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

Tub Provincial Secretary is ill at ' ease under the non-success of ids endeavour—(in the letter signed “Hugh Carleton,” published in our last issue) —to prove that we had misrepresented him, both in speech and action, in the course he took on Mr. Dilworth’s motion for a Select Committee on the Land Regulations. Time having been given him for reflection, he has become painfully conscious that the expiration he proffered of what be did, and whit lie did not say, substantially and in'essence,—esotcrically ns well as exoterically, or, in reality as well as on the surface, —sustained the correctness of our report. He accordingly endeavours in his,o.tlier capacity—his alter Ego —as the “we”' -of' Uitr .contemporary,.toprefer a charge against us of having been guilty of many errors in our last report of the proceedings in Council. If we formally notice the counts in this indictment, and shew that they are “ not proven,” we do so, not because we have any necessity to defend the general accuracy of our reports, but to teach the Provincial Secretary that he is not

the person who is in a position to .set n public prosecutor, as reamrtK cither accuracy or impartial dealing with poliU?!' adversaries. 13i The Provincial Secretary sets out wit} ' declaring that he did not —in ’i 1 , be admits to have been a “gross a V vulgar attack” if so made—impugn Mr. if , ■' riman’s standing as a lawyer; aad p v .\* gives the “precise words” he uttered, “ that lawyers differed, and of the two. ] l( i placed the least confidence in Mr. ]\j e ,, L rhnan’a opinion, in this, and perhaps other matters.” If our readers will taf! § the trouble to refer to our reporter’s version"'-" they will see that, quibbling apart, Carletou’s “precise words” differ lipp. substantially, from our report. But, bavin* been ourselves present, and having taken down, “ verbatim/’ what the Provincial Secretary did say, we have to assert the accuracy of the New Zealander’s rejiort * against what the Provincial Secretary now C thinks he ought to have said, to: make b} s words “perfectly unexceptionable”—“a mere comparison between the merits of i«h a j fa opinions,... at the very least, called fop consequence of the ridicule which had been in cast upon the opinion of the Provincial Officer.” ' : : In thus staking the accuracy of our rejjort against the Provincial Secretary’s “irnag, " inary recollections” of what he uttered $ should have uttered in the heat of debate we have no wish to follow his example, and' & say that, “but for the standing rules,” W e M “ would give a very plain answer.” % merely decline to be the scapegoats of Mr, §1 Carleton’s anxiety to appeal from “ Philip -

drunk to Pliilip sober”—from the Pi-oviiv:-iul Secretary, fall of tlie “new wiiie” of oiiice and a majority of one, snubbing the minority in the Council,' —to the reflectiveEEdito r correcting and softening down the record of his own vagaries in Council. Itmusthcfur,

ther home in mind, that this was noi the mq time tin; Provincial Secretary had made a personal attack on Mr, Merriman, and that, but for the information now given in the .•official editorial article, the Provincial L;r,v Officer’s name was not connected with the “ opinion” which Mr. Meniawu very properly characterised as “ moonshiiife’h : C and “ rubbish We will not he so added to the Provincial Law Ofiicer as his brother w; official is. -We' will not institute any comd: m paidson hetween his and M-. Merrimahs legal qualifications—for it is not his [Mr. Iloohfort’s) fault, hut his misfortune, that he has not enjoyed the same advantages of a sound and regular legal education vliicb Mr. Merriman did in the home country. The misfortune, unfortunately, falls the most heavily upon the Province, which pays a handsome salary for “ opinions” laughed at by every constitutional lawyer,—wheiLer imported or provincial. It is q me true that the report of the little interlude between Major Greenwood and Mr. May was somewhat condensed. But the party who has a right to complain is, n Mr. May, but Major Greenwood, The explanation of the former, with his d:s- ; daimer of any desire to receive IB 00 a yew for the discharge of not wry difficult duties ''f. was given ; —Major.Greenwood'sjsateactatioii of a good-natured remark, based on a mis- ' understanding of the Commissioner’s words i i'i f —which was wry fairly attributed to the iJlconstmction of the Council- Chamber for the c-mvcyance of sound—was not given, • In fact, there being a necessity for condensation of these very prolonged debates, the preference . was. given to argumentation over pleasantries and personalities,—and in tins instance, as in another we are about to notice, our own friends have moie occasion to complain than the Executive. The other instance was where* Mr. J, O’Neill complained of the supercilious manner in which the Provincial Secretary refused to give information asked for, although (as the lion, member stated) that officer is , in the receipt of a handsome salary from the public purse for the supposed perform- I auce of such ministerial duty. The rebuke ought to have been reported, and we i: now supply the omission. Our report of the debate on the insertion of Mr. Dilworth’s notice of motion was . both substantially and verbally accurate; and we must decline to correct our rep. rt according to the revised version pointed to . in our contemporary by the Provincial Secre- ' tary. . ■ The version now given by Mr. Carleton *;'} of the divisions on the question of the in- •• crease of the number of members for the , Northern and Southern Divisions is far from y ■ correct, and omits all mention of the notice of , motion subsequently given by Mr. Buckiaud. The original motion having been lost, the amendment substituting the deceptive words y ' “early convenient opportunity” for the plain "ho nest word “forthwith,” was also opposed by the minority—not because “if the two aggrieved districts could not get additional members immediately, they ought -'rg not get to them at ail” (!) —but because the minority would not be parties to a mere play . on words. That Mr. Buckiaud and his friends were in earnest in their advocacy ef the right of these two divisions to increased representation, was shown by the notice immediately after given for an address to the Superintendent to bring in a Bill for that purpose during the present Session. How came the Provincial Secretary to omit all notice of this fact, —and to declare that “the Progress party thus carried the vote : for additional members to those districts’ i . i , —“the Old Official party voting against it” ? The Provincial Secretary makes loud pi\/i‘essions of his love of truth.. He takes singular modes of displaying that love. As.we write, a “corrected copy” of the Provincial Secretary’s correction of outreports has been sent specially to ns, —die og .writer (always so correct) having made-tour 5 ; more members vote than were present in die house! This is well in keeping with the accuracy of his own carefully-revised reports, according to which Mr. Merriman (in order to pacify the Executive) withdrew Mr. DU worth’s name from the Land Committee, although* Mr. Dilworth is sitting daily with the Provincial Secretary on that very Committee j

The Provincial Goililcil niet yesterday; and we are happy to say that there was a less acrimonious spirit displayed in debate, while the Speaker interfered with greater promptness and decision in the one or two instances on both sides in which a tendency to trespass against the rules was manifested. But there was one omission we have to notice—in the non-provision of the bettor accommodation for the Press recommended m the report adopted by the Council. Surely in such a wood-abounding country as this, there can be no great difliculty in procuring an extra table and chair? Even were there any serious inaccuracies in the reports of their proceedings—and for ourselves we deny the imputation —hon. members, including the Provincial Secretary, have no right to complain so long as they throw impediments in the way of the Press discharging that portion of its functions. Wc trust we shall not have to recur to this hiatter. tn moving his motion for an Address to the Superintendent, requesting that he would without delay send down a Bill to equalize the representation of the different divisions, Mr. Backlandreqnested permission to substitute the words “ electoral districts to which no objection was made. Mr. Williamson seconded the motion. Mr. It. Graham moved as an amendment, the omission of the words “ without delay,” and the addition, immediately after the words “ electoral districts,” of this clause, “ immediately after such revision of the Electoral Roll as will bring it within the provisions of the Constitution Act.” He was unwilling to see the country embroiled again so soon In a political contest; and again, ns there were two parties, “ Progress ” and “ Constitutional,”, so nearly even, he would give the country time to see which of those parties was more likely to bring forward measures for the benefit of the Province (hear, and laughter). He was also of opinion that an increase in the number of members would still further retard the slow dispatch of business already complained of.

Mr. Brodle having seconded the amendment, Messrs. Boylan and Greenwood supported the original motion. Mr. Beckham in support of the amendment, cited the reason assigned by Colonel Wynyard, when Officer administering the Government, for declining to grant a dissolution, when urged to do so by the late Superintendent, viz., that it would be impolitic and unfair to do so just on the eve of the revision ot the Electoral 11011. Messrs. J. O’Neill and Dilworth contended that the motion was so reasonable, and was admitted by the Executive to he so just in principle, that it ought to be assented to without a division, more especially when (the latter urged) it was not improbable that large sums of money would be borrowed, of which, in the shape of principal and interest, the Northern and Southern Divisions would have to pay the larger portion. Mr. Mermuan had thought that the motion would have passed without a division. Still, he would not object to expunging the words “without delay,” because, after a resolution of that house, they might he regarded as surplusage and implying a doubt that his Honor would not pay ready attention to the wishes of the Council. As to the words proposed to he added, he must oppose them, since, if the Electoral 1101 l (imperfect as it was) was at variance with the Constitution Act, thou all the members now in the house had been elected contrary to the provisions of the Constitution Act (hear).

After some remarks from Mr. Williamson in support of the original motion, Mr. Buekland expressed Iris willingness to omit the words “without delay,’’ if it were understood the Bill would be brought in during this-session. The Provincial Secretary declined to he a party to any understanding. After some further conversation, these words were withdrawn, and' Mr, Graham having withdrawn his amendment, Mr. Buckland’s original motion was carried, as thus altered, without a division.

The report of the select committee on the Land Regulations was postponed. The Provincial Secretary moved the second reading of the Highway Bill—the complicated, conflicting, and unsatisfactory nature of which was very ably exposed by Mr, Boylan, who urged upon the Executive an entire reconsi leration of the measure. Messrs. Buekland, J. O’Neill, and Merriman, also exposed the unworkable nature of the Bill. The Provincial Secretary (who alone spoke in its support) said the Executive were not at all bigoted in their attachment to the Bill, which he would rather should be deferred, so as to learn the wishes of the country upon it; and if it were found that it was not satisfactory, he would not press it. The Bill was then read a second time, pro forma, on the understanding that it was not to he proceeded with further without due notice. The Impounding and Slaughter House Bills, which stood on the orders of the day for consideration in committee, were postponed till this day, and the Council then adjourned.

The following notices of motion were given : Mr. Dilworth to move, that an address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent, requesting him to send down a Bill to impose a tax upon all unimproved land held under grant from the Crown, exceeding in extent 500 acres, the tax to be expended under a Local Board in making roads in the districts where raised. Mr. Williamson to move, a resolution, that it he an instruction to the Select Committee on the Pre-emption Land Claims Bill, to enquire and report if there be any members of the Legislature of this Province who are personally interested in the Pre-emption Land Claims to which the Bill relates, either as original claimants or as holding under them, and if so, the names of such members and the extent of their claims. Mr William son to ask the lion, member for the Northern Division (the Land Board Commissioner) with reference to the land comprised in the Waiuku Block, the reason why the Special Occupation clauses of the Land Regulations have not yet been complied with, and “at least onethird part of such district set apart as special occupation land,” and declared open for sale. Mr. Williamson to ask the hon. member for the Bay of Islands, whether it be the intention of his Honor the Superintendent to propose to the Council during the present Session, any measure to provide increased facilities for education in this Province.