THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 861, 27 July 1867, Page 2

THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

(feom a coekespondent.) Wellington, July 22. The papers will tell jqxx all about the late division and debate on the motion of Mr. Yogel "re" the delegation of powers to Mr. Macandrew, the Superintendent of Otago. I may as well tell you, however, that the case was 'felt to be entirely a personal one, and as affecting" Mr, Mac-

-4o save a"|lfeat§Me&ioT3dWJ§^sl^Pi via o}^oZp^jof&naaM^^^^^^s^^^ •Macan<i|re^ he' y?^-Mgs^^b^t^M^o^^fjo^^^m\ would not rdisiffl^-i^^leS^^u^^p^p apt delegate to ;l^^ii^.pww^w^lS^|i|^S is thought, yrosld; HayeajpreY|n|eds|^|ii^;| election l. and '^didea^iffl^m^^pi^pp^ scenes ' that; have; taJreja^llce ;|feC)^^|>;||l The' course -the [-^ovemmj^M^k^^Msi^ Bibse on this. questioi-was^^l^^-'ITDutK); cWitable. ' They agreed, wth£ wessua^l of the ultra-provincial^ar^^ the powers to prq^qi^exeoSm^p^l^f!^ which of course. &ViM^can^e^|is^e^pj head. This is loofediu^iithjilll^i^f^l^ an undignified '''■'e6^peU > lm^6^^^^x^^/ : . cannot be defended.;;;? toe said for it is, thatphad, ceded to some extent' they; jWouldi^W|?> been beaten andturned out^ooffi|||i^Di:i|;v a question 'y^ilii^^m^^^f^^i^^^^^^.^, ing disgrace 'to^ the colony. V':The : ;debJp^:|| was no? a good -, one, .arii^a^jap^oSaoM^4 ; out 'on either sidewitjt spir^J|^^.|S!^%*? Andrew spoke, and call^d< 1^ little irregularities of w^ch ? the unfortunate victim; 1 '■■: [^-'/y'^-'K&MM^ I'-'-'1 '-'-'- On . Friday .evening;,;. Mr. J>t^iffi*dii|ft; 'I k. (the Auckland Supermtende^)^aveljtt9Jac^vs-5 . that he wbuld, by. Wednesday) ZS&. resolutions on ;tne.. part of vme^poTm^^^ party, to test their posl^fcioh^fn|%|Btous^lt^; This was done became it.^a^jfo%d;thatrV/ ; on every question that ?cameEb^efo^.^c>h' House the main object. ih:^i^ r 6f^mem^^ bers— provincialism versus jiie; colon^4f { was brought up. Hence jibs i ctetermiaa- v tion of the proyincialists ; a^^cblon^?|3r&j? alike to have it out.? J. r ■■[] On Saturday, a caucus Qf the; i^Loa-pro- :* .1 vincial .party was held, at which mairy 4 sif£ ;•".•• ferent shades of pro^ci^^^b^6iansTt;s attended. The events > Jof the > peetmehaye' : " not entirely traaspired,v r but b^as v, { been heard to loiowytb^it^lSfi '•■^^f'^^i^v:, anything but unanimous in^; Jbe^ Tie^s=; . that the programme the cluef^|^;|j^y .1 proposed to the 'mefetuig had:^ Tpfaißan- : cloned, and that the mpßfc;^ nage was to pass a resolu^bn'f referring ;^tp ■ la!committee to be^composed 6fihe^tip.(E!i:-5; ,;-; intendent and some; pthers, the;ques^pnVf • of the relations between lheGener^r|^d^; Provincial Governments.^ /^O^ course jKto resolution will not be^cted upoj^'Md^if : ?^ it were, the House :of Representaiaves;; would not submit to the;dictatic>iit6f'the ; . Superintendents on such a qtiestion.ag '$&<-'.< political relations of the; colonyV 'i V i ; v4' -^ .''. : The programme which it i i^beUeye4 v . Messrs. Yogel, Fea&erston:^ son wished the party. - 1. The absorption of the little prpyince's by the larger ones. Hawke's: ißay=sand Taranaki were to be divided betwjßenj Wellington and Auckland, Mdtherf >v;e.re :: to be three provinces in the Southern— Island.- - '- ' ■-• • ■-. -'■ < : O.^%^:-^m 2. The two provinces, of the.Mriher^ ;^| Island were to take upon i^emselv^s tho^-g management of the natives andthecler-; 5 ; fence of the island, and. were, for ;the.flrst ; year, to get a certain amount of $ipn:ey aid from the South. " ::;■.;'!>. 3. The financial unity x)f the cpldny wai- : : £ to be at an end, and a definite financial arrangement come to freeing the i, Soutli ; -,•'- --from future liability on. account of^the;X:: North. . "■■-'; ".\ A ;:''r:r<'- :^t: : -y^ 4 The South was to be aswsted^by the {i. North in. passing -Eoan Bills i for each of ;, the three Jbigf provinces of the SbtltibX Otago was to have a million; the anioulats Oantej^^y and'JNelson were to have had* -• "MVe not tl'MSpirt^-.-~-J[El l^«aJLaima^««sHia i .- — got the guarantee it is^prpposed to give to the present outstanding Tinfaised Joans,; ; which Government intend to consolidate.-'' r The above is very near /the ultra-pro* vincial programme. As- you will; see* Tin- , der it the South wds to Have good ; " utu " ' for its aid in crushing the small-provinces and handing over the defence and native departments to the .two pfbposejd pro* V vinces of the North Island. This acfioii^ r however, was disapproved by a large seo-^ tion of members wlio, v although: protin^. cialists, were not ultras ; and now, I bf« lieve, the main points to be insisted on by;- : the ultras arer—The management of the v natives and defence of the Northern Island by its respective provinces, for which they are to have a small grant in aid the first year; the throwing out of any Bill for-: . giving outlying districts any measure of^;local self-governments-such , for instanceV;.; the Smre Bill, which it is expe'ciiedtlie' : '& General Government will propose. iire^U ; turn for this the South is to get her loans,' '-' '"■ and a " sine qua non" of Otago support is that she gets her "new inulion Joan-;" and, further, the South and North are to have a financial settlement, by which the South shall be freed from the cost of any future disturbances in the North. The details of these proposes we shall see on Tuesday, when Mr. Wifliamson is to table . such resolutions as can be devised to catch. as many as possible. ... . The leadership of the opposition is a' very sore point. Dr. JFeatherston's health and physical incapability put him,, the v natural leader o.f the party, out of /the - question. After him there is no Phe. ) yogel of course is the most able,:andnext to him Macandrew; but not even New Zealand ultra provincialists can face the idea of a Vogel-Macandrew government. : In a word, although most anxious to get out the Government, they are powerless to form one in its stead; and it is probable " that the provincial ultra party will fail more for want of respectability than of strength. On the other side. Government - disclaim any intention of wishing to disturb the proper powers of the provinces, which they say. have yet in many cases important functions to perform. • They at " ■ - the same time express their intention to provide means by which outlying districts may get protection and a proportion of the revenue to their own use — the bill to be a permissive one. Many skits of this ; , bill have appeared in Otago papers and : elsewhere, but no one. has seen the bill., r The Government also decline, I hear, to \ entertain the proposals for other large ■ loans by the provinces, but will consoK- V* date and guarantee the existing loans unrealised. They will still give the pro-. .'." vinces their three-eighths of the Customs revenue*, or something like it; but the provincial party decline, and want one-half . of the Customs and one-half the Stamps \ r to be handed over for provincial purposes. ; ; •'.; V" From all these details you will gather a " very fair idea of the position and views of v different parties. There is no party in; the. House prepared to do away at once ::^ with tho provinces. .There is, however, &,_ -large party, and, I believe, a majorily, determined to clip their wings, and to commence a system of justice to outlying _ . districts which will eventually, in course : of years, work itself into a means by which provinces can be dispensed with. To-day ; a meeting of those who desire to support Government is to take place.' If there be;. ; ;i time I may be able to give you a sketch^/ : of what takes place at it. / ? ."''., "-p'-m.. '.• :'si The meeting called by the Goyernnigrit; . :.,;^,} which took place tWs.afternoon,..was^ellj^:;t:',, attended, about 40 memTbers :of ;^e ; !Eotiijß;^^ s of BepresentatiYes haTing prege6fc[*.;^

cfe'v : ' ?": .'■'.■■■■ ■.-.: ■• ■■ .■:'.~^ z^ =: >^i..;Mjp.;..Stafford addressed the meeting, to all members had been invited who were not believed to be absolutely hostile ■■••'• ; ;t6 the Government. Mr. Stafford commenced by stating that ;_ there wa,s no desire for concealment or silence by any person.present of what he might hear at the meeting. He first re- ':. ferred to the statements industriously circulated by ascertain section of members, that the objects of the present Government were inimical to the provinces — in a word, that the General Government meditated the destruction of the provinces. This he absolutely denied. -He then pro* '. ceetfed to give to the meeting an explanation of the measures Government proposed to bring before the House, and said they must be taken as a whole and viewed as a whole ; that he would not undertaKe. that, if a part of his proposals were not entertained, that the portions which some members might like should be persisted in. At the same time, he intimated the desire of Government to meet the Housein amending or altering them, on due cause shown, and did not at all say that any of the, measures that he described would be put forward as ministerial questions. It might be so, but at present such was not the intention. It depended on the way they were opposed and by what people. He then proceeded as follows: — " The Shire Bill, of which so much has been said outside, is the first measure I will describe. This Bill is to be a permissive Bill ; it is to be introduced into any district of any province, on the requisition of a certain number of residents who shall own or occupy a certain proportion of the acreage of such district, provided that it be not protested against by a majority of residents, being owners, &c, as before. The district, when constituted, shall administer its own roads, bridges, ferries, &c. j in other words, its public works. It shall have the p^ower of rating properly to a certain limit, of so mucn upon its yearly value. The General Government shall pay out of general revenue direct, to' the Board, 2s. for every Is. Ob- - tamed by rates. The district shall be entitled to from 20 to 30 per cent, of the territorial revenue derived from it in each year. The whole affairs of such shires or „ districts pertaining to its functions shall "be administered by the Board, independent s>s any provincial control or interference. A Municipal Act, of somewhat the same character as "the Shire Act, will be proposed, the only material difference being that the fines and fees of the courts— mayors' fees, B.M. fees, &c. — shall be appropriated to the uses of the municipalities. The Bill, of course, is intended to apply to towns. The Provincial Loan Consolidation Act will be promoted by the Government. Its. object will be to consolidate all existing loans and guarantee them. The BUI wSI provide for due security that the interest and sinking fund shall be secured, and each province will be liable only for its own obligations. The Public Revenue Act is proposed as an endeavour to adjust and settle definitely by law the finance of the colony and the financial relations of the provinces to the General Government. In place of the provinces being dependent upon a yearly vote of §ths customs, as at present, by a vote of the House, the Government propose, by "this Bill, to \name a fixed yearly proportion of the ordinary revenue which shall be allocated to the provinces ; to set apart a certain fixed proportion for the purposes of the General Government ; for the payment of interest on the liabilities of the colony 5 for payment to the shires of the sums payable to them under the Shires Act; for the payment to the provinces of. the territorial revenue as at present, less the per-centage to the shires. l- -: This "measure was referred to by Mr. j Stafford-as%udngiarge advantages .to the | provinces, and no doubt it proposed to do so, for, under this Act, the provinces will have a certain fixed revenue secured to them so long as they last. These were all the named as of importance which the Government intended to bring down. • Mr. Stafford referred to the statements in circulation in reference to the Defence and Native Departments, and referred to the known opinions of many that these" departments should be dispensed with, largely reduced, or made charges against the provinces in which the expenditure occurred. He said, in reference to the Native Department, the Government saw no reason why a large expenditure on this account should be continued. They believed they could reduce the whole expenditure under this head to £20,000 for the present year, and they proposed to localize a good deal of that expenditure — the Resident Magistrates, I conclude;— in a year or two any special expenditure on account of Native purposes might be dispensed with in toto. In reference to the Defence Department the Government also saw their way to large reductions ; and the necessity for the Defence Oflice was rapidly disappearing. After the present year, the force it was anticipated that would be required to be kept up would be of a very small size, and would be called and act as an armed constabulary rather than a force as at present constituted. The ordinary expenditure for Militia and "Volunteers would be localised and made a charge on the provinces where it was expended. : The above is in effect the statement of the Premier, summarised for the purpose ' of acquainting you with its main features. The meeting, as a whole, seemed favourably inclined to the line the Government propose to take. The Shire Bill is the only one to which strong exception willbe taken, but as Mr. Stafford explained that the Government would probably not proceed with, the remainder of their scheme if portions of it were not entertained, the probabilities are that this Act, which will confer absolute rights on all the outlying districts of the colony, will be passed. It will pave the way for the time when the functions of the provinces will cease ag a matter of necessity. Mr. Stafford stated, in reference to the intention of the ultra- , provincialists to endeavour to absorb the small provinces, that if such an attempt were made and succeeded in, he and, he thought, but would not absolutely pledge them, his colleagues, would, rather than allow such an act of unjust spoliation, go in for the insular separation of the colony and the necessary consequences. This was of course a threat to Wellington and 1 its ultra-provincial Superintendent, that if they endeavoured to devour Hawke's Bay and Taranaki, that they in their turn should be left to the tender mercies of Auckland ; and this of course would apply similarly to parties in the South. Probably this announcement will cause the ultras to abandon their nefarious in.. tentions. ■ > July 23. I add a liiie to-day to tell you that you 1 can safely announce that the statement made by Mr. Stafford yesterday has completely taken the ground from under the - feet of the opposition, and that the Government policy, the heads of which I have given you, will medt with the approval and support of the House generally. * The resolution of the opposition to refer certain matters to a committee of Superintendents is not to be affirmed; but of course much depends upon the X manner; iti/ which it is put forward," and r vr&y ih. f w^oh. the resolutions are