MARLBOROUGH GOVERNMENT IN DIFFICULTIES.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1718, 22 April 1862, Page 3

MARLBOROUGH GOVERNMENT IN DIFFICULTIES.

(From the " Nelson Examiner," April 8.) One of those curious scenes which have beea so frequently witnessed in our little Provincial Legislatures, sometimes denoranaited a " Government crisis," occurred a fortnight ago in the Provincial Council of Maryborough. We read in the Marlborough Press of the 28th March, that, on the preceding Saturday, Mr. Eyes moved " That tue Council, having ceased to have confidence in the Government of the pro* vince, call upon his Honor the Superintendent to fulfil his pledge and resign." A long debate ensued, which the " Press," unfortunately, has not repotted, but this motion was carried by the votes of Messrs. Eyes, Siucluir, Dodson, M'Rae, and Godfrey ; the Superintendent, and Mr. Ward, who is a member of the Executive, refused to vote, and the other two members absented themselves from the division. ' On the motion being carried, Mr. Eyes moved "the adjournment of the Council for an hour, to give his Honor time to consider bis decision," and when the Council re-assembled, the stcme hon. member asked the Superintendent if he intended to resign. His Honor's reply was, " That he did not intend to resign his office, unless requested to do so by six members ; an absolute majority of the Council, the number who voted for the motion being only five, or one-half of that august body. But, as the adage says, " There are other ways of killing a dog besides hanging him," so Mr. Godfrey afterwards moved, " That this Council, taking iato consideration the large increase in the constituent sies of the province tbac has taken place since the elections of the majority of the members,

*■»" — — — —- - — -, , 11l - I 111 ...-■■ feel that it is desirable ttiat they should forthwith resign their seats," and this was agreed to without division; but whether the assenting members weie only the five who carried the previous vote we are not told ; for, should such be the case, the resignation of one half of the Council would in no way necessitate the resignation of the remaining half, and the Superintendent might still remain in office. The Provincial Council of Marlborough has never been a "happy family." From tbe moment it first met, it was clear that personal jealousies and ill feeling would effectually prevent any harmonious working of the Local Government, and although the parties, as originally foimed, have not held together during the two years the province has bad a Govern ineni of its own, the same amount of party rancour exists in the Council as at first, although it has been diverted into other channels. Whether with the hope of swamping the opposition, or influenced by tbe consideration that "in a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom," we cannot say, but the Government had introduced a Council Enlargement Bill, which was to add five members to the Council by giving one additional member each to the towns of Picton and Blenheim, ard- making electoral districts of Queen Charlotte's Sound, Tua Marina, and Peloius, each to return one member. This was regarded by the majority of the Council as a most unfair division of the representation, leaving, as it proposed. Awatere, and the whole of the Southern districts (considerably the larger half of the province, and tbe one which supplies the greater portion of the land fund) to be represented by two, in a house of fifteen members. An amendment was therefore proposed, and an additional member was given to each of the two disticts into which this larger territory is divided. Ip this amended shape the Council Enlargement Bill was passed, one honorable member giving as his reason for supporting it, " that it would do away with the scenes which had been of such frequent occurrence in that Council ;" an ambiguous expression, but one from which much may be inferred. But tbe debates of the Council have put us in possession of some rather unpleasant facts regarding the province. The land revenue, which was so large during the first eighteen months of the independent existence of the province, has failed greatly of late, and the last year's Estimate of probable Revenue has not been nearly realised. As contracts were given out early in the year on the strength of this expected Revenue, the defiency of income has led to a considerable provincial debt, amounting when the contracts at present out are executed to about £9,000 ; and, on learning this, the Council set to work to economise expenditure but whether the parings tkey made were all of them judicious, we are in no position to say. Besides some salaries cut down, the Pilot establishments, both at Picton and at the mouth of the Wairau river, were abolished, and the salt aries for a Provincial Engineer and that of the Superintendent were withheld. Ii is instructive to observe how rapidly public expenditure increases in the New Zealand provinces, when their Governments are once fairly started. In the way of economy Marlborough was to have been a model province. When the separationists were warned, at a meeting held at Beaverton, that provincial government was a costly luxury, and that in asm-vll province a considerable portion of the revenue would be absorbed in salaries, such statements weie held to be rank heresy, and those who dared to utter them were roundly lectured for holding such preposterous opinions. Nelson and other provinces, it was said, might make local government costly, but was that auy reason why Wairau should follow so pernicious an example? No; only get separation, and the whole cost of the Government of Wairau should not exceed £3,000 a-year. The first Estimates passed after separation was obtained were certainly in the spirit of this promise but now, in tbe third year after separation when the Esti mates lately proposed to the Council were made up, the expenditure for the following department Superintendent, Treasuier, Solicitor, Audit, Laud, Gaol and Police, Registration of Brands, Native Interpreter, Provincial Council, Harbour, Public Works, Education, and Medical and Charitable, was set down at £6,330, to which may be added £500 more for Miscellaneous expenses, and £ 1,300 for departments paid by the General Government, but charged against Provircial revenue, making, a total expenditure of above £8,000 before a peuny cau become available for public works of auy kind. A rather startling fact ; £8,000 for the local government of 2,000 people, besides their heavy contributions to the General Government of the colony. Truly, New Zealand is an astonishing country. Persons at a distance will wonder how such sums of money can be wrung from so small a community. Four pounds a head from every man, woman, and child in the province for its local government! Why, it is wonderful how it can be borne. Compare this expenditure with that of other British colonies, and the thing is a marvel. We wil cite a few examples we have at hand. Trinidad, in 1835, with a population of 43,678 souls had a Government expenditure of £31,949 ; Prince Edward's Island, iv 1836, with about 30,000, had a Government expenditure of £13,281 ; New South Wales, in 1828, with an European population of 36,598 persons, cost £40,912 for its Government; and WesternAustralia, in 1836, with a population of 3,000 persons, had a government expenditure o. £4,456. What then, is the secret which enf ables Marlborough to pay so dearly for Government, and yet continue to be tolerably jolly ? Has the philosopher's stone, which transmutes all metal into gold, been found iv Wairau ? No, tbe secret is in the possession of a large landed estate, which is being sold of as fast as possible: and by getting rid of its estate the pro. vince is able to pay Government salaries-