The New Zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1867.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1128, 26 June 1867, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1867.

SPJECTISMUK AGENDO. " Give every mnn thine oar, lint rev? Uiy voice : Take each man's cetißurtj, but reserve tliy judgment, This aiove all,—To thine own self be true And it mn.it follow, nstlio night the day, Tlion canst net tlien le false to any msn."

The Provincial Council was engaged from between three and four o'clock yesterday afternoon to within a few minutes of eleven o'clock discussing the resolutions proposed by the Provincial Secretary, to the effect tbat the Council approves of the reductions already made in the Provincial Government, and those proposed to be made for the halfyear commencing on the Ist July proximo. Six hours and a-half were consumed in debating this point in committee. Most of the members present took part more or less in the debate, but the largest portion of the time specified was taken up by a few members who were constantly addressing the Council. The debate on the proposed alterations of the land laws reflected credit on the debating power and ability of the Council, but' that of last night simply consisted of the speeches of certain members repeating themselves and one'another, time after time, and wandering into every imaginable question connected with the administration of the Government of this province. It would be difficult, indeed, to find an equal example of discursiveness and repetition; and the patience of the non-talking members must have been severely tried by the garrulity of ithose who were perpetually addressing the Council. The uselessness of all this verbiage and loquacity was apparent to the meanest capacity, for Mr. Kowe, as a member of the Executive, distinctly stated that the reductions made by the Government by no means measured the extent of the reductions they "were prepared to make, but were an earnest of the intentions of the Government, and an assurance was further given that every additional

reduction would be made which time and experience showed could be safely carried out ; and, moreover, that the Government would decidedly reduce the expenditure to the same extent as the income was reduced, so as not to expend more than that income. As that member remarked, the present Executive had only been in office a few days, and they had already effected reductions equal to between five and six thousand pounds per annum, and therefore tliey were justly entitled to some share of confidence, more especially when they stated that this was only a beginning, and that every further reduction, consistent with the due carrying on of the public service would be made. Messrs. Newman and Carleton proposed amendments pledging the Government in a particular manner. The latter speaker deprecated making reductions in the smaller salaries, and advocated the policy of beginning at the head, and taking the " bull " by the horn" effectually. He also thought that the Council should really decide on these points now it has Responsible Government, for it could lay no blame on the Superintendent, and members ought to do what was right, and not fear their constituents. The former speaker, Mr. Newman, as also Mr. Creighton, referred especially to the greatreduction that ought to be made in the police. It was argued that the police force could safe]} - be reduced one-half, considering the altered circumstances of the province, and also that the time was not distant when the city and the country districts would have to support their own police. Now, we have advocated a policy of this kind more than once, but this would not really be a saving to the people, but simpiy a shifting of the burden, and calling it by another name, unless the cost of the police is very materially reduced. We believe if the City Board had to tax the citizens, as is done in towns in England, to support the city police, that something like one-half the present expenditure on the police force would be amply sufficient for our requirements, and that the cost of the country police might also be very considerably reduced. Both these gentlemen also spoke strongly as to the great reductions that could be made in the Land Office. The action of Mr. Kowe and those who coincided with him during the last session to effect reductions, was referred to by Messrs. Carleton aud Creighton in a somewhat peculiar manner, but Mr. "Wynn, and also Mr. Eowe, set these hon. members x'ight, and showed that they were then desirous of going through the estimates, and reducing in every department, but that the Council so decidedly opposed any reduction at all when the Engineer-in-Chief s salary was in question, that they felt it was useless to proceed in their endeavours at reduction. To this Mr. Creighton replied that he would not go in for individual but for departmentalreduction, but this eminently illogical argument was totally beside the question, for a department consists of a staff of officers, and if a reduction be made in each of the staff of which the department is composed, it is quite evident there will be a reduction of the entire department. Mr. Eowe, also, in reply to the observations of Messrs. Newman and Carleton, who desired greater reductions, referred to the fact that both of these gentlemen had been Provincial Treasurers and Secretaries, and that something of the present depressed state of the provincial exchequer was due to the action taken by the Governments of which they were members.

The general tone, however, of the speeches revealed one fact, that all the members were decidedly anxious to have such a retrenchment as would save the public credit, and trusted that the expenditure charged by the General Government against the province would be greatly reduced. We trust this may be the case.