The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1868.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1309, 27 January 1868, Page 2

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 1868.

SEECTEirHR AGENDO. " Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. This above all,—To thine own self be true And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."

The debate on Mr. Davy's resolution, and Mr. Carleton's amendment thereto, respecting the G-ovemment of the Province, was distinguished from the general debates of the Provincial Council by an absence of petty trifling which too often mars them. There was real earnestness in the speakers, and they generally acquitted themselves very well indeed. The business-like proceeding of the debate, and the whole manner in which it was conducted, made calm onlookers to regret very much that speakers on that occasion so often mis-spent valuable time in endless discussions of a wearying character on questions of small moment. The debate proved that there is what Mr. Swanson called " go" in the Province yet, and in the Provincial Council, and the feeling was forced on the mind that the Provincial Council, by the manner in which its debates are conducted, can be a power for good or evil, there being no reason, except the shortcomings of its members, why it should not be an immense power for good in an educationn.l point of view, and in fostering feelings of liberty and the habits of selfgovernment among the people. The greatest wonder is expressed by foreigners at the self-government of the English people. They cannot realise the fact, because in most continental countries the people are not trained and educated to govern themselves. But in England we have all sorts of self-governing agencies at work in every county in the kingdom. Men of all classes are charged with some powers of self-government, and ; this system virtually provides so many trainring schools to educate the people in the great work entrusted to them of governing themselves. The smallest parish vestry, the smallest municipal Council, Boards of poor law <mardiaus, the town Councils m large and wealthy boroughs, the various county Boards, are all part and parcel ol the governing power of the country which culminates in the Imperial parliament. A place is found in each and all of these for men of various degrees of intellect and culture and social position, and so the whole body of the people are interested and directly concerned, in the government of their parish, their county, and their country. And if an educative agency of this kind fostering local Government, ;ind keeping the, spirit of freedom and liberty in the people of the old country,, has "had so powerful I an effect, which all wi-itei-s a-id thinkers

are agreed it has liad upon the national character, surely in a new country like this, we require such a system to produce like results. Again, the English nation is proverbially known as a lawobeying nation. Froin the lowest to the highest there is a deep-rooted feeling, which is a part and parcel of the constitution of the people, that law must be obeyed. And is not this feeling bom and nurtured and cherished by the fact that the whole people, through various bodies and organizations reaching to all classes, are engaged in xnaking°and in administering law ? If we judge of the feeling of the speakers in the Provincial Council during the debate to which we are referring, we believe it was •unmistakably in favor of spreading the power of local self-government, and making it a reality in every district in the Province, and of retaining a'Provincial Council and a small Executive, as what Mr. Davy called a sub-central power. Institutions may be defective and require change, but that is no argument for sweeping them away altogether. Reformation, and not destruction, is our duty in this case, for we believe the existence of a Provincial Council, the Superintendent bemg elected by the Council, to prevent jarring" authority,"may be the means of great'goon to the community. _ Looked upon merely as a training for public life, as a link in the chain of self-government, we believe it may have a vast influence for good. The present members have shown that they can debate well and creditably without making the Council Chamber a place of childish amusement and the exhibition of folly. It is in their own power to raise the Provincial Council in the estimation of the public. Mr. Enckland has spoken often of the want of political life in the place, let him calmly ask himself the cause for this state of tilings, and also whether that political life will be invigorated by wholly doing away with, instead of reforming our system of Government which gives us a Provincial Council as a local parliament.

Leaving tliis ireneral question, wo coineto a particular portion of the work now to be done by the Council, viz.. passing the Estimates. The Government has answered the cry for retrenchment aud economy. Indeed, one member of the opposition, who has been very loud in crying for economy, complained that it has to bepraetisedtotoogreatan extent 3Ti certain directions. But the Government is undoubtedly entitled to great credit for grappling with the difficulties of the position, and making trreat and thorough, reductions. There is=. however, some fault found bv one honourable member with the Estimates being brought down without showing every particular item in each department, but simply naming a lump sum. This plan was recommended by Mr. Thomas "Russell, when a member of 'the Provincial Council, and was felt by many to be the right course to adopt. It prevents individuals being made the subject of discussion in the Council, and a great deal of acrimonious feeling from arising. The Government have to provide for the duties being performed. Why not vote a lump sum for the service, and thus prevent partizau feelings in the Council, and language being used which had better not, be called forth ? And, again, when the Council votes salaries to individual officers for the vear, those officers and their friends naturallv expect that the salary will be paid for the year. But by voting a lump sum, and mating the Government responsible for its proper expenditure, ample power is given to retrench, at any time during the year, without a host of enemies being raised in the shape of the friends of those whose services may no longer be required. In the British parliament sums are voted for services. A sum, for instance, is voted for so many men in the army and the navy, for stores, and bo forth. Prom what has been stated by the Government, it appears that an offer has been made in reply to Mr. Carleton, to name the offices included in the first three heads of the Estimates, but not to descend to particulars in the other departments. "We think this is quite enough for all practical purposes on the present occasion. The number of men proposed to be employed in the police force, for instance, may be given, and the rate of pay, but we believe it would be better to vote a sum not exceeding a certain amount for each of these miscellaneous services, with a clear understanding that the Government would continue their work of retrenchment where practicable. We may point, as an illustration, to .a vast reform made by the present Government in respect to the administration of relief to the sick and destitute. A very large reduction has been made, and yet we verily believe, from what has come to our knowledge, that the really deserving poor are better cared for than they were under former Governments. {Similar vigilance in departments will probably show the Government that they can gradually mate large reductions by better management, and rectifying abuses which were not cared for so long as there was plenty of money in the Provincial exchequer. ~We trust, therefore, that the member for the Bay, who spoke in a conciliatory manner on Friday, will be content with the proposal of the Government who have offered to meet him half way, and so the public business may be at once proceeded With.