THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF WELLINGTON.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 477, 9 May 1867, Page 3

THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF WELLINGTON.

DEFEAT OF THE BORLASE MINISTRY. (N. Z. Advertiser, Ist May.) The session of the Council has opened well. The defeat of the Executive on the first day of meeting to transact business, and on the very first motion brought forward by the Government is not an ordinary occurrence. Neither is it usual that a Ministry should stand in a minority of six—four being' themselves—to twenty, on a question involving no broad principle of policy. Yet this has taken place, and to-day the province will hear that the Borlase ministry has resigned, and “some one” has been sent for. The question which brought about this marked defeat was the demand for the appropriation of £32,000 to cover the expenses of the Government until the end of June. It has been customary to ask for a credit loan for a round sum at the commencement of each session to cover expenses until the annual appropriations have taken place, bat under the Provincial

Audit Act each item of expenditureshould be distinctly stated before appropriation takes place, and the Treasurer omitted to supply these distinct items. The difficulty was more a technical one than anything else, and might easily have been got over had the executive possessed the confidence of a majority of the Couucil, and the vote of last night proves most clearly that they did not possess that confidence. There was no time for organ-

ising an o|.>positiGu, and it is evident that every member of the majority bad come prepared to turn the Executive out on the first opportunity. Why this should be the case it is difficult to say. The country has been grumbling that during the last year it has not received a fair share of the expenditure because the ministry was a city one ; but we cannot look for a solution there. It was not a country against a city vote that turned Mr Borlase and his colleagues out. The Government that they succeeded did not, and we are convinced do not, possessthe support of the Counc l, and we cannot attribute to any action of theirs the signal defeat of last night. There were amongst the Opposition almost every member of the Couucil that put the Borlase Government into office iu June last, and who have now turned upon them. May we not then look for the solution in the acts of the Government themselves ? They went iu on certain principles, and it has been alleged that they did not adhere to those principles, but yielded to the stronger will of the Superintendent, ami have been, as other agents before them, merely the agents of that will. Here isVperhW,' the most probable solution ; spt bebtr too, there are strong objections to urg^n The Borlase Ministry have had no opportunity of declaring a policy or explaining their acts. The Csiiscil has judged them unheard, and sent'them back into opposition without knowing why they are unworthy of confidence. No thought has been given to the great difficulties which lay in their way when they took office in the place of Miniswbo for years had been mere tools in in the bands of the Superintendent. No consideration has been given to the troublesome task they had before them of accommodating the differences that had existed between themselves and the buperintendent when before iu op position. In fact the Council seems to have rushed to a conclusion with little grounds to go on, and will put another Ministry into office to-day or to morow to put them out again on the fol’owing day, we can judge no otherwise when we find a legislative body that elects men to office at the close of ■ oue session, turning the same out again , °n a teclmic-d question the first day of meeting in the following session.

And who are to be tbeir successors ? Who will stop the gap with such n prospect before them ? Humor will no doubt mention many names in the course of the day, but nothing has transpired up to the hour of writing. Surely it will not be Mr Ludlam, who took the lead in opposilion last night, or Mr Brandon, who followed on the same side, or Mr Halcombe, or any of the gentlemen who then spoke, not oneof whom, we believe could command a dozen votes in the House? The Session has only commenced and there is work to be done, and whoever does go in cannot come down to the Council and plead that they shall be treated with leniency on account of the difficulties before them. We shall await the result, believing that the Council has taken a step, the conseof which it has not taken proper time to consider, and that it will find itself in a worse position than ever, with a weak Government and a strong opposition, Another scene in the farce of provincialism has been played out.