The Lyttelton Times. Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 305, 3 October 1855, Page 7

The Lyttelton Times. Wednesday, Oct. 3.

The third Session ofthe General Assembly has been short, but not unimportant. Its reduced numbers, the prospect of immediate dissolution, and the absence of a Responsible Executive, circumscribed its field, and limited its power of action; but the questions discussed have been of grave moment—the financial state of the colony, the relations between the General and Provincial Governments, the whole system of Native Land-purchases, an impending Native War, and how the charge of such a war shall be borne. These have been the prominent features of the Session. We shall notice them fully hereafter. At present we point our readers' attention to what most closely concerns the Province; the resolution of the House of Representatives virtually -^relieving our Land Fund from the embargo laid on it by the General Government. 'On the 13th of September, the House resolved as follows :— " That pending a final adjustment of the public accounts of the Colony,'it is just and expedient that the proportion of the Land fund now in course of being retained by the General Government in repayment of alleged over-payrrents to the Provinces of Canterbury and Nelson, should a again be paid over to the Provincial Treasurers of those Provinces for the public uses thereof, according to the present system of advances to Provinces, and that the question of the repayment of such alleged over-payments should remain open until such final adjustment, and be subject to such arrangements for liquidation as may then be deemed necessary. That a respectful Address be presented to his "Excellency the Governor praying that instructions may be issued to the proper officers to cai ry out the foregoing resolution." The state of the public accounts appeared to the House highly unsatisfactory, and requiring re-adjustment. Pending such re-adjustment, the House resolved that the balances admitted to be due to the Provinces of Auckland, Wellington, Otago. and New Plymouth, ought to be forthwith paid, for which and other purposes the House sanctioned a temporary loan of £30,000. Meantime it resolved that the

current advances from the Land fund ought to be continued to the Provinces of Canterbury and Nelson, as heretofore, leaving the final settlement of accounts for future adjustment. This appears to us a practical and business-like course of proceeding, calculated somewhat to allay the intense indignation which will be felt at the reckless and ruinous mismanagement ofthe public finances by the old Executive Government. We shall take occasion to bring this subject prominently under the notice of our readers. Meantime we congratulate the Province upon this temporary relief from the difficulties in which it was likely to be placed by the suspension of its Land fund. We understand that in consequence of the vote cf the House, instructions which were on the point of being issued to the Commissioner of Crown Lands to make further remittances, were suspended. And there is little doubt that on the next arrival ofthe steamer,'orders will be received by that officer to pay over the moiety of the net Land fund to the Provincial Treasury as heretofore. We do not for an instant suppose that the suspension of our Land fund will be persisted in, in defiance of the vote of the House of Representatives. The Canterbury Land Regulations' Ordinance has been disallowed by the Governor. His Excellency's reason for not confirming it are stated in the following despatch, a copy of which has been kindly furnished to this paper by the Provincial Secretary. Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 15th Sep. 1855. Sik, —I am directed by his Excellency the Governor to acknowledge the receipt of your Houor's letter of the 23rd July last, transmitting a draft of the Land Regulations which have been recommended by your Honor and the Provincial Council of Canterbury, to be issued in the General Government Gazette under the provisions of the Waste Lands' Act, 1854. These regulations, I am further directed to observe, cannot, his Excellency is advised, be ptit in force by the Governor consistently with the law. The 19th section of the Regulations provides that Reserves for Military defence and for uses ofthe General Government -shall not be alienated from such purposes unless by an act of the General assembly.'' This is inconsistent with and in effect repeals a portion of the " Public Reserves act, 1854." The clauses relative to ■" Local Improvements Fund" (84- 5, 6), I am instructed to state, appear to be in direct contravention of the Constitution act. They provide that a portion of the sum paid by purchasers in respect of sales, or alienations, shall be paid to the Provincial. Treasurer, and thus altogether be withdrawn from the operation of the Constitution act. The Governor regrets jjthat he is not able to issue these Land Regulations, but as the " Provincial Waste Lands A c t, 1854,'' has been assented to by the Queen, he hopes that the General assembly will soon be able to place legislation by Provinces on the subject ot* the Waste Lands on a far more satisfactory footing than it is at present. I have the honour, <see, &c, A_du_w Sinclair, Colonial Secretary. His Honor the Superintendent, Canterbury. The "Census" Ordinance, passed in the 4th Session of the' Council of this Province, we find from a Government Gazette of the 15th ult., has also been disallowed by Governor Browne.