The New-Zealander. AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 1856. THE PROVINCIAL DEAD-LOCK.

New Zealander, Volume 12, Issue 1029, 27 February 1856, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 1856. THE PROVINCIAL DEAD-LOCK.

Be just ami fear not: Let all the ends thou aim’st at, be thy Country’s, Thy God’s, and Truth’s.

Our Provincial Executive and their ‘majority’ have already arrived at a dead-lock; and this is not the fault of the independent minority, who, although made in a variety of ways to feel that they are a minority, have done their best to amend the defects of the several measures brought forward hy the present Executive out of the pigeon-holes of the official bureau of the late Superintendent. The' dead-lock is purely owing to the inherent defects and extravagances of the measures themselves. This is a fact confessed even by the Executive and their supporters, both in introducing these measures and in consenting to their emendation and postponement.

Let ns take a hasty glance at them and their present position. The Land Regulations, as introduced, were at variance with the previously expressed opinions of the Superintendent, of more than cite member of the Executive, and of some of their supporters. The Provincial Secretary endeavoured to improve them by a long string of amendments—the. effect of which (backed by the f< pressure from without”) has been to compel the Executive to refer the Regulations to a Select Committee, —and the country will he satisfied with nothing less than the re-introduction of the much-desired Special-occupation or Credit principle. The Impounding Bill, on being introduced

bv 'the magisterial meihbcr of tin' Execlllive, w-as so with a disclaimer. as to many oi its details; which he ami the' 'Cmmcil are' now engaged in the hard task of amending the minority loading a helping hand. The "Medical Practitioners 5 Pill, fathered by one of'■ the warmest supporters. of the I'Aecutive, died a natural death—without a .tear shed over its untimely, end. ;• The Masters and Servants 5 Bill (introduced by the same bill-coiuppunding iixeinber) contained provisions so odious to tbs country—so thoroughly despotic in their character—-that; th >ugh not yet consigned to the like fate, we should not like to stand in the shoe s of its putative parent. The Slaughter-house Bill, an-Executive measure, has this alternative'before it—of abandonment by the Executive, or rejection by the Council, including the vote's of some of the majority. The Cattle-branding Bill has required to be re-cast in its most important'clauses, and is, at least, temporarily shelved. The Pre-emptive Land Claims Bill has been brought in to show the real nature of the opposition to the existing Land Regulations —to draw attention to the extent to; which the Superintendent, some of the Executive, and others of the majority, are personally interested in thwarting Immigration into this Province—and to be referred to a Select ComhirctCe, which was with difficulty formed, so many of the Council being interested parties. And then, the Highway Bill —(which, immediately its provisions are tested, is found to be directly at variance with sonndlegislation and the expressed wishes of the Province) — whose object is in reality to grant powers to the settlers to tax themselves, the money being expended by the Executive—and which ought to have been introduced at the commencement of the Session, seeing that the skeleton of the Bill had been published in the Gazette by the predecessor of the present Superintendent; —this Bill, too, is postponed—to learn the wishes (the condemnation) of the country. Lastly, there is the movement for additional members to the Northern and Southern Divisions. The justice of the demand is admitted on all hands, but the majority fear the consequences of embroiling the country in another election, and wish these underrepresented districts to wait for a more convenient season and till the Electoral Roll has been purged of the imaginary and doubled and dead vot|s which won the seats of the majority andf 'me Superintendency. After the resolution, 'unanimously adopted yesterday by the Council, we shall be curious to see whether his Honour the Superintendent will act as he ought to act, if he be satisfied with the bona-fide character of the majority for “ Progress. 55 If he be, he will introduce a Bill this session : if be be not, he will adopt the plea of “fearing to embroil the Province 55 and “ waiting for a more convenient season. 55

Such being the position of affairs, we would in all sincerity suggest’to his Honour,- to the Provincial Secretary, and to the Executive, that they should take seriously into their consideration the expediency of making the Session a very short one —of confining themselves to passing the Estimates - and of introducing and carrying a Bill for the equalising the representation, by conferring additional members o;i the Northern and Southern Divisions. The first will provide the Superintendent with the necessary ways and means for carrying on the public service and works, The second will test the feeling of the country, quite as well as tin entirely new election, on the general policy of the Executive (now only fully declared), and particularly with reference to the Highways Bill, on which so much interest has already been evinced in the outlying districts. All the other Bills can well lie over till another session, after consideration in committee, without any injury—nay, with benefit to the public weal. The Executive and the Provincial Secretary will have time to make themselves thoroughly masters of the principles and details and probable working of the Bills of which they have taken charge. And in this way, they will be much more likely to secure the hearty cooperation of the minority in 'whatever measures are really calculated to promote the permanent interests of the Province. We make this suggestion in no spirit of faction. The Provincial Secretary and the Executive must be already aware of the difficulty of forcing obnoxious and ill-digested measures on an independent minority—only one less than the majority,—and who, though open to any real overtures of conciliation, are honestly united together to obtain measures which shall benefit the whole Province, and not merely a class, or a few speculating land-holders. Besides, the meeting of the General Assembly is close upon ns, and if there be not an. early adjournment of the session of the Provincial Council, it is utterly impossible that those members who are also members of the.other House can prepare themselves for tire consideration of the far weightier subjects that will be brought before them in that House.