Nelson.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XIII, Issue 1371, 22 September 1858, Page 3

Nelson.

’ V i(Frcnri the Nelson Examiner, Sent, 11.] ’ 'Ofthe eighty and odd new laws which the ejsjtqih of the General Assembly has placed iiponjojir. Statute Book, there is not one which is mtfre piportimt in its bearing upon the future govcffinient of New Zealand thnii the "New Provinces Act.” The corrected copy of the

Bill, as it was finally passed, has not yet reached I us, as the steamer came away with the southern members immediately after the prorogation, bringing us copies of the earlier acts only which were passed in the former part of the session ; but leaving the greater number still in the printer’s hand, to be ready, as we trust, for transmitting by the next opportunity : but enough may be collected from the reports of the debate and from individual members, as .to the alterations made in committee-, to enable us to form a tolerably correct idea of its provisions and general import. The Act in question provides that any part of New Zealand which has a port of entry, 1,000 inhabitants, and not less than 500,000 acres of land, may, upon petition of 150 electors, who are assumed to constitute three-fifths of the whole constituency of the district, be separated from the province with which it is now connected, and form a new and distinct one ; with the same powers of having its own council and suoH'intendent. and of expending its proportion of revenue from customsand from the title of its waste lands as is now enjoyed by any similar bodies. And in order to obviate any cavil as to distance, in the case of the Wairau, that district is included by name amongst those which shall be entitled, whenever it so pleases them to set up a government on their own account. In one particular, and that a very essential one, will the constitution of these new pro-

vinces differ from the present practice. It is provided, that the Superintendent shall be elected by the majority of the Council ; but, as we understand it, not necessarily out of their own body : although we hope it may be so, as the .Superintendent, if not previously elected a member, would, on constitutional principles, have no right to a vote, unless this contingency has been foreseen, and specifically provided for; whereas, being already a member, he I would take his seat in tbe Council, having an assured majority to begin with of those who elected him, and the power of introducing, explaining, and defending his own measures ; all which we look upon as decided improvements on our present style of proceedings ; to be adopted as soon as possible, we trust, by the older communities. We shall then be

spared the absurdity of a Superintendent sending down measures which are not adopted, suggestions which are disregarded, and amendments which are unanimously rejected ; or, what is still worse. Superintendents at open war with their Councils, setting them at defiance, and declaring their intention to appropriate the public money without the sanction of the people’s representatives, at their own sovereign will and pleasure, in whatever way and for whatever purposes may seem to them right or expedient. We can conceive nothing more detrimental to good government, nothing more likely to bring all constitutional forms of government into deserved discredit, than such results as these, which upset all our preconceived ideas as to tbe nature of representative institutions; which show the Councils in the

light of expensive shams and nonentities, whenever it shall suit the Superintendent and his advisers to disregard their opinion, or to act in opposition to their judgment.

The occurrences that have taken place in Auckland, and which are now passing in Wellington, confirm the opinion, entertained | by very many persons when our Constitution Act first came into operation, that an elective Superintendent was a mistake, and that he should cither be nominated by the Council orbe an officer of the General Government: thus, in the first case, ensuring a cordial co operation between himself and his Council ; and, in the second, forming a connecting link and bond of union between the Provincial and Colonial authorities.

For these reasons, we consider the alteration a most excellent one; and should like to see still further innovations ; to get rid of the high sounding titles we are afflicted with, and the consequent absurdities we occasionally fall into in con.-equence. In.-tand of Councils, we might then have Boards, and Chairmen for Speakers ; w T e should have Clerks instead of Secretaries, and plain Notices instead of magniloquent Proclamations. We are glad to see that the Auck land Superintendent has set a good example in this matter, and signs himself plain “ John Williamson,” without caricaturing the forms or aping the expressions of royalty. But the measure, even setting aside these alterations and improvements, is a great advance on the path of real freedom and local self-government. The provinces had already begun to display the inherent propensity of all men in power, to use it for their own private purposes. It was fouud that to call the Provincial Government local self-government is a misnomer ; that, without the ability and information, thev had all the defects of what they were meant to supersade and in.ended to replace; that they were all in their way Central Governments, drawing monev from their out-settlements bv their Customs and the sale of their lands, and laying it out for their own advantage ; as in the case of Hawke Bav where they received £50,000 and promised to expend £5,000; or the Wairau, from which £70,000 has been drawn, and a road laid out in return, which in the last freshet was found to be ten feet under water. Hawke Bav, or Ahuriri, as we hear it is to be called, is most probably now petitioning for separation from Wellington ; to be shortly followed by Manawatu on the West Coast; whilst Wairau will most probably wait until the Census is taken in December, to ascertain her chances in a similar adventure. It is very provoking, but we fear inevitable, that we, the settlers in Blind

Bay, should lose the power of selling so man-

tens of thousands of acres one hundred or one hundred and fifty miles off, and spending the money at our own doors; but we t eally can see no help for it; and perhaps, when we can no longer fatten at our neighbour’s expense, we may begin to think of turning our own natural advantages to some better account, Such a change in our circumstances may also induce some little change in our opinions ; and instead of turning a cold shoulder to those who are willing to develop our resources, and tender their knowledge, their capital, and their services ; refusing them with an indolent sneer at their offers, or an insinuation against means which we never inquired about, or a doubt as to abilities we are incompetent to judge of; we may, as many of us as arc not too old to learn, or too bigoted to l.e persuaded, possibly think it prudent to encourage the investment of capital, as the best means of promoting- heidthv immigration ; and begin to suspect that systematic industry and constant employment deserve the attention of tlie true democrat quite as .much the unbridled anti masterless license, which fills our towns with drunkards and peoples our gaols with criminals. , The opportunity, the golden opportunity, which onr rulers had of showing themselves equal to their positions has indeed passed away, and left as we learn from our Auckland correspondent, that general impression of our Executive indolence and incompetence

which has already produced its first fruits in depriving them of powers which they showed

themselves unable or unwilling to exercise : but there ts still “ample verge and room enough" for exertion, as there is abundant room for improvement, and we can only hope that, now we have not only the possibility, but almost the certainty, of having our future political career' narrowed within the circuit of Tasman's Gulf,, we shall, in striking contrast with our former conduct, display that proverbial sagacity which all allow to us tn looking after our own interests and minding our own business.