MINISTERIAL MOVEMENTS.

Evening Star, Issue 2824, 7 March 1872, Page 3

MINISTERIAL MOVEMENTS.

According to the West Coast Times, the Hon. Mr Reeves was to leave Hokitika for Greymouth on February 29. A deputation from the Kanicri district waited upon the Hon. Mr Reeves, on Feb--28, to bring under his notice several matters of interest to the mining population. 'Jhree questions were brought under the notice of Mr Reeves ; the first being the difficulty arising out of the necessity of rating mining property ; the seeond, the expediency of reducing the gold duty ; and the third, that a miner’s right taken out in one part of the Colony should be available, in all its districts. Mr Reeves, in reply, said that a new Goldfields Bill would be introduced next session, when the question of rating mining property would be dealt with. He considered that there w r cre good reasons for removing the imposition. He could not hold out much hope as to reducing the gold duty, but he thought that means might be devised for carrying out the wishes of the deputation as to miners’ righis. The hon. the Premier, in the course of his speech to a deputation at Charleston the other day, paid in answer to a question that the Government was not at all inclined to sweep away Provincial institutions all at once, and, as had been said, with the besom of destruction. Provincial Governments had done an immense good, and had been a great benefit to the Colony in many ways, performing duties it would have been impossible for the General Government to have undertaken; but as the countiy became more populous and the intervals filled up, it was desirable that they should not remain endowed with such great powers. To attempt to do away wholly with Provincial institutions would be too sudden a step, and would create too great a revolution in the existing state of affairs, which ivould be rebelled against by the more prosperous Provinces. The Government would be going past its duty in attempting to so completely reverse the Constitution, though it might from time to time be considered desirable to relieve the Provincial Governments of some of their functions.