THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 393, 12 July 1866, Page 2

THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

(From the Hawke’s Bay Times, 23t.1i June.) A report of the proceedings of the first two days of the tenth session of the Hawke’s Bay Provincial Council was given in our last, and we now continue the same as far as the limits at our disposal will permit. As the session proves to be of so short duration, no serious inconvenience will result from the postponement of the remainder till our next issue, as there will not be further arrears to bring up. The session has proved itself of more than ordinary interest to the public, if we may judge from the attendance at the several sittings, more especially at those when it was expected the Government would be subjected to the onslaught of the opposition. The flimsy tissue of fallacies, dignified by the title of “ bis Honor’s Address,” was ably exposed in Mr Colenso’s speech, an abstract of which will be found in another part of this day’s ‘ Trues’ ; and the reply to it, from the hand of Mr Buchanan, as moved by the minor member, Mr Weston, for rich caustic humour is in every way worthy of the pages of the far-famed ‘ Punch ’ of the world’s metropolis. Bit by bit his Honor’s speech is taken and mercilessly analysed; its fallacies exposed ; and its facts stripped ’of their disguise to be presented as they are. The two —the address and the reply—must be read and studied in juxtaposition in order to appreciate the latter. Suffice it to say that credit claimed by the Government in the one is attributed to its proper source in the other ; information asked for on various points that the speech leaves in a state of obscurity ; and facts and figures referred to, which in the address are totally ignored. Of course such a reply was not expected, still less approved of, by the Government; and yet they had not prepared one more to their own taste. To remedy this an adjournment was necessary, and obtained, during which such a one was concocted, and afterwards proposed by Mr Newton and adopted by the Government majority in the house. Mr Newton has fully justified the confidence of the Government in him, as shewn by their activity procuring his election, and the conviction of the other party that he would prove himself a mere nominee in their hands, In fact, his lending himself to be the proposer of the amendment to the reply is all that is necessary to prove the correctness of that opinion. No one could have for one moment supposed that, in the face of the odds against them, the opposition could have had any hope that they would be able to carry any measure of their own, or to prevent the Government from following their own way; yet their labor bas not, as we foresaw, been in vain ; for they have succeeded in causing some debate upon questions that would have passed unchallenged, in eliciting information for the public that would have been withheld, and generally in attracting and directing public attention to these matters. Mr Colenso’s formidable array of questions, as proposed on Thursday, afford a striking proof of this; for although the information elicited was almost infinitesimally small—no more, ja fact, than the Government were forced to •give-!—yet - it was something; and it did cause the production of various papers, although not all that were required. Some of the answers given to his questions are curious ju their way, particularly that afforded by Mr Ormond on the subject of the intentions c# the Government regarding the proposal to alines: the district of Poverty Bay to this province. Ho said, Tp answer the question would be to shew their band in the gaum tiipy wm about playing is the mmsm of

the province.” How then, we may ask, do you go to the Assembly professing to represent the people of the province and their Council, who are, so far from endorsing, entirely ignorant of what your intentions are ? We do not express any opinion on this matter, but iu view of the changes to be effected in the provincial system during next session of-the General Assembly, it does seem to us that the greatest possible publicity should have been given to the views of the Provincial Government, and that public meetings should have been called, at which the question could have been considered with the end of arriving at, or cultivating an enlightened public opinion. It is, at all events, nothing in favor of the Government scheme to confess that it will not bear the light. On Saturday evening it had become quite evident that the voices of four members were, as stated by a member of the Government, of no avail to check that Government in its washes. On the question of prospective indemnity, the illegality and unconstitutional nature of the proposed course of proceedings wms pointed out; but, not being regarded, ended by those gentlemen expressing their protest, and retiring in a body from the Chamber, During their absence the resolution was passed in committee and progress reported. The Council meets again tomorrow.