GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Otago Witness, Issue 489, 13 April 1861, Page 5

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

The " Lytteltoh Times," of the 27th ult., makes the following remarks with reference to the next meeting of the General Assembly: —

" The first session of the new elected Parliament of New Zealand is generally expected to be shortly summoned. The last House of Representatives declared by resolution an opinion that the time most convenient for both public and private interests would be in April, next month. As we are now at the end of March, and the next mail from Auckland will not arrive here till the middle of April, it is certain that the session will not be held at any time during that month ; and if the. usual month's notice be given to the Southern members, the first week of June will be the earliest period for which the Governor's proclamatioa can be made out. As yet nothing has been heard as to the time, and there is some probability that, as has before~happened, the financial year will be suffered to elapse and a period of unauthorised expenditure to commence, before the people's representatives are called to consider the state of the country. " There is also some doubt jus to the place of meeting. Last session was summoned at Auckland for a special reason, in the validity of which the colony at large concurred. There had been a promise made by the Governor that that Session should be held in Wellington ; and every arrangement was made, by * the Government as well as by private members, for the meeting there. But the native disturbances broke out at Taranaki, and the tribes close to Auckland were excited by the king* movement as well as by the outbreak of the insurgents. The Governor could not safety venture to leave the neighbourhood of the excitement, where his presence and that of his ministers might be needed at any time; he first postponed the session of the Assembly, but afterwards summoned it at Auckland instead of at Wellington, that no longer delay might occur. In this determination! the Southern provinces, which were chiefly interested, fully concurred; not a dissentient voice was heard, and the only complaint was, that any delay whatever should have occurred before taking that most proper step. At the same time a stipulation was expressed that the succeeding session should be held at Wellington, as before arranged. The last House' of Representatives expressed an opinion to the same effect in unequivocal language ; and an understanding existed on all sides that Wellington should be the site of the meeting which is now about to take place. It was scarcely anticipated at the time that the war . which commenced early in 1860 would be protracted till the middle of 1801 ; and that the doubtful character of the populous native tribes in the neighbourhood of Auckland would be more dangerously exhibited now than ever before, and would therefore prove a still more powerful hindrance to the removal of the Governor to the South for this year's session.

" We have no hesitation in offering the same opinion now as at this time last year upon the subject. The Governor's position is patent to everybody. There can be no suspicion that . the state of affairs is put forward as a mere blind or excuse for retaining Auckland as the > seat of Government for a year or two longer. We are therefore satisfied to accept again, with c all patience, the postponement of the removal of the seat of Government southwards for" another year, if it be understood that a session will be held at Wellington as soon as matters are so far settled in the North as to admit of the change. " At all events, we earnestly deprecate any postponement of the session. Times of civil ■ war demand imperatively that the Government shall consult the people, instead of being, as seems the accepted opinion, an excuse for deferring the time of meeting. We have had such repeated breaches of constitutional practice of late that it has become absolutely necessary to adhere strictly to rule for the future. The people of the South Island, while they are content to sacrifice much on account of the native disturbances in the sister island, must demand at least this — that anarchy and arbitrary rule be not permitted to prevail, but that, the forms and spirit of responsible government be maintained intact, that so our power of at least doing justice to ourselves may be secured to us."