The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2894, 29 May 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1872.

Amongst the amusements in vogue in the Provincial Council is that of moving that sums of money be placed upon the Supplementary Estimates for all soi’ts of local purposes. It matters not that the Executive repeat, as each item is passed, that it is utterly impossible the work can be done, as there are no funds available. No matter—an honorable member has got his crotchet, and other honorable members have not the money to provide. If the thing lapses it is a matter of indifference to the majority, and so with culpable carelessness they give their vote in its favor regardless of consequences. This vice of legislation is not a harmless one. It has a tendency to bring any Legislature habitually guilty of it into contempt. A Government is supposed to have pre-cleter-rained, after careful inquiry, that certain public works are necessary, and they bring down Estimates framed according to the means at their command for carrying them into execution. But it suits some member to make a show of having done something for the electoral district he represents. A mile or two of road is pointed out to him leading to Mr Squeakem’s pigstye, who acted as chairman at one of his pothouse meetings in his canvass; and Mr Squeakem must be flattered, or he will not confer his support three years hence. So Mr Talkem moves in the House that £SOO be placed on the Supplementary Estimates to save the cloven feet of Squeakem’s pigs from dirt, on their last journey to the slaughter yard. Talkem knows well the thing cannot be done : but it gives him the opportunity of saying to Squbakem, who commands the votes of half a dozen pig jobbers, “ You see my dear fellow I did my best; I got a sum placed on the estimates for doing the work, but it is no use—the money has been spent elsewhere. Nothing will do but a change of Government/’ It would matter very little if there were only one Squeakem in the district. But, unfortunately, the Province is full of Squrakems and the House has too many Talkems, who, when united, form a body of Squeezems, who drive the Executive into a corner. If they are guilty of the Trovincial sin of honesty, and say “ If you are determined to have impossibilities performed, you must appoint other men to carry out your views, we cannot undertake the task,” they allow executive government to pass into hands in all probability less able than their own, and thus lay the foundation of future waste and extravagance; If, on the other hand they allow thousands and tens of thousands to be placed on the estimates without protest, they virtually acquiesce in the necessity for expending the money, and are justly liable to censure for not carrying out the works. The present Government cannot be charged with either of these faults. The Provincial Treasurer lias said time after time, it is useless voting more money, for the revenue of the Province is limited, and therefore the expenditure cannot be unlimited—consequently tlie vote must necessarily lapse. But there is a worse evil than merely allowing a vote to lapse. When at the end of the session the total appropriations are totted up, they will be found vastly in excess of any possible available means at the command of the Province, The consequence will be that the opponents of Otago in the Central Parliament will take occasion to point out the recklessness with which Provincial revenues are treated by the Council. The Major Richardsons, Dr, Graces, Mr Mantells, Colonel Bretts of the Legislative Council, will point to the abominations of democracy, and devoutly devise some scheme whereby they can thwart such labor-staiued Talkems, who pander to Sqtjeakems, who drink raw whisky, and smoke bad tobacco. Yery likely some of them may interest themselves with the electors of Waikouaiti to return tlipir fellow-aristocrat, Sir David Monro, on the same principle that the Jews had a king granted to them—to be a scourge to them. Were it not that these fogies, who ape the lordling caste in their style of treating men a hair’s breadth less widely departed from the parent monkey type than themselves, have present dominion over us, wc could very well afford to smile at their

political foppeiy : but we confess to not liking to see occasion given for remarks that travel beyond New Zealand, and have a tendency to bring the Province into undeserved contempt. There is enough to be discontented with, when it is considered that each of these useless appropriations occupies time : that the time of the Provincial Council is an expensive item. That 'every hour the Council is in session may be considered to cost the Province at least five pounds: so that every useless item passed is just so much thrown away as was the value of the time occupied in its discussion. It 1 would be a good rule that each member proposing to place on the estimates a sum to be expended beyond what is possible, should guarantee beforehand the cost of printing, and the value of the time spent in its discussion. The 19s lid per day of some would dwindle down to Os Od, were this adopted.