The Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 941, 11 December 1869, Page 13

The Otago Witness.

DUNEDIN, SATUKDAY, DEC.> 11. The Superintendent opened the Special Session. of the Provincial Council with a Speech which, was . constructed under adverse circumstances, < <> Those things .which ithe' Council and the Country most wished to 'know* had necessarily to be, excluded from tit, because usage dictates that the opening Speech should be that rather of the Government -thari of the Superintendent. The latter has disagreed .wjfch his, advisers oh the motft important, questions of the p day, >and what he had to 1 say on- these subjects had to be communicated by Message. ,The Speech. and His Honour's Message must be .taken together, or rather the former may be dismissed with- a' very few words and our attention confined to the latter. What His Honour has to say about the Re-union of Southland with this province will probably be endowed by every one who has given a thought to the subject. It is a pity they should ever have been separated, and a matter for congratulation that there is now so good a prospect of their reunion. It can scarcely be doubted that the action taken by the Provincial Council of Southland will be 1 followed up by similar resolutions on the part of our - own Council. The Legislative Council can hardly venture on repeating its obstructive proceedings' after such evidence of the wishes of the people of both provinces, on a subject which concerns themselves alone. The proposed settlements on the West Coast have the best wishes of , all. If the proposals of the Government are acceded to, there appears to be no reason why prosperous communities should not be formed there which will add to the general prosperity of the whole province, and increase materially the inducements to emigration from the old- world to this comer of the earth. Water supply for the goldfields has long been a favourite topic. Many difficulties surround the question of Government assistance in this great work, bat if a resolute endeavour is made we cannot believe that they will be found insuperable. These are, the subjects with which the Council has to deal during the session now opened, besides the important ones on which the Superintendent is at Lwiie with his Executive., At its ordinary rate of transacting public business it seemto almost -impossible that the Council should deal with all these matters before the Qhriatmaa holidays arrive. His Honour's Message No. 1 deals with the Chitha Kailway scheme and the question of Hundreds. We have more than: once expressed .-our unqualified disapproval of the proposals in regard to the former which have found favour with the Superintendent. It i» a subject on ' which we need say no> more. The whole correspondence oa the subjects is. now before the public, and thoroughly bean out all we have said about it; We are glad to notice that at tho eleventh hour Mr Driver and those, who joined him in. the offer to form a Gompsny to which the whole thing waff to be confided, have withdrawn their proposals, and released the Government from any implied acceptance of- them onwhioa they may hitherto have' beta, disposed to rely. Wjs do not auppose that those gentlemen desired to take urn due advantage of the Government, or • • clearly Appreciated the unbusinesslike character 'of the agreement into which they asked the Government to enter. Their mimes will men of honetfc putposw. At thesatno time >0 cannot but rejoic* that the Executive wit it» Cm© resolute!* against the scheme, and his thrown the imo^Ttalring ototutflr fkir competition. How Mr Maca*

JmaiSj^ regardto 'the vvocfbm&tiQ&M&ewpfov-'t dreds we* cannot eon^eW*His HonWrjs ,re^ons^which4nducecl)jlij6iExecuti^eito postpone aU ; efforWto have those iHuttdfeds proclaimed • < which' 4 ' : tW Co'tikcil had ilreftdy' deteitaiined/, japo&4s desira^l ble, |we abstain /rom r criticism. may* beVprsotical difficttlijie3»in. the. Fay of fitting them . to : the requirementsi rements of' the Otago Hundreds KSgulation 'Act ■with which we We unacquainted, but we really do not see Kow the. Council can assist the Government in getting over them. We are glady However, to notice that the Executive' concurred in j the proposal that , the Provincial Council should be" summoned at once.. The suggestion of this course did in facrfc arise with 1 the Executive itself, although not specially . upon , this question. The Hundreds; Regulation Act was. passed riot to hinder, but to facilitate the proclamation of Hundreds,. and ■we do not' see wliy 1 it should be. made the excuse for, delay in obtaining those which, had already been designated as neoessary. We < entirely agree with the Superintendent that 'it will be found, if so desired, that under the provisions of the. Hundreds, Regulation Act we have virtually free select tion.* We 5 may even claim that the idea thus expressed was borrowed from bur own columns. , We deem it fortunate that the disoussion of the Act by, the Council is no longer postponed, and venture to predict that the most searching discussion that can be given to it will end in a general approval of its provisions, and of the conduct of those who are responsible for its becoming law.