THE WESTLAND COUNTY BILL.

West Coast Times, Issue 630, 1 October 1867, Page 3

THE WESTLAND COUNTY BILL.

(WE3T COAST TIITES, SEPT. 28.) Mr Stafford's telegrams have placed us in possession of the leading features of the Bill introduced by him into the General Assembly for the relief of this district from the long injustice it has been laboring under. It does not accord to us Separation in the full political sense of the term ; but it effectually detaches us from all connection with Christchurch. It does not bestow upon us any legislative machinery ; but it gives us the power of spending our own money according to our own pleasure. It does not accord us Parliamentary Government with " Ministers " to go in and out ; but it provides for the administration of affairs by the advice of an Elective Council. If we examine the scheme in detail, we can come to no other conclusion than that the Government have done their best to meet all the requirements of Westland — so far as they could do so without multiplying the number of Provinces.

Presuming that the General Government measure is carried — and the defeat of Mr Moorhouse's motion to adjourn the order for the second reading until Wednesday next, may be accepted as an incident testing the feeling of the House — the County of Westland will include the whole of the territory indicated by the petitioners, viz., from the River Grey on the North, southward to the Otago boundary, and from the sea inland to the Dividing Range. Over this district the Canterbury Provincial Council will cease to have either legislative or administrative control. The present Provincial Ordinances are to be in force, until they are overridden or amended by General Assembly legislation. But no new Ordinances of the Provincial Council will apply to Westland. The district is to have all its money at its own disposal, and our Christchurch friends will no longer have the powei^, of mutilating our estimates for thj^p.urpose of creating a surplus revefue and confiscating two-fifths of- it for Eastland uses. % The revenue thus secured to us is the same Moorhouse guaranteed to the district in that memorable speech, bristling with promises, which he delivered from the window of the Commercial Hotel on his first official visij^to us. We are to have the enjoyment of our entire goldfields duty, and $f the same proportion of our customs duties as is allotted to provinces. Ac;pqrdiijg to the new financial scheme of the Government, one-half of the customs revenue is to be given to the province for. local use, after certain administrative expenses within the provinces had been defrayed. This may be an equitable arrangement or it may not. We simply point out that financially Westland will be treated under the Government measure- precisely as it would be if it were created into a separate Province.

The Executive powers at present vested in the Superintendent aie to be withdrawn from him, with a view to their re-delegation as His Excellency may think fit. But whoever holds these delegated powers, they are to exercise them by the "advice" of an elective Council of nine members. In other words, the administration of local affairs will be in the hands of the County Council. The Queen acts by the " advice" of her Cabinet. His Excellency acts by the " advice " of his Executive. The officer holding the delegated goldfields power in Westland will act by the " advice" i of the Council of Nine.

How complete is the " Separation' contemplated and . intended by the Government, may be inferred from other provisions in this Bill. The Westland accounts are to be kept separate — but so kept by the Colonial — not the Provincial, Treasurer. The provision for the temporary expenses of the local Government is to be made by the Colonial Treasurer. The last vestige of connection with East Canterbury is to be destroyed by the final settlement of the question of debt. The ! establishment of Road Boards, with power to levy rates, &c, belongs rather to the future state of development of the district. The new Council is to take charge of all revenues not of the nature of " rates," and of all endowments that may hereafter be conferred on the district. It is, as we stated yesterday, to consist of nine members, of whom eight are to be elected, the ninth being the chairman nominated by the Governor. These eight members are to bo equally divided beween the country districts and the towns. There are to be two for Hokitika, two for Grey mouth, ?ind four for the lilectoral District of "Westland, which includes the whole area of country for which Mr Barff has been sittiug as representative. This scheme for the future settlement of the county is injenided to be temporary

only: and the prospoctis hinted to us of our biing in a position by an increased representation in the General Assembly, of securing a permanent settlement on a more liberal basis. We may hope for that. But for the present the district may be quite content with the measure of reform offered it by Mr Stafford, provided that we rightly interpret his telegrams.