ADMINISTRATIVE DEFECTS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXI, Issue 2376, 16 June 1866, Page 5

ADMINISTRATIVE DEFECTS.

(To tTieJSdUarofPteWvvLrxQtioTS Independent.) ( Sir — An intelligent stranger on arriving in New Zealand, would most probably choose for his first subject of enquiry the design or mode of its civil government, affording as it undoubtedly . does under representative institutions, a fair criterion of the general intelligence, social position and acquirements of the people. To such an one, it is much to be feared, the Government; of this colony would appear, in several aspects, complicated, cumbersome, and inefficient ; and his deductions therefrom, could scarcely bo expected to contrast otherwise than unfavorably with the progress made by other young and contemporary colonies. On the threshold of any investigation of this nature here, the condition of tho aboriginal inhabitants would claim his attention^ mid their numbers, characteristics and power would be duly observed and then compared wiih that of the immiprating race, and here the fir,«t shock to hie reasoning principle would be experienced, in the fact of a few miserable and widely sea t red savages being permitted to assume an attitude of defiance to Europeans, (whose power, resources, and numbers, are so greatly superior) and actually allowed, if not encouraged, to sband as living obstructions in the path of a benign modern civilisation. Passing from the native question of New Zealand—contemptible in every aspect, save in. the serious bearing it is made to exert on the progress and development of, in every other respects, a most promising colony — let us enter upon the proper subject of the present enquiry, and see wherein exist thoSe most apparent defects in the administrative machinei-y of our public affairs. The one remarkable feature which presents itself to a stranger in the Government of this colony, is of course the system of double authority established, and the delegation of so many important and extensive powers to local or Provincial Councils in most of the principal settlements. That those centres of authority have generally worked well in the past, and have proved powerful instruments in founding and fostering colonisation in every part of the colony, is all but universally believed, and can hardly be disputed. Neither would it seem advisable or desirable oven now, to abolish these institutions, nor to curtail the powers they can still effectually exercise for the public welfare. But, alike to the unprejudiced. Btranger, and to the old colonists, whose interests and sympathies have grown up and are identified with the colony itself — it is manifest that the day is dawning when a re-modelling of those centres of power will become necessary, aud when several of those delegated functions of government will be more efficiently, more economically, and therefore, better administered by the central authority. First in the list of those, the judicial arrangomonts of the country mnst ba placed, as being th c preservators of life an d property, At present, only the higher functions of the law are controlled by the supreme power, the police establishments of the colony bcingaltogether under the management andequipmentof the local bodies. The organisation of an efficient police is of the first importance, as it is the first duty of the civil government in any advanced state of socioty, and is precisely one of those instruments of public safety which the legislation of local bodies cannot improve, and which can only be rendered thoroughly efficient by being controlled from one individual authority. The administration of justice should be us nearly as possible perfect and complete, invested with all the powers necessary for tho effective vindication of the laws, and untrammelled by the influence of any authority foreign to itself. Towards this desired end, it would appear, therefore, oxceedingly desirable that the various police forces of the Provinces should be brought within the direct judicial control of the central government. Second on the list, and almost equally important, stands the division and classification of the Crown Lands. By this, it is not intended to include the laud regulations of the different divisions of the colony, for if would appear, tliafc fcke xmmerous varieties of soil, climate, and geographical features and position throiighonfc' the islands, render necessary and politic, different regulations for the sale of the public lands. And here the local knowledge of tho Provincial Councils enters as an essential element in legislating on the territorial resources of the colony. Those bodies in this vital question, act as so many " Select Committees," composed of men who are both the most competent to judge of the merits of each particular case, and at the same time the most interested in tho wisdom and success of the methods they recommend. It may be relied upon, therefore, that it will bo wisest and best in every way, that from the Provincial Councils of the colony all alterations of the land regulations should emanate, before being dealt with by tho General Assembly. The division and classification of the Crown Lands neod not, therefore, interfere with the present arraugoments, excepting in the direction of the survey of the country — tho dividing of tho areas, small and great — and the mapping, recording, and compiling tho Crown Grants — in short, the work of creating and preserving the titles to property throughout the colony. The management and control thereof should be exercised from one directing source. Tho present disjointed and imperfect systems of survey throughout New Zealand should be speedily and thoroughly re-modelled. In several of the Southern Provinces, and partly in the North, excellent systems are already established, but even in tho best, they fall far short of what they might be, inconsequence of being only broken fragments of what ought to bo one massive, continuous, and beautiful whole. In the old countries of Europe, where property is generally defined by natural boundaries and permanent land marks, the utmost care and attention and vast sums of money are being expended in correctly delineating their topographical features. But here, and in other new fields of colonisation where every man may bo said to be a landowner, and where arbitrary lines of direction define the limits of freehold property, tho adoption of tho most careful and scientifically accurate system of survey becomes a paramount necessity. In this colony at tho present time, although very large sums of money are being continually expended on the survey of the Crown Lands, there is evidonce of tho absence of such a general system, and it is beginning to be acutely felt, that reliable and accurate titles to property are becoming more and more difficult to obtain. Tho nine different Provinces of New Zealand retain nine distinct surveying staffs, who, in nine different systems, appear to revolve in independent, and tho reverse of, unerring orbits around about, and in accordance with the various hobbies and crotchets of nine independent chiefs. Tho remedy seems manifestly to be, to organise tho wholo survey services of the colony under one head. A j thoroughly sound and scientific system should be adopted, and assimilated over all the Provinces, and directed by a surveyor-general, under whoso control, the Crown Grants and great record maps of the country should bo compiled and certified. Tho evils of the present variety of systems, or no system, pursued under Provincial management in this important branch of the public service, need not be further enlarged upon — suffice it to aay — they ai % e accumulating daily, and must sooner or lator, result in forcing the attention of the Legislature thereto. How much better and wisor, therefore, would it be, when the difficulties to be overcome are comparatively trifling, and vrhen the inaccuracies of the past and present eyatems are only beginning to be felt — for the Gte-

neral Assembly now to investigate the subjectr— with a view to the establishment of tho colonial surveys on some general and reliable basis. Assuredly at this time, no nobler measure of public utility could engage the CHroful ..consideration of a New Zealand parliament. ~~; — Proceeding down the Jisf of anomalies in tn* ; administrative arrangements of the colony, we" come next upon the Pilot Services. The hypo* thetical stranger introduced at the beginning, would, no doubt, feel surprise that such prominently national institutions should be left to tho care, of the local and subordinate governments. But with the electrical communication so soon to be completed to the seat of General Government, it may reasonably be supposed that the service will be drawn again under tho immediate official eye of the Colonial Government. These remarks, already so lengthy, do. not exhaust the subject — education, immigration, the initiation of railways, and some other of the larger public works, would appear to be matters which, from their general bearing and import, should come under the control of the higher legislature and executive ; but those may be left for future consideration. The subjects which have been briefly sketched and pointed out in the foregoing, are at present those most urgently requiring amendment, and it is to be hoped, that in the coming session of" tho Colonial Parliament they may occupy some place in its earnest deliberations. A New Zealander.