimates were said to have beeu delayed in consequence of the finaucial year ending on the 30th

of June j but this need not have delayed them till the 11th of July ; while there was no reason why the Highways Bill, the Toll-gate Bill, the Slaughter House Bill, and other government measures should not have been brought in the second day of the session. The consequence was that the estimates aud Appropriation Act — the latter covering heavy unauthorised expenditure of the past year-^bad to be " rushed" through committee of Bupply j while the Bills we have named, as well as several others, had to stand over till September. It will be said, on the other hand, that members wasted a good deal of time over the reply to the address. So they did, and there was some very stupid work over it ; but it must be remembered that there was nothing else be* fore the Conncil. The session was opened by the government in a state of utter unpreparedness. Our readers know what happened when the estimates did come down. A resolution was passed by a majority of one, to the effect that they should be sent back for revision j not only that, but that the provincial service should be remodelled. This part of the resolution, we may observe, was interpolated by the mover at the last moment, and was "coming it rather strong." The government accepted this to mean a remodelling of the executive, to begin with, and, next day, intimated their intention of resigning— •Superintendent aud all — unless the resolution of the day before was rescinded. We should explain, however, why the estimates were thus roughly treated upon first seeing the light. They indicated the intended dismissal of a government clerk of 13 years standing, aud universally known and admitted to be a most efficient man ; while a gentleman in the same department, of much shorter service, and (in popular estimation) inferior capacity for official routine, although an old and estimable settler, was evidently intended to be retained in office. In other instances it was conceived that the pruning knife could be applied with advantage to the public service ; but that the operation, at all times an unpleasant one, should be performed by the government. These, we believe, were the chief motives which led to an act that almost precipitated a political crisis in our small community. We do not altogether justify the course pursued. In the first place, there was an abruptness — a brusqueness — in the act which was unnecessary, and which could not but raise angry feeling ; in the second, the resolutions were so worded as to convey more than was intended by several, at least, who voted for them. They could be construed into meaning, as we said before, that the executive should be remodelled, as well as the provincial service generally; aud the government chose to take the matter in this light. Next day, the Superintendent gave the Council the alternative of rescinding the resolution, or of himself aud colleagues resigning office. He then, too, told the Council, for the first time, that he intended leaving for Wellington on the Monday following. The government took very high ground indeed ; aud, under ordinary circumstances, the consequence would simply have been that the resolution would not have been rescinded, and that they would be allowed to resign if they pleased ; for no independent member, even if he may have committed an error in judgment, likes to have his own resolution craranjed down his throat j but the times were critical, and the motion for rescinding was carried through three members absenting themselves from the division. Those members did not, however, approve of the uncompromising attitude assumed by the government ; and, in the course they took, they simply, we imagine, deferred to the exigencies of the country, which could not afford a political convulsion in addition to its other mis., fortunes. Three measures were passed during the session — the Sheep and Scab Ameudmeut, the Cattle Trespass, aud the Thistle Acts. The first is a short measure, intended more effectually to provide against diseased sheep being driven into the province from a southerly direction. The second was framed by a private member — a geutlemau of much ability — and is intended chiefly to consolidate and simplify the laws relating to cattle trespass. It will, we have no doubt, be found very useful. The Thistle Act was introduced by the member for Havelock, he having been urged to do so by a section of his constituents. Opinion as to the propriety of such a measure was much divided ; in addition to which the framer had to contend against the opposition of laud speculators, with whose iuterests as a class this bill would have conflicted materially. The bill passed the second reading by the casting vote of the Speaker, but was so cruelly mangled in committee that the mover declared his intention of abandoning it. A clause introduced by Mr. Ormond, to the effect that its provisions could only be applied to those districts in which twothirds of the inhabitants, owning twothirds of the acreage, signed a requisition to the Superintendent, rendered it quite nugatory so far as Havelock was concerned — in which place more thau two-thirds of the land is owned by speculators, who do not care two straws how many thistles it produces. The member for Mohaka believing, however, that his constituents were unanimously iv favor of the bill, it was carried through committee, aud passed. There were some acerbities — which we regretted to see — but they were not to any great extent. It is always a pity when five abilities are marred by faults of temper. On the other hand, especially after the little explosion which followed upon the resolutions, there was much correct feeling, and not a little pleasantry. A good deal of amusement was created by tho manner iv which the changes were rung upon an expression which had been uincautiously used early in the session, by Mr. Orraond — that the Council was nothing more thau a Parochial Board. Every now and again, this Avas brought up. The last day of the sitting, for instance, there was a discussion as to

the best mode of dealiog with the vote for charitable purposes, so as to reduce the expenditure under this head. One suggestion was made, that it be under the control of the Visiting Justices ; another, that the fund be mauaged by the Inspector of Police ; but Mr, Buchanan thought that, as the Council was simply a parochial board, one of its functions would be to take charge of thjs fund itself, aud admiuisteiyjhe neeaml relief.