PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 721, 27 September 1869, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

FRIDAY, SEPT. 24, 1869. The Provincial Council, pursuant to proclamation, met at 3 p.m. Present, —The Speaker (H. S. Tiffen, Esq.,) and the following members : —Messrs. Buchanan, Carlyon, Dolbel, Ferard, Kennedy, Locke, Lambert, Qrinond, Parsons, Rhodes, Sutton, Weston, and Wood. Prayers having been read, the Speaker read the proclamation calling the Council together, and said the members had now to proceed to the election of a Superintendent. Mr Buchanan rose to a question of privilege. He would ask the Speaker if he was aware that the Council was not complete. There was one member deficient, consequent on the resignation of his seat by Col. Whitmore, the late member for Wairoa. That resignation took place before the Council parted last session, and he would be happy to know if it had been filled up. The Speaker said that no notification had been received by him of the vacancy being supplied. Mr Buchanan said that this arose from the neglect of the late Superintendent to issue the writ. He submitted that the Council was not complete, and would draw the attention of members to a resolution passed in a former session as follows :—" That this Council considers unnecessary delay in the issue of new writs to supply vacancies in its number to be an infringement a*» well of its privileges as of the statute rights of the constituencies and to be a direct violation of the 12 th clause of the New Zealand Constitution Act."

Mr Rhodes said the deficiency of a member for Wairoa might or might not have arisen from the neglect of the late Superintendent, but he could not see how it affected the business about which they had met to-day—the election of a Superintendent. As this late season no time should be lost, and he had no wish to enlarge on the subject before ihem. He believed the dav was rapidly approaching when the Superintendent would have under his personal knowledge every public transaction in the Province—would be his own overseer of roads and

everything eke. [Hear, hear.] Jj e believed the Superintendent would be quite as capable of filling that office as the two gentlemen to whom we now pair! £2OO each annually for spending about £1,200. This was only a sample of the cost of the pr e . sent system, and he thought the day was not far off when the Superiuteu. dent would have to do a great deal moi e work, but not for less money He had much pleasure in proposing his old friend Mr Ormond.

Mr Buchanan did not wish to interrupt the member for Clive, but he submitted that the question of privilege was not yet se 1 tied. The Speaker could see nothing in the Constitution Act to prevent the business being immediately proceeded with. Mr Ferard supposed what he had read in that day's newspaper van correct, and that it had been arranged that Mr Ormond was to be elected. He thought that it should be known that one member, at least had never given any promise on the subject, and considered that as the Council had met to perform the mo?fc important of their duties, that it should not be done "without deliberation, though he had no doubt that those who had given their promises considered that the member for Porangahau was the fittest man for the office. The member for Ciive had said that it would be necessary fo P the Superintendent to give his personal attention to all that went on in the Province; but he [Mr ]?] would like to know whether the gentleman now proposed was prepared to reside in the town, and devote his entire time to the public service. He objected, too, to speaking about the future Superintendent without any allusion to the one we had lost. Mr M'Lean was in the lucky position of a public man who was thoroughly appreciated by the public —one who possessed that advantage more than any other man in the Colony. He had always succeeded in maintaining friendly relations with the natives, was very sue. cestui in procuring lands from thera, was a man who carried more weight in the General Assembly than another membeiv and was known and liked through the length and breadth of the Colony, It was a maiter of regret that we had lost him, for we could not look foi exactly the same kind of person again in his position. It was said that it was desirable that we should have the General Government agent for our Superintendent, in order that there might be no collision of authority and that therefore we should take Mr Ormond; but he did not look at it in this light. The General Government thought it a great thing to have for their agent a man so undoubtedly possessing the confidence of the public as Mi- M v Lean, but he did not think the fact of possessing that agency should be made a question in the election of anew Superintendent. No one had a higher opinion of Mr Ormond's administrative abilities than he (Mr F ) had, but that gentleman, if elected, could not take quite the same position as his predecessor. A gentleman treated with the respect accorded to Mr M'Lean was practically in the position of a dictator, he had the advantage of being able to do exactly what he liked, and this had greatly reduced the position of the Council—it was not looked up to now with the same consideration as formerly. [Hear, hear.] People had so much confi< dence in the good sense and honor of Mr M'Lean, that he could do <vith impunity many things which would not have been tolerated from any one else. For instance, he had granted money to the Acclimatisation Society for the purpose of providing buildings for certain animals, without consulting the Conncil, and this too, at a time when money voted by the Council for the mainlenance of roads could not be applied for want of funds. [Hear, hear.] f M'Lean had also set to work : plant trees along the sea beach, without the consent of the Council) and had paid for the work from miscellaneous contingencies,—a u ,n " which he [Mr F.] had always supposed to be for necessary purpose* not otherwise provided for. So con* fident were Mr M'Lean and his M

ecutive of their power that they latterly seemed to do as they and think it quite unnecessary to ask the sanction of the Council until afterwards. [Hear, hear.] With a new Superintendent this would not be tolerated. If he acted in this way he would lose the respect of his constituents, Avho would expect their new broom to sweep clean. They must not lose sight of the faefc, too, that the gentleman proposed had always taken eaie to show that he cared less for the Council than any other member. If their decision did not suit him he had been in the habit of telling them plainly that it would be ot no avail. [Hear, hear.] Before they elected him,

therefore, they should have some public assurance that he would cany out the decisions of the Council, and not spend money without their sanction, and also that he would reside in He thought a great deal of the administrative ability of Mr Ormond, and could not agree with the member for Clive, who appeared to think that only a very small modicum of work was required from that officer. If Mr Or mond was of that opinion, it would be a very good reason why he should not be elected. Mr Carlyon said that while he personally would give his support to the nomination of the member for Porangahau on account of his holding the oiiice of General Gov eminent agent, he wished to distinctly record his Titter disapproval of the manner in which he had acted in the Council from beginning to end, particularly in his taking no steps to carty out the resolutions of the Council in cases where he disagreed with them. He (Mr C.) would give him his vote, bat only as a matter of sheer necessity.

Mr Feraeo asked if it was com petent for the Council to proceed to other business than the election of Superintendent.

Mr Buchanan said the member for the Town had raised an important question. According to the usage in the Colonies, thev were not debarred from considering ofher b'isi ness, even before electing a Superintendent. Tbe Speaker said that if asked for his ruling he would say it was out of his province altogether to decide .the question. Being simply the servant of the Council, if members brought other business before him, he must accept it.

Colonel Lambert said he went in a great measure with the member for the Town, but would not x;ate exacting any promises. In the tirst place he would take it for grant- 1 ed that any member elected Superintendent would reside in town. He {CoI.Xj.) had always opposed the two offices of General Government agent, and Superintendent being held by one man, believing that the duties of the Superintendent had many times been neglected for those of the agent, and his reason now for voting for Mr Ormond was this, that, looking around the room, he considered him the best man there for the office; and it would not much alter the existing state of things, for he did not think he was going too far in saying that t'-ie member for Porangahau had been the real Superintendent for the last four years. His vote would certainly not be influenced by private friendship, for he had no hesitation in saying that he had been at various times much annoyed by the member for Porangahau, who had anything but a pleasant manner —but. still, pleasant men were often very dangerous. He made these remai ks, thinking it only right to record his reasons ab well as his vote.

The question was then put and assented to on the voices, and the Speaker declared Mr Ormond duly elected Superintendent. Mr Ormond said that before read ing the few words he had prepared, he would remark that as he would always feel bound to do his best for the service of the public, he did not intend to make the Council any promises. He then read the following address :

Me. and Gentlemen of the Pbovincial Council, — I Bhall occupy your time very briefly in thanking you for the honor and compliant you have paid me by electing me

■Superintendent of this province. I feell 'that the compliment is the greater because jyou have seen fit to elect me, and I may say I accept the office, because we all know that work has to be done, and that, upon the course of events during the next few months, the immediate future of this Province very much depends. Tam perfectly aware that the majority of the members of the Council think that at this tur-e it is of great importance that the office of Superintendent should be held by the same person who acts as Agent for the General Government, in order that should be no division of authority, and that it is this conviction that has led to the decision of the Council being so general as it rs.

Fo- myself, I would say that I am fully sensible that the t*'o important positions which I now hold entail upon me large responsibilities, and that I undertake the duties from a hope that I may be able to render some service and advance the inter.'st-» of the part of the Colony with which I arn identified.

I have, during the term of office of my predecessor an I friend Mr M'Lean, given him my cordial assistance and as much of my time as I could afford ; and I did this alike from feelings of regard, and as a sense of the obligations we, the settlers of the Province, were under to hira for the services he rendered us. In succeeding to him, I feel that I cannot hope to achieve the same general success that he has done ; for instance, T do not possess that peculiar gift which Mr M'Leau so pre-eminently clo'-s, of making friends on all sides and ft'ondtng rarely ; nor do I, nor does any one in the Colony, possess the same influence with the native race. The Province of If awk 's Bay is largely indebted to him ; and I can only promise that I will perform the duties 1 have undertaken to the best of my ability and judgment. I wish it at the same time to be understood that I do not contemplate holding the office of Superintendent for a lengthened period, and I accept it now only because I hope that I may be able to assist in ending those difficulties which h ive of late years so much retarded our interests and advancement. Before I leave the subject, I must express my opinion that the Province is greatly indebted to my friend Mr KhoJes, who has, as Deputy Superintendent during many years, given months of his time to the public service, and that, too, at seasons when large responsibilities and care were attached to the position. 1 shall not at present propose to make any change in the Provincial departments ani officers. I am of opinion that the affairs of the Province could be more economically conducted than they are; but the Council has already passed estimates for the service of the current year, and the different Provincial officers have made their arrangements consequent on that action, which it would not now be fair to disturb. I think the Council should make it distinctly understood that it is intended in tha future to simplify the working of the Provincial Government, and the Province will not hold itself liable to any claim of compensation to officers whose services can be-dispensed with at the close of the current year. With regard to the position of the Superintendent, I will state clearly what are my views. I shall, so long as I hold the office, endeavor to carry out the decisions of the Provincial Council. 1 am not of opinion that, in a small Council such as ours, an Executive is essential, and 1 think that, perhaps, the existence of an Executive tends to excite opposition and create party feeling. Our practice lias been heretofore to speak of all questions as '■ Government questions," or ''non-Go-vernment questions," and to judge them accordingly, at least to a certain extent. My endeavor will b? to do away, if possible with this. I think that, at the Provincial Board the duty of the Superintendent is to give explantions as to the conduct of the affairs of the Province, and to make such recommendation as he considers desirable. If such be accepted as the position it will be quite competent for the Superintendent to differ on any matter with the majority of the Council, and yet not to consider it necessary to make a Government question of the difference: provided always it is understood that, whatever decision the Provincial Council arrives at, it is the duty of the Superintendent to carry out. Erom my experience of the working of provincial institutions, I am of opinion that, in nearly all cases, the recommendations of the Superintendent would receive fair consideration, and if the office was made more executive and less political, that so much the more weight would judicious recommendations from the Superintendent receive. I do not for a moment wish it to be thought that I coasider myself specially fitted to successfully work out the position I have sketched; but I am sure that, as provincial institutions in the different provinces are simplified, this will become the generul position of the Superintendents. There are several questions of provincial interests upon which I could address you, but I have not lately had the time at my disposal to consider them sufficiently to pLce my views upon them before you Erom the limited lime I have been able to give to Provincial questions since I returned from Wellington, I know that there aie some matters of sufficient importance to justify me in asking you to give a short time to their consideration, and 1 accord ingly hope that you will either remain in session a few days, and consider them (which you can do without my presence) and thus avoid the necessity of meeting again at this busy season of the year, or failing that, the only alternative would be to adjourn to a date which would enable me to go to my constituents for re-election*

I will very brief!v refer to the difficulties af our present position as regards its native complication*. We are all of U 9 aware that these difficulties are sufficiently great, suid that a short time ago they almost threatened ruin to many parts of this Island. Already a very considerable ira-j provement has taken place, and, by firm und at the same lime judicious management, we may, I trust, hope that the present Government of the Colony will soon bring about a different and more satisfactory state of things. That we may, before that result is achieved, have to face great iifficulfies i* quite possible, and, to a certain sxtent, must be expected; but now that the Colony has recovered that confidence in itself which the events of the past year had done so much to destroy, we may and do look cheerfully to the future. T.iere is one question of general interest so associated with the present and future of the Province, that I should not be justi tied in passing it over with silence. I refer to the almost certainty that exists of a permanent gold-field being found at the Kiimanawa ranges. That gold has been found there is unques'ionable ; the report of the Colonial essayist on the specimens aent to Dr. Featherston by Captain William Vl'Donnell was eminently satisfactory, and that those specimens were genuine is evidenced by that being avouched by Lieufc.Colonel and Captain M'Donnell, both o* them gentlemen well known to this community. Yesterday brought ua word that negociations had been successfully concluded, through the exertions of Mi Locke, uided by Lieut.-Colonel M'Donnell, with the native proprietors of the district in question, and no impediment now exists to opening the field so soon as the present difficulties in that part of the Colony are over and justify the Government in doing so.

That the Kaimanawa field must be supplied from this Province no one can doubt, and the successful establishment of a gold field there will bring that capital and population to this province which alone is required to develop its resources and plae« it in the first runk of prosperous communities in this Colony. Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen, —

I have been as brief ns possible in the address I have made, and in conclusion, 1 have only to express my hope that those members of the Council, with whom I have in the past had differences of opinion will forget those differences and assist mo in the endeavor which I am about to make and which alone has induced me to accept the Superintendency, viz., to promote the welfare of the Province and the termination of its present difficulties. His Honor then left the Council Chamber. Mr Buchanan moved that the address of his Honor the Superintendent he printed. Agreed to. Mr Tanner moved the adjournment of the house for a fortnight, principally to allow the Superintendent to be re-elected to his vacant seat for Porangahau, in order that he might xake part in the proceed ings of the Council on the next sitting day.

t Mr Rhodes strongly opposed a fortnight's adjournment, which would be a great inconvenience to all mem bers from the country. It was not necessary for the Superintendent to sit in the Council, there was no money to vote, and the only business necessary for them now to consider was with reference to a block of land in what was popularly known as the Forty-Mile Bush. This block, one of the most fertile in the Island, was considered very suitable for the set tlement of immigrants. As the Province had no funds with which to buy this land, it had been recommended that it should be purchased by the General Government. .They had favorably entertained the proposal, which now only required the Hanction of the Council. Some discussion ensued on the subject, in which the education tax, as giving great dissatisfaction, was spoken of as a subject requiring immediate attention. The motion for a fortnight's adjournment was negatived.

Mr Buchanan, having obtained the suspension of Standing Order 27, obtained leave to bring in a bill to repeal the Provincial Executive Acts, which after a division on the the subject, was read a first time, and the second reading appointed for next sitting day. On the motion of Colonel Lambert Standing Order 2 being suspended for the purpose, the Council adjourned to 3 p.m. this day, Monday.