A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XI, Issue 487, 24 June 1867, Page 2

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

OENEBAX GOVERNMENT INTENTIONS By (lie arrival of the schooner Herald on Saturday last we have received a copy of she Oaruaru l iinss, which rs* publishes from the laake WuKaup Mail portion of a speech delivered by the Hon. J. C. Richmond to the inhabitants of Queenstown on the intentions of the General Government wiiu Tegard to the administration of tho goldfields and the proposed suits Councils Bill. We append the remarks of Mr Richmond, ami commend it to the careful perusal of tho public:—

I will pass over painful detail* up to the 'iiiie of the recent election. It is enough to say that the .MinUtrr had no doubt whatever that Mr Macaml eiv was not a tit person to be eutrude.l with the high oo.'ors ho was se king. Immediately oil the conel sion of the po 1, it became their duty to cod-ider a lino of action. Now, it iltas been asserted that a cowardly course I was pursued—that the natural thing would have been to disdlow the election, but that ihe Ministry were not tna il enough 'o face the struggle that would have followed j for it i- admitted that disallowance would have been followed by re-election, and so on again and again, with perhaps growing excitement Now you shall judgo w!i ther cowardice was the cause of the action of the Government. They, of course, thought of disallowance—it was more natural and diced; but the duty of iho Government was to look into causequinces. Mr Pick would have remained in othcc as locu.n tmeiis ; but, as the law 'tamp, lie would not have been able to assemble the Provincial Council. Appropriations were r°qu red, ami he would have been unable to obtain them, and a recent -tringeiit Act prevents the issue of public funds to the executive of the Province without appropriation All payments, then, to the Provincial Officers—all expenlit uro on roads, bridges, harbor improvements, Ac., would Imre been stopped, and great distress and inconvenience would etve followed. The Cabinet had abundant courage to face the excitement of Air Mueancltvw’s su porters; tiny were not prepaid to face a dead lock in all Provincial business, and that—unless they could find funds — would have been the cot.sequence of disdlowance. They, were u table to find funds fur the same reason hat would have prevented the interim Government; namely, that their che.-t, 100, was locked. Tliey therefore relo red :Uat us a huge maj >rity cf the electors had oh isen that tae power and honors in their _'dt should lie given to Mr Mucamirew, the Government would not interfere with that choice; but t ; at, as regard the lowers w uch the G ivernor could delegate, hey would never advise that they should oe delegated to the present Superintendent. * # * # * fhe course we have token in declining iehgution, we are prepared to abide by, imi to fight out to tin; list ; and wo boli"Ve that the Provincial Government are fighting our buttle for us, and securing u» ■bo support of every sober man in these idands. But now you will a-k me, what ire you going (o do in the way of administration for the future? To begin with, we have taken over the official departments entirely; we now pay the whole sauries ■ f the Wardens ; before, we only paid tlio ialf apportioned to the.a as Resident Alleisl rates Mr thaUhr.! will sign leases instead of Air Dick. This was about ail the changes there would hare been if the Proincial Council had acted wisely. Wo arc tot ambitious to meddle in public work* and immigration. We do not seek now to lake edueati m and the care of hospitals, ferries, scab, Ac., from local management. Our views of the pr p>r duties of liio Government are different. * * * * * The General Government watchc» over the framing and administration of ihe law ; nppoints the Judges and Magistrates, and ptys them. You, gentlemen, can say whether this is well none or not. Then die General Government organizes and maintains offices fur the registration of Mr your deeds, and for births, death*, and maniigcj. it furnishes p./slal communication wit..in the Colony, and cn a hi ige scale beyond its boriers. it cstab.ishes t< 1 'graphs fir a iue purpose, it provides organization lor defence; and no-s one other thing 1 will uow mention of some little im; ortancc to the Proviiciil Governments. If they do “ a little” in tho way of public works, who supply the means r It very p liny that I lie I’roviue.al Government spends is rai-ed by and handed o'er to them by the General Government, which looks on them, not as a hostile power to be put meompelm u, but as part of the Government of the country. What would Air Alac.i idrew and AI- Vogel do if we insisted in raising no more than enough tor our own i nmediata wauls? Woul.t it not be a way to explode the Province-, if -uch were our cud ? Would not their

)upu a iry wane wuen iney came to tax, a* weL us tJ spend? 1 do not tniiik it is our day to be rushing in the van of enterprizo and speculation, raising million loins lor railways to—( V. Voice : Say Skippers) Well, say kippers. 1 think oar duty is to preserve peaeo a id order ui the land 1.1 see that no faolious obstacles stand in t-ie way of enterprise. It is for you— for .he people in their private capacities—to furnish the {regressive o .ergy, and I aax sure, from what I hare seen hereabouts, tii.it tliespi.it oftiie race is not wauling, droverniient, in the ordinary sense, is doing its w ort best perhaps wuen it i* least

e trgpicunus. Well. the a, if is had been possible to trmt the Provincial authorities with the balance of jour special revenues after paying for the administration of justice, wo wore ready to h«ve entrusted them with thet balance, so that things might have been as little as possible changed. Of ens thing bs certain—-we sb--.1l not centralize ilia expenditure of that balance. Rather, we shall further localize it. • • * Failing the Provincial Government, the satursl machinery for appropriating this balance will be the proposed Shire Councils, I shall not required to say more of ilie details of the proposed measure than that it will divide theeoanti-y into counties, which will probiihy elect Councils off tlm present Polls, and the C >unciU will meet twice or four times a year, to appropriate money and to fix local rules. Ido not think much legislative power will he needed, beyond the power to deal with public nuisance, and protect public works. Endowments from the public revenue or estate will be necessarily one feature. T e ; e are what I believe must be the principles Several able men are engaged reducing them to form. But I warn you that the question is complex. You yourselves can see in the districts around what a diversity of circumstance has to be provided for. Some have no arable land, in some the land has been much of it sold, some are Gold fields, some pastoral districts. There may be a difficulty, then, in passing a Bid next session, and you must be patient in that case. (Hear, hear.) 1 am, however, sanguine that a good Bill will pass ; and I remil d you that the men who are now supposed to be «t the opposite poles in politics in Otago—Major KLehardsou and Mr Vogel, eat together on a Committee las Session preparing such a Bid, and seemed cqu dly earnest in pressing it on the Legislature. But I understand that a feai exists that if the Government persevere in their present course, the Provincial author! tics will visit the iniquities of Ministers on this and any other district which has suppor ted them. I hope tint such will not be tin case, and do not like to anticipate evil But even the Assembly can protect you If as I confidently expect, the Assembly support the Ministry, and see that tin question is now broadly put whether theiv ehall any longer be a Colony of New Zealand or no —then I feel sure they will dc all that is necessary to carry out the cours. Ministers have adopted You arc aware that nothii g now prevent* appropriation in the General Assembly lor pub.ie works except a mutual understanding between the Colonial and Provincial Gov rauients If it appears likely that what is feared lien may arise, and that the Provincial authorities ileal vindictively with the district, 1 can hardly doubt that the Assembly will Tote a fair subsidy to local works. (Hear, hear )