Occasional Notes.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 63, 23 September 1875, Page 6

Occasional Notes.

— ♦ ■ By Colonus. boards of works. It is to be hoped the labours of the members of the House of Representatives in Committee will result in the production of a scheme which will be an improvement on the Government Bill for abolishing the provinces. That portion of the Bill which confers upon Government nominees all the powers hitherto exercised under the Constitution Act by the Superintendent and Council, ought certainly to be eliminated. It is absurd to suppose that provinces should be governed, as countries were in days of yore, by the Roman prefects. It is preposterous to assume that a community of British men will allow such various and extensive powers to be exercised by a single individual — not even elected by the people. This appointment of Government nominees was, if I recollect right, a proposal of Sir Julius Vogel's, on his first threatening to abolish the provinces ; but however powerful the great Premier felt himself, he surely erred considerably if he anticipated that the people would submit to subserviency. The Governor appointed by the Queen is the only nominee the people will be disposed to tolerate — all others who exercise legislative or administrative power must be elected by the people. How such an absurd provision as that of the appointment of Government nominees should ever have been introduced into the bill is extraordinary, and it will be still more extraordinary if Parliament allows the bill to pass without an alteration in this respect. However, as it seems Government is by no means disposed to insist upon " the bill, the whole bill, and nothing but the bill," but is prepared to allow ifc to be thoroughly managed, it is to be hoped it will come out of Committee in a. more satisfactory condition than it went in. Instead of a Government nominee, it would be more advisable that a Board of Works, as prepared by Mr Macandrew for Otago, should be instituted in each province. If this was done the change would not be quite so radical, especially when all the members of the Board were elected. It is proposed by Mr macandrew's bill that the first members of the Board shall be the representatives in the General Assembly, and when counties are formed of members elected by each shire or county. The duties of such Boards of course would depend upon the amount of funds they had to administer. If after payment of the amount charged on the land fund by the Abolition Act, viz.-r-interest on provincial debts, cost of administration of waste lands, and annual payments to

""*T_________________s___!____! oad Boards, there should remain, as \ would be fhe i case in Otago, a surplus) tte duties ot the Board of Works might lie important, ( |bu|' the functions Boards would be i reduced to,a if, as ..would be the/case' ti% some ' of tU^ provincial districts, there was:no<sunplus. I don't s'eP what, .would vbei the use bf making "the Otago Boards 1 of VyV^orks. a Corporation, unless it is to be allowed to have land tp/.hpld brjto levy ; rktes.. Such Boards .of Works if instituted, would not have'the maiiagenient of the waste land, .the^sale ;Pf which would be in the hands of the.Gbyern^ ment. When the entire management of the* waste lands r devolve -on the General Government, it; is :to, be hoped ; such Government will see its way -, to order the sale of.it in. such a manner as to foster /settlement pn' the larid| but ! notwithstanding the Treasurer | promises so to do, there would seem to exist, some, j .danger of the financial necessities of Government bringing about a sacrifice' ofthe waste land, and .the fact of the Treasurer having, as 'tie appears to have done, estimated the annual revenue fro ni the sale of land, in Otago and; t Canterbury,' at*/ a '.considerably ;higher figure than the r acttinl revenue for. the past financiar. year obtained ' in those provinces looks 'rather ominous. ru POLiTIOAL EELS. .^liat an excellent thing is '-. n " good man and true !" Verily the noblest Work of God., I hope, there are men, among our representatives in whom thepeople place implicit trust,' and who will prove themselves under any circumstances worthy of the trust. I suspect, however, the people by ho means place unbounded trust in most of their representatives. I don't mean to insinuate that there are many or any of our j public men who, if they had the oppoiv tunity, would sack thepublic cash, and : retire' to some secluded spot; where they could enjoy the plunder in security,, and without fear of interruption. Among our public men, however, there is at times too much versatility, top much change of hue; too much ofthe chame-, lion, too much of wriggling, like those slippery customers, eels.. You don't know ! where to have them, and are not always j sure that the public welfare is not sacrificed to self interest. Do our public men uniformly follow that instinct in their consciences, which is ever -pointing towards the right, as the needle points towards the poles? Do they always abide by those words inscribed on the flags and banners which they .raise aloft, and ostentatiously display to their fellow countrymen, pro bono publico ?' That was a shameful reflection cast on humanity by Sir Robert Walpole, or some other notability, that " every man hashisprice" If that be true we must be a lot of servile slaves. I would fain hope, however, that there, are .some among* us who cannot be boue-htand sold, like human chattels. Yet the fl*sh is weak and temptation is strong. A Government has ever some tit- bits — some delicate morsels — with which to tempt, the weak and even the strong. It is not a generous sort, of thing to cast suspicion on people, but such suspicion is justified to some extent by the actions of our public men, some of whom display tergiversation and incomprehensible action,, such as speaking strongly on one side and then voting on the other, and doing* acts the character of which is directly opposed to each other. We must grant every man a power to change his opinions and convictions occasionally, as regards ! measures of public, policy; but too much of a facility to be blown about like a weathercock is degrading, and is liable ■ to excite suspicion of being worse,when such extraordinary versatility, happens to prove profitable from a \vorldly point of view. ■ : >! ■ ■ •