THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND OTAGO.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 476, 6 May 1867, Page 3

THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND OTAGO.

pProm tho Dally Times, 22nd Aprll.J It is hardly possible adequately to describe the indignation which was felt and expressed on Saturday when it became known that the General Government had decided on withholding from the Superintendent the delegation under the Goldfields Aid, and had appointed Mr Bradshaw their ageat to govern the goldfields. But one opinion seemed to prevail—that a deliberate insult had been offered to the province in an appointment which shewed so utter a disregard of its interests. Without any disrespect to Mr Bradshaw, and without denying that he may possess high qualifications for such a position, it is certain thai his sole recommendation was his having obtained a place in the Assembly, in which he evinced himself a devote.l upholder of the Government- He may be fitted to assume the virtually irresponsible control of two-tbirds oi the province, for such the government ■ff the goldfields amounts to; but there is no evidence of it. Ho is without official experience on the gold-fields; his proving suitable is, in short, a pure laud remote chance. The well being lof the province may he comparatively j a. matter of iudifierence to the Genera jGovernment, whilst to every resideni [nt it it is a matter of vital moment |lt may easily bo imagined, iheieforo j how violent is the indignation f.-it a' 'the carelessness, to speak mildly, o the General Government of interest!

which, to the province, are so impor tunt. Those who remember the indignation which used to be expressed when line Colonial Cilice was in th< habit of disposing of colonial patronagf to political connections, irrespective o their fitness, may conceive the kind o: indignation felt. For the rest, tlu peculiar circumstances of the case, am especially the proximity of the olfeu ■lers, intensifies the indignation. In deed the anger is so strongly expresset that a few words of caution are necessary. It would be a matter much U be regretted if there were to be any violation of the law. It may be as sumed as certain that, without infringing the law, ilr Bradshaw will be pre vented from exercising any real power It would be impossible for the Provincial Government to allow the control of two-thirds of the province to bt handed over to Mr Bradshaw ; and \v< may presume, therefore, that a settle ment of the question will be delayer in one way or other until the Assembly meets. Then there can be m doubt of the result. It has always been the pride of the New Zealam Assembly to prevent itself being madt the avenue to personal aggrandisement It will resent as an insult such au ap pointmeut of oueof its members, wher there are scores of persons possessing official experieuce to whom it mighi have been offered. It is hardly toe much to say that personally Mr Brad shaw is more entitled to couimiseratioi than indignation, since his ambitioi is sure to be disappointed ; and besides the quareel is not with him, but wit! the General Government. We cannot therefore, too strongly counsel moder tion and an avoidance of anything sa vouring of insult or personal hostility We have as yet not touched upon tin larger question of whether a delegatioi of the goldfields control to anyone bu the Superintendent is possible. Ou present space will not permit of ou: saying more than that a second Go vermaent within the province, as sucl a delegation to anyone but the Super intendvut would be tantamount to cauaot possibly work. The who! province would suffer, and what is dis tasteful to the whole province canuo be made to continue.

The Daily Times of the same date contains the following letter from Mr

Stafford to the Superintendent of Oiigo. It is dated Wellington, IGtli April

olit, xiiv to thr lt\: S-ijjcrint^uu-Jut of Otugo of the powers of his Excellency the Governor, under the Gold-fields Act, 18G0, having now lapsed, the Government has appointed Mr J. B. Bradshaw to be its agent at the gold-fields in the Province of Otago, in charge of the Provincial Government all official documents, maps, Ac., connected with the administration of the gold-fields, I shall feel obliged by your causing them to be transferred to the chares of Mr Bradshaw, who is duly authorized to receive them.—l have th? honor to hr air vnllr most obedient servant. ’ ’ * The Times adds :

We isriih-Tst — l »'■..» nr,. " L umihioiuhu Liia% mi ijiauolian f during Saturday forenoon, personally applied to his Honor for a transference of the documents, &c., and the Superintendent replied that if Mr Bradshaw would make the application in writing, it would be duly considered by himself and the Executive.

It was rumoured on Saturday that Mr Bradshaw intended to-day to com mence a tour through the goldfields. A circular has been addressed by the General Government to the Wardens and other goldfield officers: and we believe that it is therein stated that salaries, &c., will in future be paid only on Mr Bradshan’s authorisation. [S'ew Zealand Advertiser, 26th April,] The fearful indignation that has been felt in Otago in consequence of the appointment of Mr Bradshaw as agent for the General Government at the gold-field of that Province, has been in the telegrams which we published told in our lust issue and to-day. Our Otagaa contemporaries go so far as to say that ho has been appointed Minister for Mines, with a salary of .£I,OOO per 'annum, and all the powers of the Governor delegated to him. We artin a position to state that their alarms are groundless, and that Mr Bradshaw is simply agent for (lie Government, with a salary of <£ooo a year, and none of the powers of the Governor deb gated to him. The action uf the Executive, therefore, in ordering that jtbe gold-fields authorities shall pay no jas ten lion to his orders, and the burst !of indignation at the appointment, arc ’laltogether premature. The Times ol j the 2 :tid says that there is but one | opinion throughout the community—that a deliberate insult has been ofifered to tite Province in an appointment jj which showed so utter a disregard u gits interests.” Why should it be so; j The Government, in making the ap ijpointment, were not guided by the injterests of Dunedin hut by the interests of the gold-fields and of the genera! revenue. The Times makes the old mistake of supposing that Dunedin is all Otago, wliich provincialists havt so long been promulgating in regard to their capital towns. Mr Bradshaw is a genteleman well-known on tin gold-fields, and has the support of tlu coiist|s&3ncy there who thought him ’ tit to'represent them in the General Assembly, The Dunedin people suppose rightly that the appointment was not given U the Superintendent because the hohlet I of that office was Mr Macandrew. Bui let the Dunedin people remember this, that though they may be Jed away [ into making choice of a Chief Magi- | strata with such antecedents as tbeii ' present Superintendent, the Genera; ' Government of the colony are not ' bound to imposr that confidence in him which they have done. Otago peoph 1 have made their choice, and must takt ’ the consequences. They must not expect to see any of the powers that an * ordinarily delegated Ly the Governoi to Superintendents given to Mr Mac | anclrew, and they must expect that other parts of the colony will endorst the decision of the Government or 1 this point. We do not intena to rala ’ up the old complaints that were math with only too good foundation against Mr Macandrew, but we may say tha [ more recent investigations have only ‘ tended to confirm the opinion of tlu ‘ Government that where u delegatior * of power is necessary, it is wiser t< 1 give it to some other person.