The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 14, 12 April 1851, Page 5

The Lyttelton Times.

SATURDAY, Aprill2, 1851.

It appears from a notice in a Government Gazette issued on the 31st of March, that Sir George Grey has summoned a meeting of the general council of New Zealand to meet at Wellington on the 19th of May. We have endeavoured to lay before our readers upon former occasions the present state of the politics of New Zealand. Now however the question comes home to our own doors. When Sir George Grey proposed the ordinance which we published in our number of the 25th of January, for establishing a Local Government for each of the provinces into which New Zealand was or might be divided, which was to consist of a council partly nominated by himself and partly elected by the inhabitants, his Excellency contemplated that the general council of New Zealand should retain its present constitution and its present powers, that is to say, that it should be composed of the official Heads of the several departments of Government, and of such gentlemen in addition as the Governor in chief might think proper to summon from the several settlements to take part in its proceedings; and that it should retain the power to overrule all the acts of the provincial councils upon all questions whatsoever. The general council of New Zealand is a body, wholly independant of the people, wholly nominated by the Governor. It has authority to repeal any or all of the acts of the provincial councils; and its existence, consequently, entirely nullifies all the benefit which might possibly arise from the small representative element which it was proposed to introduce into those bodies. It has no likeness whatsoever to a parliament. It deos not represent in the slightest degree the opinions of the people. This is the council which the Governor •has summoned. It is of course called together to register certain edicts of the Governor already prepared, and which will assuredly be passed. The assembly therefr\\e of such a council is at best an unnecessary trouble, —in truth, a melancholy •farce. It is not unlikely that one or more members may be summoned from Canterbury to attend this council. We have no reason whatever to know that such will be the case, but since our population already exceeds that of Otago, and equals that of New Plymouth, it is not unlikely that some of

our settlers may be called upon to join in the deliberations of the general council. We therefore lose no time in stating broadly and distinctly our view as to the duty of every individual in the settlement; namely, that they ought not to go to this council. We trust that not one single colonist will be found in this settlement, so unmindful of what he owes to himself, to his fellowcitizens, and to New Zealand at large, as to sanction by his presence the continuance for one single hour of the present form of Government in this colony. This is the view which is already taken by every man of station, independance, wealth, and integrity in New Zealand. We hope our fellowcolonists will not break the charm which is gradually, though slowly working to force back the government of New Zealand from the despotic form in which it at : present exists, into that form which alone we are accustomed to, and can comprehend as Englishman.

The question is simply this. Is the Governor to make laws without consulting the people ? that is, are we to lie under a despotism ? or is the British Constitution of laws enacted by king and people in conjunction, to be the recognised constitution of our colony. We omit the question of a second chamber at present. We can have no House of Lords here; we have no Loi'ds of which to compose one. Whether we might not frame a second chamber to do the work, and have the effect which a House of Lords has in older communities, is a question for subsequent discussion. The question now is between the Governor of the colony alone, and the Governor and people in conjunction. We are sufficiently attached to that constitution under which we have ever lived to assert the principle that no laws ought to be valid in this colony except laws made by the Governor and commons in parliament assembled; that is, the old English principle. If we are compelled to take the edicts of our Governor, let us take them as they stand, upon his responsibility, and upon that of the Home Government who condemns us by force to live under such a government; let us not sanction the farce of collecting a body of supporters of Government, to register the Government edicts and to call them the Ordinances of the colony. Let the Governor make as many laws as he likes ; and let us obey them as long as the law is that we should do so. Only let us not obscure the fact that they are the edicts of a Governor; not laws and Ordinances passed by consent of the people.

For this reason let us not go to this General Council of New Zealand. Let us have nothing- to do with it. The attendance of nominees from our settlement, would not alter the spelling of one word in an ordinance which the Governor was resolved should pass. The sturdy refusal of all our men of influence to attend would assert this great principle, that we protest, individually and collectively, against any form of goverment except that which we have been educated to reverence, —a government by " King, Lords and Commons, in Parliament assembled," or the nearest approximation

to such a government which can be framed in a colony.