The New zealand Herald AUCKLAND, TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1868.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1310, 28 January 1868, Page 2

The New zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1868.

SPECTEMUK AGENDO. " Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each nan's censure, but reserve thy judgment. TJils above all,—To thine own s< If be true A ml it must follow, as the night the day, Thou ciuist not then bo false to any mail."

The result of the late discussion within and without the Provincial Council, on the existing relations between the General and Provincial Governments, is one almost of unanimity. Few go any further with Mr. Carleton than that a change is needed, but, .is we have said, on that one point nearly all are agreed. The majority, however, of the people in this province join issue with the remainder of Mr. Carleton's resolutions, and instead of throwing the province into the hands of tho centralizing power at "Wellington, would fain accomplish the object of reform by increasing the local powers of administration, and retaining a sub-central power on the spot, whether it be called Provincial Council pr CounLy Council. .As the colony is now situated, one strong central power for botli islands is a matter of absurdity. New Zealand is really no! one colony, but many colonies, and ,- .;il remain so until population has very

largely increased, and steam and otter appliances of civilization, bring districts wholly dissimilar in feelings and interests into one common bond. It has been not inaptly argued that if a resolution of a Provincial Council is worth anything in bringing about a change in the form of Government of a particular province, the resolution of the General Assembly might be worth as much in. bring- j ing about a change in the actual Constitution 7 of "the' Colony—that, in fact, if real reform be desired, the appeal should rather be from the Assembly to the Imperial Parliament than from the Council to the Assembly. The ranks of those are daily increasing who believe that New Zealand requires a new Constitution Act altogether—that the past sixteen years have fully shown the unworkable nature of the Imperial Act of 1552, and that nothing short of a radical change cau bring good government and a revival of our prosperity. Undoubtedly the best substitute for the present government which has ever yet been proposed, is the scheme from the pen of Mr. Munro, one of the members of Council for Marsden, and which has already appeared in these columns. "We regret that Mr. Munro did nob bring forward his scheme in the Council, as it was qiiite as relevant for discussion as tho resolutions either of Mr. Carleton or Mr. Davy—amounting like these, in fact, to an expression of opinion and no more, but serving to iudicate the tendency of popular feeling, and to enable the people of the Province generally to form an intelligent opinion upon so important a matter. The powers of the General Assembly, not even kept within the limits prescribed by the Constitution Act, were originally too large. They need to be as few as possible to be applicable purely to colonial questions, and to be sharply and distinctly denned. In lieu then of Provincial Governments with their " departments and staffs," the system propounded by Mr. Munro—and which works well in the colony from whence he came, Nova Scotia —provides that a province, taking Auckland, say, aa an example for all, should be divided into some nine counties, and these when cumbrously large be divided again into two or more districts, accordingly as population or extent of territory might demand. Each county would have the mauagement of its own local affairs, such as public works, education, mid the like, which would be regulated by courts and officers, appointed by the electors of the county and be independent of any action of the Executives, having such privileges secured to them by Act. These county courts would be composed of the Magistrates of the county, with a grand jury of 24< electors drawn yearly from a list of persons between 21 and 00 years of age, possessed of property qualification to a specified amount. We will however leave Mr. Munro in his own words totellthe further working of the scheme of Government as practised in Nova Scotia.

"These sessions." lie says, t: meet hi each " county once or twice a-year, as circum- " stances demand, and are entrusted with all " powers for transacting and regulating all " county matters, such as appointing all " township officers of every grade—super- " visors of public property—for voting " monies to be assessed for county pur- " Tineas —erecting public buildings-—man- " aging roads ana Driclges, and laying out " new roads, making regulations regarding " cattle, fences, thistles (Scotch), and all " noxious weeds—ferries within the county " —poor rates and paupers—statute labour " on the roads, and everything else con- " nected with the internal affairs of the " county, publicans' licenses, &c. The " magistrates and grand jury form the " court, assisted by a clerk who is termed " ' the Clerk of the Peace.' The court has " a president called the Custos (Rotulorum), " nominated by the G-overnment, but with " power in the session to displace him by a " vote.

" The Gustos appoints the Clerk of the " Peace, who gets a salary, and who takes " down all proceedings of the Court, and " enters them in a book of record, and is the •' principal acting officer of the county ': throughout the year, and is the depository " of all the municipal proceedings of the " year, assessment rolls, office returns, &c. " The magistrates in session decide by a" vote " of the majority, and any disputed questions, " the Custos voting equally. " The grand jury present all township " officers for selection, generally double the " number necessary, from which the magis- " trates in session select the number re- " quired. The grand jury present all sums " necessary for county purposes, salaries, " buildings, paupers, criminals, witnesses, " &c, which are accepted by the court gene- " rally, or modified and again presented to " the grand jurv for approval : the magis- " trates cannot reluse or add to the amount "of the presentment. There is also a county " treasurer, who gives bonds for exeeu- " tion of office. The Custos or other magis- " trates have no fees or emoluments, but "grand jurors who represent distant districts " are paid. Every county has a Sheriff an- " nually appointed by the Government out " of three nominated to be selected from." What a contrast the following sentence from Jlr. Mutiro's original letter to this journal presents to the present extravagant system of government pursued throughout New Zealand, "In Nova Sco- " tia, during my time," he says, " there had " been none paid connected with thesessious, " but the ' Clerk of the Peace;' the County " Treasurer had merely a commission on all " the money h« received, and the collector of "county rates had also a commission on all " the money to collect. The Sheriff had a "nominal salary, and as head of the other " constables with his fees made out a living; " all the others connected with the sessions " had no pay as they had only their yearly '• turn out in rotation." AVe are also informed that in Nova Scotia, with a population of 350,000, the working of this system of local government costs only £15,000 per annum colonial currency, or less than £15,000 sterling.