PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 176, 16 December 1854, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Thursday, Nov. 30. (Continued from our last.) Mr. Cutten rose to put the question of which he had given notice, viz., who was the head of the Executive in that house ? Mr. Anderson read the following reply :— ' No man will deny that the head of this house is the hon. the Speaker; neither ought anyone to doubt that the head of the Executive is his Honor the Superintendent ; we, the councillors of his Honor, divide between us the duties of the Executive in the business of thishouse, as found on consultation to be most convenient.' Mr.CuTTEN said the hon. gentlemen had not answered the question. If he would say there was no head, that would be satisfactory. Mr.ANDERSON said there was no head, (a laugh). Mr.- Reynolds: We are both the same. Mr. Harris : I always thought so, (a laugh.) Mr. Macandrew complained to the Speaker of the disorderly conduct of persons in the strangers' gallery. Mr, M'Glashan thought it was hard, when the Council presented such amusing scenes as it had done lately, to expect the risible faculties of the audience to be restrained. Mr. Cutten «put the question — If either of the members of the Executive held the office of Secretary ? Mr, Anderson read the following answer : — 1 Certainly not ; Mr. Cutten having resigned that office which he had held without pay, and it being a general feeling that the office ought to be paid, and if paid, at a note commensurate with its status and importance, more especially in this house ; it was therefore thought better to leave the whole question for a new and enlarged Council, and that meanwhile the Superintendent, as in Canterbury, should take the general duties upon himself; whilst the members of the Executive should act as such in this Council. Mr. Cutten's resignation was doubtless a disappointment to his Honor, but it was not to be stayed. We all of us have had occasion to know of a very pretty quarrel engendered at Auckland between two of the Otago members, and how very accomplished these gentlemen have returned in the act of scolding each other ; but with the merits of their dispute the business of this house has nothing to do, it must be settled between them and their constituents ; and meanwhile I would submit, whether the zeal and sentiments of the late Secretary on such topics ought to encroach upon the business of this house.' Mr. Cutten put the question — Whether the message of his Honor of the 23rd inst. was adopted on the advice of the Executive ? Mr. Anderson said— Most assuredly it was. Mr. Reynolds said it was submitted to them. Mr. Cutten wished to ask one question, of which he had not given notice, why the Executive had not gazetted his (Mr. Cutten's) resignation of the office of Secretary ? Mr. Reynolds could not give a positive answer ; he thought it was an oversight. Mr. Cutten rose to propose the adoption of the reply to his Honor's message, prepared by the committee appointed for that purpose. He said he would make but few observations, as the reply followed the message so closely that it would speak for itself. He commented on the extraordinary changes which had taken place in the views of the late Executive on the subject of ministerial responsibility since the commencement of their first session, when that principle was iully admitted ; it therefore became necessary for the Council to again express an opinion on the subject. The course pursued in sending for Mr. Gillies and making use of opinions obtained under the sanctity of a confidential communication was not only a breach of the principle of responsible government, but was such a disregard of the ordinary rules of civilized society as to require no comment from him. Of the enclosure, it was evident to every member of the Council that it w.xs not in accordance with the facts. It alledged that the ministry had stated their policy, when it was notorious that no such statement had been made. Mr. Macandrew stated the policy put forward by him (Mr. Cutten) was the policy of the ministry ; if so, the Executive were like livery servants, who took the suit of clothes off the last occupant's, no matter whether it fitted them or not. Thej' were revelling in his old coat, but the fact was known to the Council, that when he (Mr. Cutten) moved the answor to the address, he had promised to state more fully the policy when the various measures were laid before them ; he could not at that time give a clear statement of policy, for there were differences in the Executive; he was desirous of having a London agent .appointed, but had been overruled ; he had objected to raising the Treasurer and Solicitor's salary; he had objected to asking for funds for immigration, without laying the intended regulations before the Council ; he had also objected to delaying the legislation on the waste lands beyond a reasonable time, four months. Then how could the late Executive say they were following his policy ; they admitted they had no policy; it was clear they had stated none. The letter of resignation stated that the Council desired to legislate on the waste lands without consulting the people ; he (Mr. Cutlen) had proposed to his Honor that the whole nine members should resign, the public would then elect others, with the full knowledge that they were to legislate on the waste lands, or he had offered to ascertain the views of the whole constituency on the subject, and to carry out the views of the majority, even though it should be against his own conviction. Was that the policy of the late Executive ? Mr. Macandrew had constantly alluded to a motion he had made in the General Assembly, which he affirmed would have given the settlers of Otago power to alter their terms of purchase. Mr. Macandrew knew as well as he could tell him that that motion, if carried, would have had no such effect ; it would only have thrown the ministry out ; and that then it was the intention of the hon. gentleman to settle land regulations in the Assembly without consulting the people of the Province, or to leave the regulations and terms of purchase as they at that time stood, tied up until the next meetings of. the Assembly.- After some further remarks, Mr. Cutten moved the adoption of the address. Mr. Harris, in seconding the address,' remarked if it had a fault it was that it-was too mild ; the cir-

crumstances were such as would justify a more . stronger reply. ' ' Mr. ReVno^ds stated he was perfectly willing to state his views as an individual member of the Council on the land question, but he could not state them officially. Mr. Harris supposed the hon. gentleman had two opinions, an official and a private one. Mr. Macandrew regretted that he was not so well prepared to answer the address as he should have been, but from the fact of the document having been removed from the table of the house, with the object, no doubt, of having it printed without a full reply from him, he thought the committee were afraid of seeing such an answer as he would have prepared beside it in print; he affirmed it to be a misrepresentation of facts. The truth was, the mover and seconder were grievously disappointed at not being in the Executive. Mr. Cutten's object was the Secretaryship with £300 a-year. He remarked on the assumption that the late Executive were revelling in the late Secretary's greatcoat. He was not aware of that gentleman having opposed the increase of the Treasurer's salary. With regard to his (Mr. Macandrew's) offer to take the whole of the I New Zealand Company's debt on the Province, he believed if the circumstances were known he should receive the eternal gratitude of the settlers of the j Province. The motion he made in the General AsI sembly would have thrown the Ministry out, and the hon. gentleman who voted against that motion sold his Province to the FitzGerald ministry for reasons which he could give, but that he was not allowed to impute motives. He contended that, as I immigration regulations were to be formed by his Honor, they would be fixed and the Executive would have no power, and were they going to say they would not trust his Honor to make regulations. He objected to the address, as treating his Honor the Superintendent as a pickpocket. He trusted the House would devote itself to the public business, vote the supplies, and not give way to personal feeling and cavilling. (To be continued.)

The following extract from the Lyttetton Times of Sept. last has been handed to us for publication : — Free Chtjech of Scotland.— A meeting of thY subscribers to the Free Church of Scotland was helcf at the Royal Hotel on Monday last, Mr. Anderson*, in the chair. On the application of the committee a grant of land having been made by the General Government for the purpose of erecting a church, and other buildings, the following gentlemen were appointed trustees of the property : — Messrs. C. Sidey, R. Waitt, W. Wilson, J. Anderson and J. Johnston.