THE TIMARU AND GLADSTONE BILL.

Timaru Herald, Volume VII, Issue 246, 5 October 1867, Page 2

THE TIMARU AND GLADSTONE BILL.

[From the A T elson Examiner, Sept. 21.]

One ot the most remarkable items of news which has lately . reached us// and which seems to show a revulsion * of feeling 1 , both m the country and the General Assembty, towards a 'healthy and constitutional view of colonial questions, is the progress m the Housr of Representatives *of the Timaru and Gladstone Bill. West-land is not the" , only part of the Province of Canterbury which has found reason to be dissatisfied with the provincial administration. The district to iwhich this Biil relates has also its wrongs to complain of; but, instead of demanding 1 separation, and the formation of a new province, as the' Westland people have done, the inhabitants of Timaru and Gladstone have sought at the hands of the Legislature that kind of" relief r which it was the object of the defeated Local Government Bill to provide for ■'■ all parts of the colony: ; The House of ■•: Representatives has now consented to do by, a special, Act, for a special dis* trict, what it lately refused to do by a general Act for all districts that might require it. There may be various modes ot accounting for this apparent change of opinion. It does hot seem" a very" extravagant supposition that; sundry and divers lion, member's who. voted against the Local Government Bill did so out of general hostility to the Ministry, and that such hostility having now been mitigated, or con-' verted into amity, by the judicious measures of the administration, these gentlemen are now prepared to support what they before opposed. Something, moreover, may be due to the feieling that the power of forming local districts should not be left so entirely m the hands of the Government as was proposed to be done by? the Local Government Bill, andtlmt/it would be'better to meet the wam#; of each case as it may arise by. speciM legislation.. Be this as if. may, it ' is certain tlwit the Timaru and Gladstone Bill has been passing through' its various stages by considerable majorities-?— but not without opposition^ and ? that of a somewhat novel and-se^satidrtal kjind. Mr;Mobrhonse, the Supermtehcfent for Canterbury, is the sworfribe hf the Bill, and he has : certainly shown himself by no means disposed to adopt Jialf measures m his oppositionto itsi Several /clauses. We may presume that'^Mr Moorhonse, l arguing from the fate;pf the Local Government Bill, never contemplated .jthe v - possibility of any analogous measure becoming law •] during -the ..present session. He thought that the House having rejected, the general measure would not he likely at present to inters fere m the relations of the Provincial , r Government of Canterbury an<l its disaffected districts. There would doubtless be time for Canterbury to; set her house m order, to make things smooth, : and to charm the tempest into repose. But, alas ! who can calculate on what human nature will do, at all eventswhen personified m, membprs of a Legislative Assembly 1 Mr Mob'rliouseat length became aware of danger, unmistakable and imminent. ,Tiie >I Tiniaru T and Gladstone Bill was likely to pass, : , unless the most energetic and. vigorous measures were adopted. The first thing that occurred tothe Siiperii irehdent ' of "; Cahterbury m this desperate/ emergency ;; was a public meeting. He bad counted 1 m vain on the propensities of the House of Representatives against local governs ment, and he must now , foil back ; ;on .; the public out •of doors>, • and . on the ; people of Christchurch m particular. r Not a moment must be Jovii : a telegra m must be sent'to have a\ public, meeting . got tip m Christchnrch 'for ; the' : em- ' phatic condemnation of the Timaru and' Gladstone Bill. l ; '■'■■'' ' "■ :: ' ' ;

Not a moment was lost ; a telegram ,* was sent; the Ghristchurch! .people ■> cordially responded ; they held a meeting, and a large one; they passed resolutions concerning the Timaru and Gladstone Bill — but, ;■ horrible dietv f they recorded their eaiphatic approval of the measure which they were convened to condemn ; and', not satisfied with this, they even expressed a wish that the General Assembly would at once pass a Local Government Bill- *'* preparatory to the dissolution of Provincial Governments." Even as Balaam, the son of Beor/ did unto Balaak, the son of Zippor, so have the" ; people of Christcl lurch" done unto Mr Moorhouse, the Superintendent of Canterbury. He sent for them to curse his enemies, and behold they have, blessed them . altogether. Mr Jtfoorliouse favoured t'ae committee *vith his views upon , the, g;en>us of Sir Walter Scott, and illustrated his aesthetic theories by quotprfions from Marmion jbut, had it occurred to him, he mighthave found a more' appropriate text m another poem, "where ' the abbot who rose with the dreadpurposeiofF pouring out his cprses upon the head of -Robert Bruce, felt himself over-mastered by some high be! lest, and converted his curse into a v ery gratifying: and encouraging benediction. Balaam, and) the abbot m tiie Lord of die Isles, and,; the people of .Christchurch, will doubtless go dowi). to history as illustrious 5 instances of the perfidy which sometimes-' defeats the best laid schemes. v;

But IMr Jkloorhpuse- still .showed himself? superior to the assaults of fortune, iflif Timaru" and Gladstone

Pill was fairly m committee, and M Moorhoiise determined that it shouli not be his fault if it came out agai: very soon. Therefore he came dow: to the House and announced that wit! the view of giving hon. members th Fullest opportunity for considering whu they were about, he should avail him self of every parliamentary technicalit to obstruct the progress of the Bili He meant to speak on eve'-y possibl occasion that the Standing Order allowed him ; he feared he might oc casionally weary the House, notwith standing which lie would go on speak ing; but, that he might gain som< credit for moderation, he proposed t< limit each speech to two hours, afte: which exertion he would retire t< Bellamy's, and recruit his exhaustec energies for a fresh effort m the caus< of his country. For some time Mi Moorhouse adhered to his resolution, making speech after speech, quoting Marmion, and introducing a hundred irrelevant topics upon every opportunity. But, after succeeding m wearying and disgusting the House to his heart's content, some kind of compromise seems to have been agreed upon, and the obstruction was withdrawn. Both the manner m which the Timaru and Gladstone Bill has been received by the House and the candid view taken of the matter by the people of Christchurch are not without their significance. They are signs that both the country and the House are getting tired of the eternal prate about the integrity of provincial institutions, and are beginning to see that provincial Governments are only good so far as they identify themselves with the interests of the public — : that they are m fact a means, and not an end m themselves. If we may judge by a somewhat meagre telegram, it seems that some reactidh has set m even. in Dunedin, where the " Daily Times," the ultra-provincial organ, has been publicly burnt — for what particular offence we cannot say. We never indeed believed that the country would be permanently blinded by the clap-trap of mere provincialism to th« necessity of making all parts of the country sharers of whatever is good m provincialism. That principle will be established by the Timaru and Gladstone Bill, and it will hereafter be impossible to withhold similar concessions to other districts that demand them.