Wednesday, December 11.

Otago Witness, Issue 524, 14 December 1861, Page 5

Wednesday, December 11.

The House met at ,one o'clock. • Present — all the members') except", Messrs. M'Master, Hardy, Ptirdie, and ITeburn. ; . , Mr. Dick, according;tßjftotice, moved "That it is expedient thatMejis'fe'b taken to secure tbcf payment on all gol IJbi'ojighfc per escort, by ex*, acting a charge^ofl(£^^^per, > ;-ou l^ce J on all gola 'taken from - the.; : wp ifef&djr > :of %s Government Gold lteceivers," ckc^pt .for '.shipment. The motion was aft«r\V|lrU4 withdrawn on the assurance giwn by -.M-r; Walker, that the subject would receive t^b- earnest attention of'thu government. A motion with regard to tho Stuart-street Jetty, introduced, by Mr. Oswin, was withdrawn, iti favor of an amendment by

Mr. Taylor, to the effect that the Superintendent be indemnified for an expenditure which j may be necessasy to complete both the Ilattray and Stuart street jetties. The House then went into Committee on message No. 1, when a vote of £300 for . removing snags in the Molyneux River was agreed to; as also, a similar sum for the Taieri River. On consideration of No. 2 (Post Office), a resolution empowering the Superintendent to make some arrangement with the j General Postmaster as might be necessaay. An additional vote of £150 lor the Waihola Jetty was ( agreed to, and also a vote of £400 for, the Moray place works. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Bill and the Port Chalmers Municipal estate Bill were passed, after which, his Honor the Superintendent entered the House and porogucd it in the following speech :—: — Mr. Speaker and Gkntlemen op the Provincial Cocxcil, — I will not review the proceedings of the last few days ; you know how my successive efforts to form an Executive Council out of thG party opposed to the late Government failed ; and you arc aware that a gentleman who was a member, of the late Executive succeeded in the duty entrusted to him. Tlie machinery of Government being thus completed, I fully expected that your first net would be to redeem the promise convey^'lin the amendment to the reply, that the vanou~& matters to which I had alluded should forthwith' receive your most onvnesc attention ; but you at once proceeded to a vote of Aviint of confluence, and recommended me to advise Ins Excellen'iy to dissolve the Council. It is only seven months since, at a cri^^al period in the history of tho Province, I was ,ei'lrnestly solicited by a largo body of my fellawcolonists to come forward as a Candidate for'JtUe vacant office of Superintendent, — to rcdeem^n the one hand, the honour of the Province ttratt tarnished and exposed to imminent risk §#• further indignity ; and, on the other, to prott^ the Constitutional rights of tho freeholder!. There was not a moment's hesitation r.d to the nature of the, reply I should give. The call of duty superseded all other considerations. T.'ie large majority which returned me testified that the con.stitucnc3 r were in earnest. 1 have since unfalteringly and unflinchingly done my fluty, wiihout partiality or prejudice. The request convoyed in youv resolution of last evening in ordinary English, is tantamount to asking me to resign. Jiacl yon so worded your resolution as to have sought a dissolution at the very earliest period after the Electoral Roll, which will be framed in March noxt, had been revised, I should mest cordially have joined in the prayer ; but I da-'e I not be a consenting party to a transaction which disfranchises more than ons-half of my fellow- j colonists. Their rights are guaranteed to thorp J by a bond as sacred sv> my enga^ementthat man j can make,— and while that J.iw stands outvie! Satute !3003c, I, for cne, -.t:!1 ceaselessly oppose any evasion of the privfe-ses ie confers. .1 ii el convinced that his Excellency and Ills resnoiv ible advisers will not adopt a measure vrlii-.ih might have been reversed, iiad'tiio decision bf>->n arrived at in Committee of the whole House, tJ'Q only true fluid on wliich the &e;ise cf the House can be ascertained — a decision by which several thousand miners, and severai hundred individuals engaged throughout the country in agriculture,, trade, and comme-ee, cov.Kl not lake any part -ri tha elections winch wouid ensue Avere the pray.T : granted. If a. bare majority, unwilling to assume the re- j .■possibilities ot' oilk-e (tor I iv.nmt rjivc any otlvjr construction to tlie notion taken on tho prwcjic occasion), after its leader had been informed, ..s i was the case, that any JExcer.tivo* possessing t!:e j confidence of the House v/wiW i>e accepted, i>y in.-. ! i :-~v <• k.,'-.sß<.^.-.Mi-.« ai.sauiiiHuii,-TT[EhXIIOSOO:iiU* | the elective character of the onicc of'Supcrintei'.- I dent is dene away w'tli the bpttot^Hoj^uoLjon^ri the rcprcsjiitativo of rko vvhc'.j body of the pc7;j?, j, j but llio creature of the Cer..;dl, no longer t : "j muu'dian and defender of .'.:-j inccrc.-t iipunsfc local inuueiM'e, and T\r.ycrlos to pivvo I.^1 .^ of a simplu majority. This is a position ot' humiliation that no man of spirit could submit to. On such conditions I would not have accepted office, nor oa such conditions would I hold it for an hour. ' ' I thank you gentlemen for ypur attendance during the present session, and fr.liy participating in the natural anxiety of the country Members to return homewards, I will not detain you any longer. The resolution embodying your sentiments shall be submitted to his Excellency the Governor at the earliest opportunity, accompanied with the expression of my dissent. X have to intimate niy assent on behalf of his Excellency the Governor to the following Bills :— A Bill to prevent Cruelty to Animals. A Bill to constitute a Municipal ISstatc for the Town of Port Chalmers. I now prorogue this Council, and it stands prorogued accordingly. J. RICHARDSON, Superintendent.