THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1872.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1321, 23 October 1872, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1872.

Should there be a Minister of Mines? Can there conveniently be a Minister of Mines? These are the two questions consider", irthe'y consicTer at' all, as"they promise to do, the representations made to them yesterday by a deputation of Gold Fields members. It is probable that, as to the propriety of such an appoiutment, all circumstances being favorable, the sympathies of the Cabinet would go with those of the mining community. Nay, it is not only probable, but certain, if men's words are at all worthy of dependence, as, in tho case of Cabinet Councillors, it is sincerely to be hoped they are ; for more than ono member of the Ministry have casually but distinctly declared themselves to be in favor of the mining interests being recognised in the Government as well as in the composition of the Lower House. It is not so easy to decide that what should be shall be. However great and reasonable may bo the desire to make such an appointment, there are at present obstacles to the design being carried out with any prospect of the appointment being other than what some of our West Coast members would probably designate "a sham." At present the Governor's powers as representative of the Crown's claim to the minerals of a country are delegated to five or six Superintendents, or literally to the local governments which they represent, and the sudden withdrawal of such powers would create such an amount of confusion and jealousies between the General and Provincial Governments that, for a time, the cure might prove to be worse than the disease. A Minister of Mines would, indeed, find his office no sinecure, not only on account of the magnitude and importance of the interests he would have to conserve, but on account also of the opposition of Provincial authorities to any reduction of their often abused powers in the administration of affairs. The strenuous and successful efforts of Mr Vogol himself, when he was Treasurer of the Province of Otago, are sufficient indication of the feeling likely to be created among Provincial Governments by any attempt to introduce suddenly or by a side-wind a change calculated to disrupt or to destroy exiating instifcufcions^the institutions by which, politically, so many men "live, and move, and have their being." The creation of the office of Minister of Mines is not a thing to bo accomplished at a day's or moment's notice, especially when those days or moments are pre-occupied with the discussion of the accumulated dregs of a session. If it is created it can only prove to bo a nominal appointment, capable of promoting nothing, of achieving nothing. It would simply be an expan sion, in name, of the existing office of Gold Fields Secretary. The alliteration of the title might probably please the ear, but to none of the senses would the utility of the appointment be likely to i present itself at the end of a year's probation. That the office is, in any of i theße Colonies, one of primary necessity ; and importance is abundantly illustrated both by the peculiar characteristics of the countries and by the unanimous testimony of all commissions which' have been appointed in the Bister Colonies to consider the subject ; but in New Zealand especially it i 3, on account 0 constitutional peculiarities, an office

which' must be deliberately instituted, and to do that the action of the General Assembly would require to be exercised, and exercised at an earlier period of the session than the present. However desirable a Minister of Mines may be, his appointment at this date would be more calculated to gratify a theory than to contribute to any practical good. A radical constitutional change is required before the great practical good expected to be derived from the office can be achieved. These, we imagine, are likely to be some of the considerations by which the Ministry will be guided in deliberating upon the question asked by the deputation which waited upon them yesterday, and, in view of these considerations, it is most probable that they will decide to make the portfolio of a Minister of Mines a matterfordiscussionnextsession. Should they feel themselves justified in doing otherwise, and can do so without making the appointment a mere delusion, the mining community will rejoice at their success, though the rt>joicing may be accompanied by some surprise. Should no such office be created, we shall at least hope that the jeers which were unfairly excited by the appointment of a Gold Fields Secretary will not lead to the negation of that office— that the thin end of the wedge will be kept in until the time comes for driving it thoroughly " home."