The Hawke's Bay Times. Published every Monday and Thursday. MONDAY, 2nd JULY, 1886. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 390, 2 July 1866, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times. Published every Monday and Thursday.

MONDAY, 2nd JULY, 1886. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

“HULUUS ADDICTUB JUKABJS IN VERBA MAGISTBI. m

As this issue of the “ Hawke’s Bay Times’* is placed in the hands of our subscribers, we may reasonably suppose that the representatives of the people of the Colony are about assembling for the discussion of the important questions that are awaiting their decisions, and we again recur to the subject of probable constitutional changes, as being that of the greatest importance to the Colony of any at present before it, or likely to be discussed in the Assembly. From a very careful and impartial review of all the circumstances of the case as they appear before us, we are at length enabled to arrive at a fair conclusion as to what the nature o* the proposed constitutional changes may be expected to be, and in this we make no claim to more than ordinary foresight, and certainly not to any information not in the possession of our contemporaries generally. The Separationists generally have by this time ceased toexpect anyimmediate fulfilment of their wishes, and for several reasons. These generally are the opposition of the whole central portion of the Colony to their scheme ; the declared antagonism of the head of the Ministry, Mr Stafford j and the discouraging nature of the replies received to their memorials addressed to the Home authorities. The question then remains to which of the other parties in the House are they likely to add their influence in the settlement of the exed question? Although these parties are variously composed, from the thorough Centralist to the extreme Provincialise, it is evident that all are to be classed in the ranks of one or other of these parties; and that the changes in the Constitution will bo of such a character as will not run violently counter to the ideas of either party, but' in satisfying the intelligent claim of the moderate of both, will prove something like a concession to the demands of the extreme. Were this not the case, we thiuk the present constitution of the Ministry would bo altogether inexplicable, being, as we have on a previous occasion shown, composed of conflicting, if not antagonistic elements ; but in the supposition of mutual concession we can see the gleams of a system that shall be satisfactory to the Colony, and calculated to meet the exigencies of the case. If we were asked. Do we suppose that there will be an overthrow of the Provincial system ?—we reply, we do not expect any change of so violent a nature. The Provincial element' is too strong in the Housa for this, and power once possessed by any corporate body is hardly relinquished. The Superintendents of Provinces are a strong body in the Assembly, and however they may be divided on other questions, would unite to resist any invasion of their power. The same, or similar considerations, are sufficient to negative any proposal for the re-absorption of the separated Provinces by the parent Provinces. Self-government, once possessed, is likely to be firmly clutched, and not readily given up; therefore we do not expect to hear much of the scheme of re-annexation.

Supposing, then, the union of the Colony to remain intact, and the Provincial system to be maintained, it appears that the alternative is, EXTENDED POWERS TO THE PROVINCIAL Governments, and a re-adjust-ment OF THE BOUNDARIES OE THE PROVINCES, so as to bring about something like a balance oe power. We believe that if the above idea be carried out after a well-devised plan, that it will be found to give satisfaction to the Colony as a whole. These 'who have clamored for Separation will to a large extent acquire all the benefit that Separation could give them, or that they conceive would result from it, in the independent management of their own affairs. The Provincialise*

would also join in bringing about a state of things that would add to the greatly prized power already possessed by them, and the smaller Provinces would be raised from their present comparative insignificance to a position of equality with their more pretentious brethren. Here it is we meet with the only difficulty that such a scheme presents—the unwillingness of the larger Provinces to part with any portion of territory, and we have latterly seen how a proposal concerning the Poverty Bay District has been treated by the Auckland press. Yet when we consider that the great boon so long and so ardently desired by Auckland —independence in the management of its own affairs —is conferred at the same time arfd by the same means that deprives it of a portion of its territory, we conceive that it will not be seriously opposed, the former being doubtless, even in the estimation of Auckland politicians, of far more value to it than the latter. We regard the other schemes that have been propounded by various parties, comprising an extended division of the Colony into a number of small districts—be they called by the name of counties or whatever else, the abolition of the Provincial Governments, and concentration of all powers now possessed by them in a central authority, as visionary in the extreme, on account of the vast opposition they would encounter from existing interests, and in any case only possible after Separation, which, as we have already shewn, is not to be thought of as a probable contingency.