Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY APRIL 24, 1863.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 109, 24 April 1863, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, FRIDAY APRIL 24, 1863.

And so the sitting of the Provincial Council for the year 1863 is at an end. The members, with drowsy indifference have listened to their leader’s parting words of admonition arid advice, and have with a keener appreciation of the good things provided by that high and hospitable potentate for their mouths, than for those other good things provided by him for their minds, adjourned to their respective homes, each one no doubt satisfied that if ever a man did or said a particularly wise thing in this world, that man is himself and no other. “ Haiti), lad, ye little ken about it, Por Hawke’s Bay’s guid ! guid faith I doubt it. Say rather, gauu as McLean lead ye, An saying aye or no’s he bid ye.” We cannot, like our contemporary, congratulate the Province on the doings of the Council. There was a want of independence of idea or of resources amongst the members, and by consequence they fell an easy prey to all His Honor the Superintendent’s illdigested schemes. One man alone had discernment and discrimination enough to boldly attack and expose the fallacy of the course which Mr. McLean and his Executive proposed to pursue. Sad disappointment this for Hawke’s Bay, to find that all her hopes of some improvement in her condition and prospects have vanished into thin air, and that she must wait yet longer for the wished-for deliverance from the galling yoke of class legislation. The Loan Bill was passed with only one dissentient voice : but that one voice, though raised in opposition to an overwhelming majority, proved the man who owned it to be as vastly superior in legislative ability and mental power to the rest of his compeers as they were numerically superior to him.

We are not much sui’prisecl at the turn which matters have taken. We prognosticated as much when the Hawke's Bay Herald set up a song of victory on the advent of Mr. McLean. All the measures proposed by that gentleman to his subservient and obedient Council were passed without question ; and of all the measures which were accordingly passed not one possesses merit sufficient to induce us to anticipate any lasting good as likely to come out of it. Borrowing money with no definite plan in view as to its profitable investment, —introducing immigrants to occupy land which we have not got, —providing funds for the introduction of people who are not likely to stay here a day longer than they can help # (unless, by the way the Provincial Government will be prepared on the arrival of the expected folks to offer them better inducement to remain than at present appears at all likely,)—talking about bringing new settlers into a place which is being rapidly abandoned by the old settlers, because the one-sided distribution of the lands has closed all hope of any advance from our present position ; is the burden of all the talk and all the doings of the Provincial Council. And talk it is, and nothing more. Not one of the bright schemes mooted by the Provincial Government last session will ever ripen and hear fruit.

We may gather an idea of the thoroughly theoretical and dreamy nature of the proceedings of the Council from the fact that they have devoted themselves entirely to the discussion of chimerical and visionary plans, and have never once woke from their slumberous doings to cast a glance at the question of all others which was most deserving of a portion of their attention. We refer to the Educational question. In a previous article we pointed out the sad want of some comprehensive system of national Education, entirely independent and irrespective of any denominational form. Clive has a national school; Petane has a national school. Napier has none ; Meanee has none ; and yet in either one of these last-named places there is a greater number of children than in Petane and Clive put together, and those

children, we apprehend, would be as much benefited by [receiving instruction as any other children. The laud whereon the school-house stood at Napier remains a ghastly blank and a disgrace to the town. Here, then, the Provincial Government have incurred a very great responsibility. They have not failed to try and rouse the flagging spirits of the people by vague and visionary plans for securing them future prosperity, but that Government has failed in adopting measures which would have placed the realisation of that prosperity beyond the remotest shadow of a mere contingency. If some sound and good plan for providing the people with the means of educating their children in an economical and effective manner had been devised, then it would have been our pleasant duty to record that out of the desert of unproductive verbosity there had welded up a living spring of pure reason, at which the dry and thirsty listener might have moistened his understanding with advantage. Well, after all, the electors have nothing much to be surprised at. The same thing, with a variation certainly, was done in the days of Fitzgerald. All the good members of his Council, save one or two, swore by the prophets that he was the best man going, and the only man fit to keep the Province afloat. He failed, as all such unstable men do fail, in carrying out his promises, and in fulfilling the hopes entertained of him ; and piesently his once obsequious and cringing Council turned round on him, and bit the hand which before they had eagerly licked. Then, next came Carter; a good, easy-going, perfectly harmless and perfectly respectable individual, of wfliom nothing was expected, and who consequently did not disappoint those expectations by doing anything ; he was quietly shelved with every demonstration of devotion to make room for the present very worthy occupant of the coveted chair. Whereupon, up goes the Golden Calf, and down go the elected fourteen on their respectable knees and worship it to their heart’s content.

However, we hate discord, and as the Council had not wisdom enough to go in the right direction, and as it happens they went in the wrong direction witli astonishing unity, it is so far so good. It is far more gratifying to see the good men all earnestly and together going to the devil, than to see them divided amongst themselves, and some going up while some persistently go down. A house divided against itself will not stand. “ Better is a dinner with herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and contention therewith.”