FRIDAY 3rd MAY, 1867.

Dunstan Times, Issue 262, 3 May 1867, Page 2

FRIDAY 3rd MAY, 1867.

The present position of administrative af fairs on the Goldfiekls must, to every lover of good government be extremely humiliating, and from what has lately taken place, there can be but one general opinion that, the sooner the system ol double government is abolished, the better will it be for every individual inhabitant of the Colony. The action of the General Government, although it may be justified by the Goldfiekls Act of 18u6 cacnot be considered otherwise than extremely impolitic and the advisers of His Excellency the Governor in tints committing themselves to the rash proceeding of stirring up individual and party strife, shows an utter want of that good judgment for which we j had given them credit. The disturbance in the working of the Goldfiekls' depart" | ment cannot otherwise than be productive | of considerable inconvenience and person- I al loss, while there remains no gain to any 'one ; common so: se should at least have 1 dictated that the "delegation of the now- \ era" might have rcmaiucd in abeyance till I the next meeting of the Assembly, by which time popular opinion on the subject could have been ascertained, and the advisability of doing what has now been done du'y weighed and discussed. As it is the action taken by the Executive will be made a ministerial question, and should the Canterbury and Ne son members endorse the course adopted by Otago, the Stafford Ministry must go out of office, and the eood which the Country hoped to derive from the measures to be brought forward by the Government at the next meeting of the Assembly, to give to the country dis tricts local self government be unnecessarily delayed. The introduction of the system of 6hire and District Councils will be the death of Provincialism, it never can survive that the question of" delegated powers" will therefore be definitely settled, for reasons that, there will be no one to delegate them to, and the country would have been spared the pain of experiencing what it is to be hoped may never again be witnessed in a country inhabited by hnjishmeii, "a capricious form of government" TIIO course pursued by the'"Provincial authorities in the matter, is by no means dignilicd, and an appeal to the people to preserve the integrity of the Province, (while it remained such) would have met with universal support; as it is, the action taken by the authorities has weaned from them many staunch friends and supporters; the attempt to bring things to a dead ; oek being scouted with indignation on all sides I he action 'taken by the people of Clyde, in not allowing either of the rival parties to interrupt public business has been most dignined, and is a lcssnn by winch both General aid Provincial Oovcrainonts might profit ; it shews that so far as intelligence and good sense is concerned, that the governed have the ad ventage over those that govern, and whenever local self government is an accomplished fact, the people first entitled to it are certainly those resident at Clyde. The expenccs of sending deputations all over the Goldfiekls must be something considerable, and had that money been spent in trying in the Su preme Court the. legality of tho proceedings of the General Government as to whether any broach of the Constitution Act had bcea committed, a more rat Vac*

Tory solution of the difheulty covikl have been arrived at. It is very clear that somebody is in the wcong, and that somebody will assuredly suffer, an attempt to shako the allegiance of Her Majesty's liege subjects, or any act that might cause them to do so will not be permitted to pass unpunished let whoever bo the offender. Something must be-done to meet the pres:it d Ability, and tl at quickly, an I the Province relieved from one of the most humiliating positions ever held by a British people in a British Colony.

Ou Monday Messrs Brown and Iludies arrived at tlio Teviot, and finding Mr Warden Hicksou absent, they took possession of and securely padlocked all the Provincial Government Buildings, The same afternoon, while proceeding towards Clyde, they met I>lr Hicksou 0:1 the summit of the Nobby Ranges—they then informed him of what they had done, ar.d formally dismisssd him from the service of the Provincial Government. Mr J. D. Bradshaw, General Government Agent, arrived at Clyde on Tuesday evening. It is reported that Mr Bradshav; will make Clyde his official head-quarters Messrs Hughes, Brown, and Sub. Inspector Pa'gle'sh visited Alexandra on Tuesday, and took possession of the CourtHouse. Mr Warden Rob'nstm resisted aud attempted to remove a padlock which they kid placed upon the door, hut was prevente.l by Sergent Neil. Mr Robinson intend; laying a criminal information against the parties for taking forcible possession. It is reported that Mr Prendergast, the Colonial Solicitor, has arrived in Dunedin and intends taking legal proceedings against all sueli parties, who have beer guilty of icciting parties to acts of rebel lion against the authority of Her Majesty the Queen, which it is rumoured has beer the case in the matter of the late excite ment respecting the delegated powers. Thursday's il Daily Times" contains tin following telegraphic news from Willi, g ton:—The Order in Council of the lOtl January, regulating the costs of the Golt fU-lis,jl)y the Acts of the Superintendent This day's Gazette is devotee to Otago notice:-, viz : A Froclamatior revoking Mr Dick's Gold Herniations ii the Proclamations of 22nd and Doth 0 February hut. A proclamation malum I lv.gulatio s ' for depasturing rtoek or I ■ oklfields. A notice warning holders o i Miners' P.ights and Business Licenses am j others of their liabilities to penalties fo: ; committi g any breach of Pej asturh;I Licenses. A proclamation revoking tin I proclaim:.ion of the 10th January last I and making other regulations as to leasing agricultural hinds. A proclamation, dele gating ail the Governor's Go diicld power; to Stafford, except sections 22, 40. 48, GO DO, and 107, within the Province of Otago A t otice, appointing Vincent Pyke Sccre tary of Goldiields On Wedi esday evening last, a crowde, I meeting of miners was held at the Shucer: Arms Hotel, Kawarau Gorge on the with drawal of the "delegated powers" question The Mayor of Cromwell was in the Chair Resolutions were unanimously passed am carried, that the powers should be delegated to the Superintendent as usual, th< action of the General Government beinj strongly condemned. Three hearty cheer for Mr Macandrew closed the proceedings Yesterday afternoon the Mayor a Town Councillors of Clyde waited upon M J. P.. Bradshaw M.I'.R, and Genera Government Agent, and presented a petit ion containing some six'y signatures, ask ing that Clyde might bo made the hea< quarters of the Goldiields admiulstratioi under the General Government. Mr Brae shaw in reply to the Mayor, said that he always considered Clyde as the centre 0 the Goldiields and believed fiat Mr Staf ford held the same views, he considers such a course advisable, as almost am Coalfield could be reached by one day ride, it also had the advantage of Postu communication, and a reply to a telcgrapl ie message could bo obtained in ten ink ut"s from Wellington. Mr Brudshai promised to recommend the matter to M: Stafford. Mr Bradshaw stated as officially thatii was'he desire of the General Gov crnment that all revenue derive.l fro; the Goldiields, after paying salaries shon! be spent upon the Goldiields and that ill departmental cxpencos should be reduce as far as was consistent with the eflleieue of the service so that as much money a possible should be spent upon public work immediately in connection with the Goh fields Mr T. hj. Shepherd held a meetin at Queenstown on Wednesday eveniu last, on the ''delegated powers" busi .cs it was very numerously attended Whe mit to the vote a large majority were i favor of the action taken by the Gener; Government, the meeting occupied t-hn hours. Messrs Ballenstcin and V ancle; i supported -Mr Stafford.