QUEENSLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4723, 7 April 1877, Page 2 (Supplement)

QUEENSLAND.

/

(j-nmi our own correspondent.)

Le Hoi cat mart, Vive la lioi —which very abstta-jtjdiy loyal sentiment; being made the su!-j-.;ct of puruly local application, may lie thi.s paraphraecd: Governor Cairna lias gone; l'--ng livi-;—i.e., for about ten days only—Ac:ing-Governor O'Cunnell ! but may Sir Arthur Kennedy (who is now fast rearing our coast), live for over—or, »t least, so lung f,s it chco;es Downing stieat that he should reign over us. Sir Mauiice OVonijeii has been badly treated, inasmuch a3, his tenure of office being iv any casa necessarily short, it was a good deal curtailed by a political crisis occurring ou the very day wheu Air (Jairns was biking a grave farewell of the male liegea in the morning, and a separate and more tender one of the ladies, who vrero invited to come alone for the express purpose iv the afternoon. There is, however, here, as elsewbere. for Governors in cssc and Governors in posse, as much as for the humblest of the humble, many a slip'twixfc t. c cup and tho lip ; and on the day of leavetakitig, the most uamistakcable failure of a Premier thai ever took office in an Australian Colony, himself at last came to the conclusion that it wouldn't do for his party that he should meet Parliament again in that capacity, and accordingly resigned. It is not known exactly why Mr Cairns was not allowed to go, leaving the President of the Lagisktive Council, no interim Governor, to deal with the polit'cal situation; but it is known, aud very well remembered, that this last-named gentleman took a decided and active part last session in preventing the railway policy of the Government from becoming law. That the country is not ungrateful to Sir Maurice O'Connell for assisting to stave off the adoption of an immature and ill-cousiderud scheme of railway extension is one thing, but that tho .administration whoso plans he upset should be grateful to him, or should trust themselves iv hi 3 hands on an occasion when ho might have taken advice from the Opposition rauks, ia quite .tuother. We shail know in due time why Mr Cair.ua stayed, and meanwhile the surmise is that he was asked to, his consent being open to no ebjection that i 3 clear to the unprejudiced mind, excupt that ib raised tho bile of the knight and his friends exceedingly. Tho change in the leadership of the Government was accomplished with a charming aim plicity, but with what is held by many people to have been in utter disregard of constitutional principle. Mr Thorn resigned the post of Vice-President of the Executive Council, and Mr Douglas, the Minister for Lands, assumed it, neither of those gentlemen or their colleagues abandoning their respective portfolios for a moment; and every thing went on with an even current as though tiie move had besn au exchange of office among subordinate Ministers only. When Parliament meets we shall, no doubt find that Ministers will be told, aud for the cedifc of responsible government that it will bo recorded, that in the opinion of persons whose minds are unbiassed by considerations of personal emolument or of pure party, the resignation of the Premier of his office as such, apart altogether from tho portfolio which he happens to hold, carried with it the resignation of the entire Government. Ministers, however, iv this case didn't think, or didn't choose to think so, and, being strongly in posaesaion, they will have n~> difficulty in getting a majority to agree with i/hem in Parliament—especially as ab tractedly ihe change of Premier meets with universal approbation, common cot scut hav'ng all through pointed to Mr Douglas as t c rii;ht leader of the teat*". A further change in the Ministry ha 3 been male by the lesignation of Mr 1!. M. Stewatas Colonial >'ecrotary, ; and t!ic appoiutirent in his place oi Mr Ww. i Miles, a veteran politician "wi o will con ■ mand mu;h more inlluence than his prt« decefsor, w) o was a novice in politic^. A section, by no moans an iuflumtial one, of tho loc:;l Press has followed Mr Cairns . with comments upou his personal and official failure, which are tb.3 reverse oi compliment,

ary ; and, while the taste of or necessity for the attack finds little echo in the public

mind, the conclusions come to in tho article

in question are very much those of the commuuit3', individually and collectively. There are, however, few acts iv Mr Cairnb's admin-

istration whkli avo mure likely to be eoii

demned thaa his unwise interference in

giving his moral support to an officer of the Government whose action in connection with

the Polynesian labour question had been the

subject of much political animadversion and

of some local raucour;

while it had even

been in terms condemned by the report of a

Select Committee of the Legislative Assein

bly. This gentleman, who holds the office of a protector of Polynesians, aud whose

views of the general question have a strong

Exeter Hall tinge, during the early part of last year, thinking that huch a course would find favour with a Liberal Government,

volunteered a long report, iv which he con-

demued the working of the By stem in many particular, basing his conclusions upon facts which he alleged to be within his knowledge, and which implicated a3 evaders or breakers of the law a host of houses, agents and cap>

tains of labour vessels, of Government agents to accompany vessels, and of employers. For this the Government were, however, by no means grateful, and his excessive zeal met •with, anything but approval. Knowing his peculiar views, they had good reason to doubt if his facts could be supported, while in any case, distinct action of the kiud which he wished to bring about would have involved them politically with a district which they were rather wooing than other-

wis3. Bat if the Government simply disapproved, the report, aa soon as it was made public, raised a perfect storm of indignation frcru a host of people upon whose toea it trod, aa well as from others in all parts of tho Colony who employed Polynesians, and who were conscious of no offence such as was sweepiugly laid to their charge by tlii3 officer. The whole questiou soon btcamfa the subject of enquiry by a Select Committee, and, while the repoit of that body is regarded as onesided, upon onfi point it is clear, and beyond cavil, namely, that the officer in question utterly failsd to make out his ease when subjected to oral examination. Since then, however, he has besu triumphantly displaying a letter from the late Governor, volunteering approval of the position he had assumed, urging him not to be deterred from continuing in the same course, and promising to represent him favourably in high quarters. As the recipient of this advice has since been acting upou it by initiating prosecutions under the Act (the proceedings in relation to which, I may mention, have since been quashed in a superior Court), by reporting agents, and otherwise making himself ob noxious to a great many people, this story "will be safe to be entered on record in Hansard before the expiration of the financial year. By the way, it may not be uninteresting to your public men that I should mention that the daily Hansard which has been talked about here for several sessions past, and fur which there was last session a distinct authority given, promises, despite the prophecies of Pressmen and others that it would be impracticable, to take duo form for the recording of the Debates of 1877. The authorities have sue cesded iv securing the services of four extra reporters for the session ; and, although the Colonies have had to be scoured for them, it is said that first-class men have been secured. Their engagement is fur five mouths certain, aud that whatever may be the contingencies oi the session, they will be paid for that period. This daily issue will in any case be a costly matter, involving a3 it will a permanent staff of three, and a temporary one for five months of four highly paid men ; while the printiug of the daily broad sheet will necessarily involve considerable expense. In due time I suppose it will be known what this luxury cost the country—the luxury being not so much to the country itself as to members, who will by its means be brought into daily communion with thsir constituents. This, at least, is the theory of the thing, but it h extremely doubtful if it will give satisfaction, its great cost notwithstanding. In the very nature of things, a broad sheet which must be published in time for the early mails will b9 limited as to size, aud it will be found that in my important speeches arcssverely clipped, while mmy which are the reverse of important, but th.3 makers of which are entitled that their utterances shall be known, will have to be so much curtailed as to casiiy inspire this cla:S of speakers with a disbelieE iv sn institution which practically relegatss them to obscurity.

After puttiug off any action until within four weeks of the opening, it is now probable that Queensland will be represented, atthe Intercolonial Exhibition to bs held in •Sydney nc-xb month. The Queensland Government have granted a sum of £300 to be placed at the disposal of four Commissioners who have been appointed at the last moment to hunt up exhibits, aud to shepherd exhibitors. The Commissioners appointed for this purpose are Mr Angus Mackay, who represented the Government ia Philadelphia, Mr P. R. Gordon, Chief lusyectoi- «.f Stock, Mr John Fonwick. a leading spirit of the Queensland National Association, and Mr L. A. Beruays. It will be a tight tit; to do tho work in time, but the Commissioners are pushing men, and are sanguine of fair success, although the time at their disposal is unquestionably too short. Two, r.nd possibly three, of the four Comniksioners will proceed to Sydney with tho exhibits, where, affctr all tho recent parade which Queensland has bean making in America, it is to be hoped that they may succeed in making a decent display before the American and Canadian exhibitors, who will muster strong on the occasion.

In one matter at least—and for a wonder, as Governments go—the Queensland Government are adopting a course ab which no one can cavil, and which, to a certain extent, meets with universal approval. You will reinetaher iha.t the depreciations which, in some paits of the country, are being perpetrated upoa the grass by the genus kangaroo were made the subject of an abstract resolution at the fag end of last session, when the Leg! slative Assembly 6 eclarad that- the subject deserveu. the serious attention of the Government. No one expected that it wonld get it, but it scums that the present Minister for lands, and now Frontier, is somewhat scrupulous about his promises expressed or implied—not a common weakness in politiciaus, but pleasant and v.seful enough when encounotred —and a3, to get rid of the introducer of the "marsupial pest" at an inconvenient moment, just at the last kick of the session, Mr Douglas promise 1 tint tho matter should " have his attention," wo now have the outcome of that promise in the shape of a draft 75:11, prepared by Mr Gordon, the Chief Inspsstor of Stock, for alleviating what is undoubtedly a serious evil. The Bill proposes to grant liceuses for the destruction of these vermin, which license shall entitle the holder to go upon runs for the object specified therein; aud the result of their forays, in the form of well-prepared skins, will be bought by the various Clerks of Petty Sessions, at prices to be fixed by the Act, and the expenditure be debited against "The Marsupial Account" in the Treasury. The skins so collected will, in due course, be sold, and the account be credited with the proceeds ; and any debtor balance will be met by a spechl assessment, which is also fixed by the Act, on ehetp and cattle. I only give the lending featured of the Bill, which, of course, also provides the details of working, especially as it is undergoing the process of worrying at the handa of all the squatters and many of the agriculturists of the Colony, for which purposes it has been circulated, together witli a report on the whole subject by Mr Gordon. From the replies to the circular the Bill will take form for presentation to Parliament, and it is very probable now that another 6casion will not be a'lowud to pass over without legislation, which is at Je.isl; aa much required as apparent!}' is sorao repressive measures in your Province for keeping down rabbits. Mr Gordon gives some very good reasons why the Public Treasury should bo a contributor to the fund ; and "there h little doubt that the Crowa Lands will in one form or another be made to help in ridding the country of a growing nui a ice which, if allowed to remain unchecked, cannot fail soon to affect the revenues of ihe Colony.

Tho Gipps Land Mercury states that a quarry of black marble h;is been discovered near Cowwpr.

Joseph IJarrctfc, Tiealaw, has been committed for trial on a charge of stealing s wedding ring from a jeweller at Ponlyprido. The prisoner had stolen the ring for the purpose of getting married, but was apprehended before the nuptials were consummated.

Herr Wilhelmj has purchased a violin made by Jcseph Guaruorius in Cremona, ;n 1734, for tho price of KJ.QOQf, (£UO.)