THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT

Colonist, Issue 75, 9 July 1858, Page 3

THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT

(From the Lyttelton Times, June 19.) It is a wonderful proof of actual prosperity and of fearlessness as to the future, that the soxithern provinces take so quietly their partial defranchisenient and non-representation in the General Assembly. We don't know what is doing at Auckland, what our legislators are saying,—what liabilities we are incurring; and yet the electors of the south have taken no active steps to remedy the evil. They grumble and growl now and then, —but, in any.case, they would exercise this inalienable birthright;— they threaten sometimes, and sometimes even get info a passion ; —but in this too they have appeared more to be exercising a constitutional privilege or principle, than to be expressing themselves in earnest. Unless we are much mistaken, this session will see the last of this state of things. A mass of crude legislation is going on at such a distance from us that we know nothing about it. We are handed over bound to the tender mercies of the Auckland members, —the representatives of avowedly the most oorrupt constituency in, the whole of New Zealand. Such a state of things cannot last. Gtir last advices from Auckland are dated 14th May, and -what has been done since we have not the means of even conjecturing. What has been done about Electoral Reform ? Are we southerns who have never breathed a wish for such measures as are proposed, who as far as can be gathered are unaaniinously attached to the old English system of representation, to be handed over to secondhand Americanism ? Because Auckland elections have become a by-ward, is New Zealand generally to be proclaimed unfit for an open exercise of British institutions ? The voice of the Middle Island is decidedly against written nomination and vote by ballot, but what signifies that, when it has no opportunity of making itself heard at the seat of the " Central" legislature. j Still more important to us is the question, "What is to be done with the waste lands?" For all we know the subject may have been already discussed, and some new aot may have been passed. It is to be hoped, that no breach of faith to the province has been committed. But we can only hope ; the large body of men who have purchased land and entered into contracts on the faith of our land regulations have no opportunity of hearing of what is going on, much less of expressing an opinion upon it. | It is true enough that when we allude to New Zealand politics we harp for ever on the. same string.—" The seat of Government and of legislation must be removed from Auckland." \ This is not to be wondered at when we have j nothing else to cousider but our want of infor- , mation. , ■ ! There was great discussion in Canada as to the proper seat of Government. The colonists could not decide it. Upper and Lower Canada were at loggerheads on the subject, and the question was offered for decision to the British Government. Her Majesty's advisers have selected Ottawa as the most central position that could be found, notwithstanding the great prestige of Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec. If our legislators, cannot settle the vexed question of the seat*of Government in New Zealand, let them agree to abide by her jesty's decision. The Colonial Secretary will doubtless weigh the arguments on both sides of the question impartially. We have wrangled long enough; and are as far as ever from a solution of the difficulty. Let us follow the example of Canada, and request her Majesty's Government to give instructions to the Governor as to the place where he is to fix his head quarters, and to which he is to summon the Houses of Assembly.