AUCKLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 451, 28 February 1857, Page 4

AUCKLAND.

A few papers in anticipation of the mail. Landed to us by the master of the- schooner Mary Louisa, give news from this province to the 14th instant. . A " dead lock "_, in legislation seems to have been brought about by the contrary, action of the,Government_and the.opposition, 'which the Southern Cross,' the organ of the latter party/in its issue of .the 10th instant, .thus describes in part .of, an article which.is too long for insertion in full:— . , "Let us recount, in the fewest possible words', . the progressive steps by which this result has been arrived at. ... " A member of the Provincial Council resigns . his seat: an election takes place, and the return is disputed.. In -accordance with Governor Grey's regulations, which are supplementary to ■'" the Constitution Act, the Superintendent refers .the matter for decision ito the Provincial Council. The member returned, seeing a clear case against him, attempts to resign, so as to throw out the" petitioner/ who had in fact been dulyelected. The Superintendent,'who had himself -voted against the petitioner, accepts the resignation, without consulbinghis Executive Council, .without consulting his own Law.Officer, -and without'in the least knowing whether he had power to accept; also, without informing the Council of what he was about to do. He -issues a new writ, instanter; the Council, on their part, decide that the petitioner was duly ; elected, ;and is, therefore, a member of the -Council. The petitioner, Mr. Graham, is for- - -mally introduced, and takes part in the business of the "Council. But the new writ is already out, and the Superintendent, perceiving that he had- got into difficulties, invites the Council to •consider whether they ought not to rescind their own decision, for the purpose of relieving him from difficulty. _ The Speaker declines to put an illegal question, and on the following day Mr. Daldy, who had allowed himself to be nominated for the purpose of testing the Constitutional question, is elected-to Mr. Graham's seat under the new writ. He is also formally introduced, the Speaker simply observing that he had not been aware of the vacancy, and takes part in the business of the Council. But one of the two is a five' and twentieth member, the Constitution Act allowing but twenty-four. " A question is' allowed to pass without divi : sion, both the new members :being • present;-"in order that it should be decided by the voices, so, as to fix the illegality of the proceedings of ' 'Council. A formal division is then taken, upon a question of adjournment, for the purpose of bringing matters to a crisis. As had been presupposed, the tellers were" unable to agree, the Government teller refusing to sign a list containing Mr. Graham's name. The difficultywas reported to the speaker; he bade the tellers to do their, duty, and he would do* his .own. When they brought him up correct lists, he would declare the numbers. The tellers being unable to agree, the dead-lock came on. The Council'being under division, no one could ad-' -dress the Chair; no motion—not even a motion for adjournment could be made; the doors were ' locked, and the gallery locked in. The , Speaker had'no power to order the openings of the doors, and the custodier of the doors, very properly, in the" discharge of his duty, held on to the key. At last, by what was presumed to be a tacit understanding, a certain number of members disappeared^ by an irregular channel •of exit. The Council, having been left without a quorum, stood adjourned by Act of Parliament. It must be borne in mind that the Speaker in such a case has no power to adjourn; for if the Council be left for one second without a quorum it ceases to be a Council for that sitting, and the Speaker becomes immediately powerless. The Speaker retired, the doors were unlocked, the gallery were let out, and the members who availed themselves of the irregu- • lar exit are supposed to be in the custody of an imaginary Sergeant at Anns. Whether, being ■so in custody, they have a right to meet again •on the next sitting day is questionable ; but we have no doubt whatever that they will. " Unless the Executive ? representing the Superintendent in Council, shall think proper to give way, the same proceedings must be repeated, at «ac'h successive sitting, until the' Superintendent shall think proper to prorogue; without money to carry on the Government or until the Governor shall think proper to dissolve.

Mr. Champion1 Wetton, agent of the Boyal Mail Packet Steam Company, arrived in Auckland on the sth instant from America, having been forwarded fromCallao by Count Dußouzet, the Governor General of Qceana, in a vessel of war under his command. .Mr. Wetton comes to New Zealand to make .arrangements for the establishment of a. steam postal line between the Australian Colonies and England, via Panama, a route which would bring New Zealand within forty days sail of Southampton! It is, proposed to run from Panama to Tahiti, and thence to some Northern port of New Zealand, from which the same vessel would proceed to Sydney, and a branch steamer at the samettiem c to Melbourne. The return steamer would call at Wellington and make that the point of departure for Panama. It is anticipated that the Government of New South Wales will readily meet, the wishes of the company, and it remains for the Government of New Zealand to perfect the iarrange^ ments. The ' New Zealander,' from which we gather the above particulars, Says. " Mr. Wetton has been to the United States, and has entered into an arrangement with the Secretary of State at Washington to have the American mails conveyed by the Panama route. If he succeeds in his negotiation with our Government, he will then proceed immediately to Wellington to arrange with the Provincial Government there for the calling of the steamers there on the return route; a n d from Wellington will go on to Sydney, to negotiate with the Government of New South Wales, with which, as we have already said, there is little doubt a, satisfactory arrangement will be soon effected." The following extract from the Annual report of the Auckland Chamber of' Commerce, though of-rather old date, contains some' unexpected comments upon the present customs tariff, and will be read with interest, no doubi, by those in the Southern provinces who have' been led to suppose hitherto that the opinions ofthe Auckland commercial world upon this point were at direct issue with their own : — " It will be in the recollection of the members of the Chamber that, about the time of its fori mation, the_ necessity for simplifying the then existing tariff of custom duties occupied , the attention of both his Excellency the Governor and of the mercantile community of Auckland • and one ofthe motives which at that particular time led to the institution of the Chamber of Commerce was to^ concentrate and express with authority the opinion of commercial men on this subject. '■ " Your committee,- accordingly, gave the question their early and earnest attention! Some-of their members, as a sub-committee, collected, and arranged information on the working of the tariff; and submitted a report which, after due deliberation, was adopted by your committee, and.embodied in an address to the general government.' Upon this report has been founded the Customs Act of 1856, which established the tariff of customs duties at prer sent in force in this colony—a circumstance which your committee cannot but regard as a nattering proof of the weight which the government of the country attach to the deliberate opinions of this chamber. i • " The committee, however, think it due to themselves to mention that, although the Government adopted the principle recommended by the Chamber, in substituting tonnage rates for the former system of ad valorem duties, they have fixed those rates at nearly double the amount recommended in your committee's report, and have, in effect, made their concession of a simplified tariff a means of maintaining the revenue at its full average amount, notwithstanding the commercial depression and diminished imports of this period. , \ " Estimating that the higher fixed duties on wines, spirits, beer, cigars, tea, sugar, &c.^ would add about £13,000 to the reyenue, the committee consider that the tonnage rates they suggested would be found nearly sufficient to compensate for the abolition of the ad valorem duties ; and, so far as is known as to the result of five months' application of the new-tariff at this port, this opinion is amply borne out. _ The tonnage rates recommended were, respectively, 70s. per ton (equal to Is. 9d. per cubic foot); and 20s. per ton (equal to 6d. per cubic foot); the rates" imposed by the new tariff are, respectively, 3s. and Is. per cubic foot. ■ "A copy of a memorial, addressed by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce to the Gpvernor, has been laid upon the table. This memorial urges several objections to" the new

tariff and prays for. its. revision. It is remark. able that the objections therein raised are chiefly against those features in 'which1 the measurp introduced by the Government, and passed into law, differs from, the recommendation of thi« Chamber., , «., „.,- „.,, , -Ijl/ , ,jg b " The change [which theCustonis Act of 1856 has made.in the mode of levying custom duties must be regarded, at present, a? ; an experiment .The returns of revenue collected under the Act will furnish correct and reliable .information by which to judge of that measure; and, from the readiness with.which the Government .have acted upon the suggestions already offered there is every reason to hope that such amend' ments as the Chamber of Commerce may hereafter deem it proper to suggest will receive due consideration.". ; , , .