PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 93, 3 December 1872, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

FItID AY, NO VEM BE R i> 9. (From tho Xkw Ze.vlaxd Hukald) EDI - CATIOX 13ILL. The Council resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to consider tho clauses of this bill. Progress Avas made and reported, ami the Chairman loft the ehair for an hour, for tea. Council resumed at seven o'clock. The Education Bill was further considered in Committee. KEPKESKNT.mON" BILL.

Mr Lusk would endeavour, very shortly, to place bc-fo-c the House tbe proposed alterations iii the representation of the province in the Council. Anaddtess had been forwarded to the Superintendent from tiio Council, requesting him to localise the representation of the districts in the Council. That was regarded by the Government as an order from the Council. It would be seen, that no attempt was oiade to do more than re-dis-tribute some of the seats. Instead of a reduction there was one member more provided than was in th -.t House at present. The extreme south was, practically, unrepresented. There was no provision in the present state of things for Poverty Bay. It had been at lirst proposed to reduce the five members for the City West to four, in order to provide that member. The representation of the North was as follows :—Mongonui, one member ; Bay of Islands, two members ; Marsden, three members ; Northern Division, live membo.s. The proposal is still Mongonui one, but slightly to alter the boundary of the old district. The Bay of Islands to be divided into two —Ifokiauga and Kiril.iri—not affecting Russell or Kawakawa. In Mougonui there was half-a-million acres with a population of 701 souls. Hokiaiiga and Kirikiri. about the same acreage, with 019. Day of Islands (Rus'sell and Kawakawa), 907,3f>0 acres, with a population of 105ij. Marsden would be divided into-three divisions. The idea was to follow the line of sub-division by the Act of the General Assembly. First was Wangarei, with a population, of 15-iS souls-; "Wairoa and °Wangapai, nearly one thousand souls; Otamatea, 400 souls. The Northern Division waa divided: First, iu Albcrtlaud, 72S souls; Warkworth, 1008 souls; Kaipara, 1,038; Tukapuna, 1,055 ; Waitemata, 992. Another idea l was, where there was a. harbour with a back conntry to give a member to the district surrounding. Nowtoiv is not interfered with, the division of a street being regarded as of no material interference. Newton, with its two members, had a population of 3,957 ; City West, with ilvo members,: 8,338; City East, with three members, -A,079'; l'amell, with two members, 3,503; Eden, two members, 2,715 ; Onohungii, 1,913. The Pensioner , Settlement disappeared, but it waa included in two districts—Tamaki, 1,351 souls, embracing Panmure and Otahuhu; Pukuranga, including Hawick, containing 2,955 souls ; then , there were Papakura, 2273 ; and Ramarama, 1,100 souls. Besides these there would., be Raglan, 700 souls ; Waikato, 2,500 souls ; Taiiranga, 1,061; and East Cape,. 906- souls. Those divisions would-' return each a member. Coromandel was not interfered with. The idea was,-as fur as possible,- to make population the basis of representation. But the instruction from the Council was rather to localise the representation) and it was found impossible (o act upon this idea of population exclusively. The Government were not wedded to the idea of adopting as many members as were provided for. lie (Mr Lusk) thought it would be desirable if tbe number of representatives could be reduced. But he would prefer to eurUiil rather the representation of the centre than the extremities. The wants of the town were easily known, but it was very different with the outlying districts. It should be fairly understood' that' if the number could bo fairly reduced, tho Government would aecapt such reduction. Mr Ci-eighton moved as an amendment: (1.) "That this Council is of opinion tho present form of Provincial Government is cumbrous, and unsuited to the existing circumstances of tho province.- (2.) That with a view to economy, and a to simplify the Legislative aad administrative maehh'Py I of the province,- resolved— (a) That an addi-csss be presoiiced ' to the Superintendent, requesting his Honor to prepare, nnd send down to the Council, a -Representation Bill, adopting the electoral districts constituted under the Representation Act, 1870, for the election of members to the House of Re-pnpsenf-ativivs, and limiting the number of members of this Council, to seventh*. (/,) That the Superintendent be elected under sections 3 and 4 of the :Nc-\v£c lb i,,n,rCoy,*tu,i\tioTi _^ t .< and that ho aliould have a seat in the Provincial Council) with the right of taking part in the debates, and of voting. (c) That sections 3, i, 5, (j, 7, and 8 of the Provincial Government Act, Session 1, No. 7, 185.1, yhould be repealed." He thought the aspect of the Council was sufficient to affirm the firstpropositiou of his resolution. The Executive was not able to make its own quorum. If the lion; gentleman absent had movod the second reeling, he would have addressed to the Council a very different speech. they could not get move than fourteen or fifteen members to listen to so important a speech. (" Oh!") He was not alluding to the hon. members who came in to hear his speech on the resolution. (Ciiccrs and laughter.) Now, the matters with which the Council had now to to deal were very mnch less than formerly. The Council had divested itself of most of its powers. It. had created Highway Boards, Harbour Board.* and Corporations. The message that had been sent down by the Superintendent showed that not even had they the ;>ower of thomsclvc3 to cletemine the expenditure of a certain imount of money without the approval of the Colonial vTOTornmont. The lives of Provincial Governments had fallen upon evil days ; their glory had departed. It wag useless to prolong what appeared to everybody a farce of legislition. He (Mr Crcighton) was not bound to a reduction t) 17 —he would be prepared for 20 or 21—but it would I be admitted that the machinery of the Provincial GovernI Jient was cumbrous. It might bo reduced in form. Ho proposed that the Representation Act of the General Assembly should be followed. lie had heard from the Returning Officer that it would bo possible for him to prepare electoral rolls for the districts as set out in the iebedule. The Government had desired the reductiou of the numbers of tbe members of the Council, yet they had actually increased the number. As to the fundamental proposition, it was true that tho Superintendent was elected under the Act cited, but be should have a seat in the Council, where he could meet the Council face to face, give bis own explanations, and pass his own measures. Th function of tho provinces were become more and more curtailed, and were now, perhaps, only administi ative, He (Mr Creighton) had had some ex-

perience in these matters, He believed that it had been better all along if the Superintendent had sat in the Council. A great deal of bickering and misunderstanding would have been avoided. Thousands of pounds would have beeu saved to the province. As to the repeal of the Provincial Government Act, it was clear that, as matters were at present, the Superintendent neither took the advice of the Council nor of the Executive. He had acted in defiance of them on several' occasions ; notably so in the matter of he police. The Superintendent repudiated the advice of his constitutional the Executive. The Executive was ameer buffer, betweeu the Council and the Superintendent. They shifted the responsibility upon the Superintendent, and he put it on them—and the Council was placed in a false position. No provkien had boen made for t'ic Pensioners .Settlement. The Government had already acknowledged i the deserts of theee settlers, and now they obliterated that district altogether. Tl at was an extraordinary example of inconsistency. He would not further detain the i Council, but would move his amendment, subject to the reservation that he was not pledged to seventeen as the number of representatives. Mr Cadinan moved the adjournment. Mr Dyer seconded the motion. Mr Shanaghan opposed the adjournment. Mr Lusk, on behalf of the Government, opposed the adjournment.

_ The question of adjournment being put, the. Council divided, with the following result—Ayes, 17; JToes, G. The debate was adjourned till Tuesday next.