OPENING OF THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL, AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 78, 29 June 1868, Page 155

OPENING OF THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL, AUCKLAND.

■ (From; the New Zealand Herald, Tkk .tw.enty-third session of the Provincial. Council was opened yesterday. /The chief business; was,, of course,.the delivery--of the opening, speech. of the Superintendent, which..touched upon several, questions of interest and importance. /Throughout the whole speech, the; fact, becomes painfully evident that whatever may ,b,e the intentions. or desires, of the Government to con tribute to this. or that work, it has no means at its disposal of carrying them out. We do not say that the Province is ins ji vent, for it has the means to. pay t-he:pub Uc creditor—the .General Government takes good care of .that, —and it can keep up, and will doubtless continue to.do so, the .necessary,.vy/ort., of administering the government within, its bounds. It is no longer, . able, ho.wever, to perform those y/arious functions which, rightly, or wrongily, it was wont to do,.aud which, whiie'it ?yas able to do, all.men;. spoke well of it—subsidizing of the_s,e.veral districts In thb matter-of;edacatiqn, public improvemorits, -aid -other;,matters, and in the support of i i/hfe, sick, poor/and; insane.. / ; . It is plain, tliat/ .the peoplq of , this Province a.re being/brought, whether.they, will or no, face .local self-eoveru-ment in one of i^^p^ge 9 ,- I .that of local taxation, and ii/.yf^K.'^fceir/bv\n : fault, if led away by. -.thjß. of icen/tralism, the paid - 'Wj dupes of the (J;eherai upon the;rjght. K,. and represeu tqtion shall, go .tog^»/;///; Eiia Honor puts it/ to., .preserve ; ;/*yovince, .‘in its integrity, the s lu theiz ojsvn local affairs s9\‘ le Constitution Act-.permits.”. , 'X' * /. "• /*. ///En cpnclusion we.cLjn.// /Xit quote from -’concluding the spec's!! words which are .well worthy the attention of every, thinking man whose interests are at stake in'a very eventful crisis of the colony—that, ‘‘ in the present critical crisis of our affairs, the people of- this Province, and their representatives in' the. General Assembly , aneb in this Council, will be found united in asserting and maintaining their just right's and privileges, and wili uot consent to any proceedings, which would > have the effect of destroying our present institutions until.they are satisfied that a better form of government has been, carefully, considered and matured.” r.