The Lyttelton Times. SATURDAY, June 21, 1851.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 24, 21 June 1851, Page 5

The Lyttelton Times. SATURDAY, June 21, 1851.

An unwonted activity seems to have come over the Society of Land-Purchasers. But there is a good deal of mystery in their proceedings at present. had last week an advertisement announcingl that no less than nine members had tendered their resignations, and calling a public meeting to arrange for the re-election of a new council. No reason is assigned for this commotion, and the curious public must wait till next Wednesday to hear what has occasioned this sudden resignation of authority.

Various rumours indeed are afloat, chiefly to the effect that the cause of difference has relation to the personal conduct of one member of the council. There have even been reports circulated that some business may arise for the lawyers in the Supreme Court, but nothing- certain has transpired.

In the course of the week there appeared a showy placard on the part of twelve gentlemen, hitherto unknown to legislative fame in the society, who aim at the honour of replacing those who have tendered their resignations. These twelve candidates would seem to anticipate that the rest of the council are about to vacate their seats, for at present there is but one vacancy, and nine prospective vacancies, for which thirteen candidates are thus in the field. The tearing down of the placard as sudddenly as it appeared, and the letters given above, signed by two of the twelve, Mr. Hahmer, and Mr. Williams, would make it appear that this movement had been, to say the least, rather precipitate.

Of the merits of these candidates we shall say^ nothing : indeed until the proceedings of Wednesdaj7 shall clear up the mystery* we are ac a loss how to make any observa-

tions on the whole affair. All we can do is to express our pleasure at these signs of vitality in the society, and that a seat in. the Council of colonists is becoming, as it ought to be, a matter of ambition among the members. It is quite true that at present the society has no legal authority, and therefore that it is really only playing at Government, but even now, through its organization, the land-purchasers have some control over the expenditure of the land fund ; and, if they play their cards well, the time will come when they will obtain a legal authority to exercise such control. This will be the first step in real local government in Canterbury.

The Parliament of New Zealand continues to make laws for this colony. We shall forbear to criticise them. They may be good, or they may be bad. The task of the journalist is to express or to influence public opinion. That at least is the use of journals in the old country, for there it is public opinion, which, in the long run, governs legislation. But here, where public opinion has, and can have, no influence whatever upon the framing of the laws, it is equally useless to express it, or to endeavour to guide it. We do not wish to join in the abuse of all the acts of the Legislative Council, simply because we think that council ought not to exist in its present form. Our position is not that these laws are essentially bad, but there is no security for their being good.

Let us take one instance of what is now going on at Wellington. An ordinance is under discussion for making an entire and sweeping change in the whole taxation of the colony. A greater change, one more widely affecting the mercantile interests of the colony, can hardly be conceived. The. customs duties have hitherto been collected by an ad valorem duty of 10 per cent, on all imports. This is to be changed into a fixed dut) 7; and the duties on different articles are to be fixed by a tariff. This tariff has never been published. No one knows any thing about it, farther than what they can gather from the conversations in the Council.

Imagine this occurring in England. Iraa T gine an entire change in the tariff of England being settled in a few conversational parties amongst the ministry. The new tariff not published—bankers, merchants, shop-keepers and farmers unable to obtain even a copy of the proposed enactment—no time allowed for petitions—the great fact utterly ignored—that it is the people's money which is being thus dealt with. Imagine this; yet this is what the Legislative Council is now doing at Wellington. Can any man say that this is in accordance with the ancient constitutional laws of his country ? To this issue we bring the whole question.