Hawke's Bay Times. THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1868. THE RESOLUTION OF CONFIDENCE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 589, 25 June 1868, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1868. THE RESOLUTION OF CONFIDENCE.

N/dlii'S addict us jurare in vcrla magistri.

Below will be found a condensed report of the proceedings in Council on Tuesday evening last. It will be remembered that after the Financial Statement by Mr Ormond, a financial committee was appointed by the Council, with the view of making any further reductions possible in the expenditure. The Government opposed the motion, and were consequently left ini a minority. It dees not seem thatj anything like an expression of want of; confidence was intended by the mover; of the motion for a committee, or thatj it was at that time so considered by the Government. Certain it is that the majority of members who for it had no such intention. But the i Government profess to have discovered |that this was implied, if not expressed, in the motion, and came down and asked the house to assure them of its confidence—not,, as the reader mav be inclined to suppose, by rescinding the resolution appointing the finance com.

mittee, but by a direct vote of coufidence, —the committee, slightly modified, being, allowed to proceed with its work. Now, this action of the Government placed the “ independent members ' 5 of the Council in an embarrassing position. They had not intended any expression of want of confidence in the Government, how ever they might have felt in the matter ; out io oe called ou to express confidence in it, was quite another affair; and we cannot wonder that some difficulty was felt about it, and that members who found themselves in such a position spoke of voting under protest. A distinction drawm by Mr Buchanan between the Superintendent and the Government had nearly the effect of turning the tables on the Government, for, if bis amendment had been put it must have passed, as Government supporters tvould of course express their confidence in the buperintendeut, while the members of the Executive, being omitted from the vote, would, by implication, be under the censure of the Council. As it is, the Government has obtained the “ confidence ” vote, while the opposition have their non-confidence committee to sit in judgment ou the finance of the Government, —this committee also having, by the very action of the Government, obtained a significance and importance which it had not before, and would not have possessed but for what tve must consider the ill-advised action of the Executive Government.