The Lyttleton Times. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1866.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1620, 23 February 1866, Page 2

The Lyttleton Times. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1866.

The Provincial Council was prorogued a month ago ; and the time is rapidly approaching, if it has not already arrived, when it will be jmppssible_for tfautrbudy tow action of business with any hope that the business can be completed before the natural decease of the whole Provincial Legislature. That is to say, the term of office of the Superintendent and Council must soon expire. It is time therefore that arrangements were being made for supplying the place of the moribund Council by its legitimate successor according to the forms of the Constitution Act. It is customary to make the arrangements sufficiently in advance to prevent any lengthened interval occurring between the expiring •f one Parliament and the creation of another. And it is obvious that no other course is consistent with the safety and welfare of the country; because, if any sudden necessity were to arise for consulting the Legislature, serious embarrassment and perhaps severe loss would be occasioned by having to wait until the machinery of election could be set going, its results perfected, and the Legislature placed in a position to meet in due form. Suppose, for instance, that some special dealing with the Provincial Loan were urgently called for in consequence of advices from England; or that a change in the very mutable affairs of the "West Coast should demand prompt legislative action regarding the waste lands there in a few weeks from this time, it would be exceedingly unpleasant, to say the least, to discover that the old Council was defunct, and that the new one could not be summoned for a couple of months to come. Whenthe Council's last sessionclosed, oh the 25th of January, there were only two reasons why a dissolution did not follow, and the general elections come off within six weeks. One was that new electoral districts bad been constituted, and it was necessary to make out six or seven new electoral rolls. The time which has now gone by has been sufficient for this purpose, considering that the changes were generally in the direction of assimilating the boundaries to those of the.General Assembly districts. There is one other possible obstacle to an immediate dissolution; namely, an indisposition on the part of the Government to grant it. If the Superintendent were to desire to retain office to the last possible moment, he could prolong very greatly the period of uncertainty; for it is most unlikely that the Governor would take an independent course, by dissolving the Council and ousting the Superintendent without his Honor's request. We have therefore to look to the present Superintendent as virtually determining how long the province shall remain without a working Legislature. The public at large are beginning to look with anxiety for some sign of an approaching dissolution. Not only do the larger political considerations which we have indicated demand attention, but the very fact of 1 delay and anxiety existing so long about the elections is prejudicial to the interests of the province. Three candidates for the Superintendency

have been in the field for many weeks; candidates for seats in the Provincial Council are tiumgi&§ to lay their claims before thjfelectiSrj;; the con flttjts for thaGenerariLflaslilbly.are mm\> ele'ctiori^fevety! whicf; jwillfiibt be allied until all f&e ele&jon&Me over jlndall parties are noWlfppfonhe crisis. It cannot but-be injurious to the community, both commercially and politically, to prolong this state of excitement. The newspapers alone, perhaps, profit by the delay; and we write somewhat against our own interests. But we cannot fail to see that trade and general business must suffer from protracted electioneering. Not only will most men's thoughts be distracted by party contests, but even the business of those who concern themselves little about electioneering will be' affected prejudicially by the uncertainty of the political results. As we have a right to suppose that the machinery for giving effect to the Provincial Council Extension Ordinance, has by this time been completed by the preparation of the new rolls, we trust that the dissolution of the Council will be asked for as soon as possible. The Council itself requested that this should be done. Even if the step be taken at once, the elections will not be completed a day sooner than necessary. The request must go to Wellington and be considered. Then the proclamation of dissolution will follow; then the writs will be made out; and then time must be given for the completion of the Superintendent's election, which is a slow and tedious business. Starting from to-day, and using the greatest expedition compatible with the requirements of so important a matter, the Superintendent's election cannot be announced before the end of the first week of April; nor can the Provincial Council elections be completed before the end of that month. Surely that is long enough to leave the province without a Legislature; and every day's delay will lengthen the period of disorganization.