MARLBOROUGH PROVINCIAL. GOVERNMENT.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 45, 8 May 1862, Page 6 (Supplement)

MARLBOROUGH PROVINCIAL. GOVERNMENT.

[From the Nelson Examiner, April 5.] One of those curious scenes which have been so frequently witnessed in our little Provincial Legislatures, sometimes denominated a “ Government crisis,” occurred a fortnight ago in the Provincial Council of Marlborough. We read in the Marlborough Press of the 28th of March, that, on the preceding Saturday, Mr. Eyes moved “ That the Council, having ceased to have confidence in the Government of the province, call upon his Honour the Superintendent to fulfil his pledge and resign.” A long debate ensued, which the Press, unfortuately, has not reported, but this motion was carried by the votes of Messrs. Eyes. Sinclair, Dodson, M’Rae, and Godfrey; the Superintendent, and Mr. Ward, who is a member of the Executive refused to vote, and the other two members absented themselves from the division. On the motion being carried, Mr. Eyes moved “ the adjournment of the Council for an hour, to give his Honour time to consider his decision,” and when the Council re-assembled, the same honourable member asked the Superintendent if he intended to resign. His Honour’s reply was, “That he did not intend to resign Ins office, unless requested to do so by six members; an absolute majority of the Council, the number who voted for the motion being only Jive, or one-half of that august body. But, as the adage says, “There are other ways of killing a dog besides hanging him,” so Mr. Godfrey afterwards moved, “That this Council taking into consideration the large increase in the constituencies of the province that has taken place since the elections of the majority of the members, feel that it is desirable that they should forthwith resign their seats,” and this was agreed to without division ; but whether the assenting members were only the five who carried the previous vote we are not told for, should such be the ease, the resignation of one-half of the Council would in no way necessitate the resignation of the remaining half, and the Superintendent might still remain in office. The Provincial Council of Marlborough has never been a “ happy family.” From the moment it first mot, it was clear that personal jealousies and ill feeling would effectually prevent any harmonious working of the Local Government and although the parties, as originally formed, have not held together during the two years the province has had a Government of its own, the same amount of party rancour exists in the Council as at first, although it has been diverted into other channels. Whether with the hope of swamping the opposition or influenced by the consideration that “ in a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom,'’ wc cannot pay, but the Government had

introduced a Council Enlargement Bill, which was to add five members to the Council by giving one additional member each to the towns of Picton and Blenheim, and making electoral districts of Queen Charlotte’s Sound. Tua Marioa, and Pelorus, each to return one member. This was regarded by the majority of the Council as a most unfair division of the representation, leaving, as it proposed, Awatere, and the whole of the southern districts (considerably the larger half of the province, and the one which supplies the greater por-, tion of the land fund) to be represented by two, in a house of fifteen members. An amendment was therefore proposed and an additional member was given to each of the two districts into which this larger territory is divided. In this amended shape the Council Enlargement Bill was passed, one honourable member giving as his reason for supporting it, “ that it would do away with the scenes which had been of such frequent in that Councilan ambiguous expression, but one from which much may be inferred. But the debates of the Council have put us in possession of some rather unpleasent facts regarding the province. The land revenue, which was so large during the first eighteen months of the independent existence of the province, has failed greatly oflate, and the last year’s Estimateof probable Revenue has not been nearly realized. As contracts were given out early in the year on the strength of this expected Revenue, the deficiency of income has led to a considerable provincial debt, amounting, when the contracts at present out are executed, to about £9,000; and, on learning this, the Council set to work to economise expenditure but whether the parings they made were all of them judicious, we are in no position to say 7 . Besides some salaries cut down, the Pilot establishments, both at Picton and at the mouth ofWairau river, were abolished, and the salary for a Provincial Engineer and that of the Superintendent were withheld. It is instructive to observe how rapidly public expenditure increases in the New Zealand provinces, when their little Governments are once fairly started. In the way of economy, Marlborough was to have been quite a model province. When separationists were warned, at a meeting held at Beaverton, that provincial government w'as a costly luxury, and that in a small province a considerable portion of the revenue would be absorbed in salaries, such statements w T ere held to be rank heresy, and those who dared to utter them were roundly lectured for holdiug such preposterous opinions. Nelson, and other provinces, it was said, might make local government costly, but was that any reason why Wairau should follow so pernicious an example P No ; only get separation, and the whole cost of the Government of Wairau should not exceed £3,000 a-year. The first Estimates passed after separation was obtained, were certainly in the spirit of this promise, but now, in the third year after separation, when the Estimates lately proposed to the Council were made up the expenditure for the following departments, Superintendent, Treasurer, Solicitor, Audit Land, Gaol and Police, Registration of Brands, Native Interpreter, Provincial Council, Harbour Public Works, Education, and Medical and Charitable, was set down) at £G,330, to which may be added £SOO more for Miscellaneous expenses, and £1,200 for departments paid by the General Government, but charged against Provincial revenue, making a total expenditure of above £B,OOO before a penny can become available for publicworks of any kind. A rather startling fact; £B,OOO for the local government of 2,000 people, besides their heavy contributions to the General Government of the colony. Truly, New Zealand is an astonishing country. Persons at a distance will wonder how such sums of money can be wrung from so small a community. Four pounds a head from every man, women, and child in the province for its local government! Why 7, it is wonderful how it can be borne. Compare this expenditure with that of other British colonies, and the thing is a marvel. We will cite a few examples we have at hand. Trinidad, in 1535, with a population of 43,678 souls, had a Government expenditure of £21,949; Prince Edward’s Island, in IS3G, with about 30,000, had a Government expenditure of £13,281; New South Wales, in 1828, with an European population of 36,598 persons, cost £40,912 for its Government; and Western Australia, in 1836, with a population of 3,000 persons, had a Government expenditure 0f£4,456. What, then, is the secret which en ables Marlborough to pay so dearly 7 for Government, and yet continue to be tolerably jolly ? Has the philosopher’s stone, which transmutes all metal into gold, been found in Wairau ? No, the secret is in the possession of a large landed estate, which is being sold off as fast as possible ; and by getting ridjof its estate the province is able to pay Government salaries.