West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1867.

West Coast Times, Issue 673, 20 November 1867, Page 2

West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1867.

The scheme propounded by Mr Moorhouse for the future government of the New Zealand Provinces, seems to be accepted more or less as the outline of the policy of the anti-Provincial party in the General Assembly. Mr Moorhouse states that the scheme is his own invention; whilst the " Lytteltou Times"says it is very like the proposal that journal has been insisting on for au indefinite time past. Mr Moorhouse says he has never had anything to do with newspapers, except giving them cheques to help them through their difficulties, and that he is much "concerned" to find his name associated with a. Christchurch paper ; and the " Lyttelton Times" is content to talk of the " singular coincidence " between its views and those of his Honor. Something very much more singular, however, is the entire want of "coincidence" between the views Mr Moorhouse propounds now, and those which he held and avowed before the passing of the Timaru and Westland Acts. At the recent meeting at Christchurch, Mv Wynn Williams took the trouble to quote from various speeches delivered iv the House of Representatives by the member for Westlaud, before he had lost his faith in the provincial system. Mr Moorhouse complained of the citation of "isolated passages'' from his speeches, without reference to the context. He declared that he was in favor of the provincial system of Government so long as it I could be worked, and had fought hard to maintain it. But, now it had been proved to be unworkable, he would do away with it altogether. He had opposed the Timaru Bill because he wanted no reforms that were not of a sweeping character. "He wanted no tinkering of an old ship, but to put to sea in one constructed on a principle which, in the judgment of prudent men, was suited to the colony as a whole. He wanted the province to have the full and uncontrolled management of its own estate, and he wanted to see the General Government concerning itself in all matters of legislation. Let the General Assembly care for the people, and let the local Govcrn- | ment care for the land." Mr Moorhouse seems determined that, as far as his influence goes, the whole scheme of Provincialism, attacked through him iv its most vital parts, shall go altogether, rather than be allowed to survive with shorn powers and shrunken proportions. We have already described the outline of his plan. He proposes that there shall be iv every province a Central Board, composed of Chairmen of Road Boards and Municipalities, who shall have absolute power of initiating and carrying out public works within the province, with power also of enacting " such bylaws as are necessary to give effect to a strictly independent provincial administration of the wastelands;" and that the country shall be divided into Road Boards, who shall have possession of the land fund, less the expenses of the surveys, and of the public works under the direction of the Central Board." The Christchurch " Press " goes far beyond Mr Moorhouse in its proposals for doing away with the present provincial system of Government. Our contemporary says: — "Our scheme for the constitution and government of New Zealand is founded upon the entire abolition of the provinces as •separate eutities. We would even drop the word 'provinces,' and speak only of ' counties,' ' districts,' and the like There should be but oue purse for the colony, as but one Government and but one Legislature. All the public departments, such as police, &c, should be under the control of and paid by the General Government, and there should be no provincial charges of any kind. AU public debts now existing, whether contracted by the General or by a Provincial Government, should be charged upon, and the interest and sinking fund paid out of, the consolidated revenue of the colony ; and any further loan thafr may hereafter be thought expedient, raised by the General Government under an Act

of the Assembly. Next, we would divide the whole country into counties, subdividing the comities into districts, similar to the present Road Board districts. This follows the precedent set by the Local Government Act, but the fault of that Ast was that it made the counties too small and the districts top large, the one being sixty square miles and the other sixteen. Our counties should cover a very much greater area. Tarauaki, for example, or Marlborough, or Southland, would form but one county; Canterbury (not including Westland) or Otago, two, and so on; though the counties need not be conterminous with the present provinces if any advantage could be gained from making the division otherwise. As to the Road Districts, we would not limit them by any arbitrary rule. Their extent and boundaries would be determined by local circumstances ; thoy would, for instance, uaturally be larger where the population was sparse, and smaller where the country was more thickly settled ; in fact they would be arranged very much according to the wants and wishes of the people themselves. The affairs of the districts and counties would of course be managed by Boards elected by the inhabitants as now. The District Bv>ards would look after the construction and maintenance of roads, bridges and other such local matters within the district, just as they now do; while the County Boards would see to the maintenance of main roads, and all such matters as more or less concern the 1 county generally. The towns would have their own separate organisation, and be governed by elected Municipal or City Couucils." The enunciation of views such as those propounded by our contemporary and by Mr Moorhouse, shows how close we are upon great constitutional changes and attaches special interest to the Westland County Act — the first experiment in the new policy.

We remind the public that the adjourned meeting of cit'zens interested in secw'ing a visit from his Royal lliglinDS3 the Duke of Edinburgh to Hokitika, takes place this evening, at the Prince of "Wales Opera House. "Wo nre requested to give the following as the correct version of what Mr Councillor Boyle said, in the discussion on tho proposal to reduce the salary of the Town Clerk :—": — " I must press my motion, for we are unuble to pay the present high salaries. I can well remember (ho time in Dunedin when certain gentlemen in that Council were not satisfied with paying their Town Clerk LSOO per year, but they made him a gratuity of L2OO. The result -was, ihej got into debt, bon-owed ill! the money they could get, and now they could only pay their Town Clerk 'the paltry sum of two hundred pounds ; and that if this Council did nob take cave they would be in tho same way." Owing to Mr Wilson's severe indisposition, tho exhibition of the panorama of tho Ocean Route from England to India did not take placo last evening, but it will positively be re-openod this evening, in the Dress Circle Saloon of Wio Opera House, and wo havo no doubt it will be a treat to thoso. who visit it. The Mayor desires to acknowledge the receipt of L 32 Os 6d, being tho proceeds of the entertainment lately givon at tho Coivb House in aid of the Benevolent Fund. At a meeting in tho Presbyterian Church,' on Thursday', evening last, Jamea Alexander Bonar, Esq., Secretary for tho Goldficlds, after an appropiate address, presented to the Rev. John Gow, in the nnmo of the ladies of tho congregation, a very handsome pulpit gown and cassock, ti3 a small token of their lovo and esteem for him as their Pastor. The reverend gentlemen having responded in his usual kindly wanner, the meeting separated. A villainous attempt was mado yesterday morning to throw the Kanieri tram car off tho rails, and a serious accident would probably havo ensued had not Mr Smith, tho managor, providentially walked down tho line ahead of tho carriage, and removed three largo stones that somo scoundrel had placed upon tho rails. Wo sincerely hope that some clue will be obtained to lead to tho arrest of the dastardly, perpetrators of so wanton an act. Wo are glad to hear that the Western and Co-oporative Companies on Kanieri Flat hare decided to bring in the now race to which wo alluded in a former issue. A Government surveyor loaves town to-day to take the necessary levels, <&c, and cutting will commence on Monday next, each company to provide ten men. As we before staled, tho race will havo its source in the Kanieri River, about a quarter of a milo above the right-hand branch. The ditch is to be four feet wide by two feet deep, and if cut at a dead level will carry nearly thirty heads of water, which quantity can be nearly doubled if a suQicionb fall is given. The encroachments of the sea on the sandy beach from Moffat's right-of-way to Orr's right-of-way were very serioua yesterday. A largo portion of the sandbank was carried away, and several of the inhabitants on tho beach had to remove tho furniture from their dwellings, some of which were washed away An accident occurrod yesterday to a man commonly known as "Jack," and who has gained a livelihood by blacking boots in front of the Empire Hotol. Jack was in Mr Cassius' yard, when ho was kicked in the stomach by a horse The kick for a time rendered him senseless, and paralysed his lower limbs. Dr. Dermott was Bent for, and greatly relieved the sufferer, who, we are happy to leara, is likely to do well. The development of the Thames Goldfield (says tho " Otago Times") is still in abeyance, in consequonco of tho chief To Hira refusing to open tho native lands to the diggers. Strong "moral" measures, however, aro being brought to bear upon him and tho Uppor Thames Maories, and there is a prospect that the diggers will soon havo accoss to tho ground, of which, at present, very extraordinary oxpectations aro formod. Tho Superintendent of Auckland, and the Commissioner, Mr Mackay, have both boon at the digging townshij) of Shortlaud, and they have interested themselves in exhibiting tho quartz-reofs to influential natives, in sending messengers to Te Hira, and in otherwise persuading tho natives of tho advantages they will derive from (he opouing of a goldiiold. At tho same place, there have been excited meetings of diggers, and tho natives havo held several kororos, Mr David Graham has

also proceeded up tho Thames, to Oheniniuri, for tho express purpose of inducing tho Natives to open their lands. In the meantime there is increasing evidence of the richness of the quartz reefs at Kauwaeranga, Some splendid specimens of stone have been obtained. But tho cry is for alluvial ground, and it is intensified by seductive reports which a few diggers give of some pretended discoveries up the Thames. Already there is an excess of population on and ai'ound the reefs, and the correspondents of the Auckland papers caution others against visiting tho district. The same circumstance is making it a difficult matter for the Superintendent and Commissioner to restrain the the diggers from proceeding up the river, and thereby probably precipitating hostilities. It is possible that, by the next mail from the North, -we may have news of tho Thames district being thrown open with tho consent of the natives ; but, judiag by present accounts, that is not at all to bo depended upon. The preservation of meat by freezing, and other processes, is engaging increased attention in "Victoria, where lately the boiling- | down of sheep has become an active industry. Referring to a project of Mr Mort, of Sydney, the "Argus" says: — "When Mr Mort has completed his arrangements wo shall be able to send our surplus thousands of fat sheep to the poor people of England, at a cost only a trifle above tho. ordinary rate per ton for freight, and in tho most acceptable shape besides. This freezing process, proved and brought to perfection here, will soon create a revolution in the provision trade of the world. Ships will bo specially fittod up for it, with double-cased iron tanks in their lower holds ; and when so fitted up it will be only needful to fill these tanks with meat, buttor, cream, fruit, or any other perishable articles we may have at tho timo to spare, freeze them by setting an eas ;i y-managed apparatus to work on deck, and by afterwards working this for a few hours occasional keep them in a frozen state until they reach England. Then, on the return voyage, in the same tanks can be brought to us the eggs of salmon and other fish, trees, plants, or seeds, silkworms' eggs, or in fact, almost anything of the kind >'t may be desirable to introduce. And our mercantile readers will see that this must cause a vast increase in the ocean carrying trade, when wo tell them that we should send away from Melbourne alone, within tho next few months, nearly three millions of fat sheep, -weighing at tho least 60,000 tons."