The Lyttelton Times. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1861.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVI, Issue 912, 7 August 1861, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1861.

Amidst tbe various stirring events which occupy the attention of the people of New Zealand—tbe fall of one ministry, the rise of another, involving perhaps the vital question of peace or war; tbe movements of generals and troops; the fiats of imperial ministers; and above all the mania for gold discoveries; ifc is highly probable that tbe doings of the good people of Southland may escape general attention, even in Canterbury, which has more than common interest, just now, in watchino* tbe political career of tbe young province. While these exciting events have been goino* on in various parts of the colony, the Southlanders have been busily occupied in electing their first Provincial Council, an important proceeding which they have conducted with apparent quietude and with singular unanimity of opinion.

Our readers may perhaps recollect that Dr. Menzies, one of the former members of the General Assembly for the Southern District of Otago, was the principal mover in the separation of Muribiku, since the province of Southland, from Otago. Till lately the worthy Doctor has occupied tbe first position in tbe political affairs of the new province, and has been looked upon as the only natural claimant for the office of the first Superintendency. Within the last two months, however, a decided change has occurred in public opinion on this and various other questions of general interest. The chief question which has agitated the public mind has been a proposed alteration in the land laws of Otago under which the new province has been hitherto governed. About a month ago Dr. Menzies published a series of suggestive resolutions to assist in the framino* of these laws, which were considered too favorable to the squatting class and were distinctly condemned at a subsequent public meetin<>*. Since then, another public meeting has been held with similar results, and the elections have come on, resulting in the nomination of a majority of members strongly opposed to the squatting interest, or as it is more generally termed "class legislation," and favorable to a system of " free grants of 40 acres " for tbe purpose of immigration.

The ( Southern News' of the 6th July in an article on the forthcoming elections gives the following advice to the people *. —

" We cannot enact land laws in our Provincial Council: that work now devolves upon the General Assembly, the Governor and the Imperial Government. But we can express our opinions as to the best plans that should be devised for attracting an industrial population to our shores and our wide extended plains. We can profit by the example of Otago, which, as we recently read, is now some thirty to forty thousand pounds sterling "to the bad" by the importation of assisted immigrants—to say nothing of the compound interest now year by year increasing at a fearful rate on that very large dishonored bill. And we can contrast this rather striking disadvantage with the at least probable advantage of adopting a scheme somewhat approximating to tbe Auckland i'vee grant and special settlement systems, both which have this one great merit: that of bringing* in a

large population of consumers, who must contribute to tlie customs revenue for five years before they receive the Crown Grant of the waste lands they will receive in lieu of their passage money, and who must also improve the value of that now waste land, even should the whole or any portion of them and their families be seduced away, before the expiry of that term, by the enticiri"* visions of tbe gold fields of other provinces or colonies. " It behoves us to look out in all earnestness for the best men that can be got —the best men for Invercargill, for Waiopai, for Riverton, for Mataura, for Campbelltown, for New River. No petty jealousies must be allowed to interpose, either as to individuals, classes, interests, townships, or districts. Squatters and agriculturists—and agriculturists and squatters —must learn to fraternize, and neither to seek to take advantage of, nor be needlessly apprehensive of each other ; and there, is the greater reason why this should be the case with the agricultural and town population now that they have clearly got ample powers to guard themselves against any apprehended aggression on the part of the shepherd kings of Southland."

The tone thus given to public feeling has since become unanimous, and at the recent nominations tbe public voice was strongly in favour of the candidates who most unhesitatingly objected to Dr. Menzies resolutions on the land laws, and to Dr. Menzies himself as a Superintendent. The subjoined speech of Mr. D. Mitchell, one of tbe candidates for Invercargill, may be taken as a fair sample of tbe opinions of the successful candidates:—

" Mr. D. Mitchell said be had not expected to bave been nominated ; but, if it were thought his services were required, he was willing to stand. He was not the representative of any class, and he was decidedly opposed to most of Dr. Menzie's resolutions. His leading notion was that population was the basis of prosperity, and he would offer every inducement to population to come into tbe province. Education be considered to be one of tbe most important subjects they could consider. We must rear an intelligent population if we hoped to prosper. As to who should be Superintendent, there was no denying that it was Dr. Menzies who had been mainly instrumental'in carrying through the movement (separation) which had given them the power of local government which they would not have otherwise enjoyed; but after the publication of Dr. Menzies' resolutions on the Land Question, his confidence in that gentleman, as the head of the province, bad been much shaken, and he would be rather disposed to vote for Mr. J. T. Thomson, if that gentleman would stand; but on this and on other points the electors must give him (Mr. M.) full play to vote according to tbe best of bis judgment. He was strongly in favor of a subsidy for steam communication between here and Melbourne, and also with tbe other provinces of New Zealand."

The unusuiil activity displayed by tbe people of Southland in asserting* their political rights, contrasts, favourably for the youno* province, with the apathy often displayed by older communities on similar occasions. The key note of class protection, sounded by Dr. Menzies, was heard with alarm throughout the province, and straightway every elector put each aspiring candidate to the question, and if satisfactory answei-s were not forthcoming on the questions of class legislation, immigration, and tbe choice of a Superintendent^ his chance of a seat was at an end.

We are not without hope that the social and political revolution, which has commenced in Southland, may act as a warning to some of those gentlemen who appear to advocate a separation of the Timaru district, and cause them to reconsider the whole matter. Political opinions are catching, especially when they have a democratic tendency. However ready the squatters of Timaru may be, generously to give up the leases of their runs for the good of the people, and descend once and for all from tbe pleasant eminence of " shepherd kings," we, of Canterbury, are hardly yet prepared to have an offshoot of our own province, as a neighbour, giving away land by the square mile, and indulging in various other novel and doubtful experiments.