TO THE ELECTORS OF THE PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 471, 9 May 1857, Page 3

TO THE ELECTORS OF THE PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY.

1 ;;.- iOQS CANTERBTmYi/;;^': /^'J;. I; \3F his>fintentioh of; .resigning 'the 'office of-Superintendent of; this ! Province, 'F haye-the;:honour-;to state, that'l; ;shall; present mysfelf';to you.as a' Candijciate^for/ it^^ when the: p'erio.d.'of' Elejction shall arrive;- ;- r -;It-#ay :perliap's^l thoughtJpresumptuous-'in' "■rae;;^^take;this^'step* withouts haying vhad:_the;; '■reay!fprepared by; "> thfe: customary- requisition.: •But:i)fe iacfcthat I- should -be- a y candidate} in/ ?Mr;^itz6erald;did! riot desire again to;be : ; '[elected/4'lias been :so ilorig^ arid so: •generally; 1 jkhdwni";that: it would! have been affectation";iir\< :- -me' to 'have; waited^for b'ri'eV-,';I :;, Have thought ■ it: the;ilfess^nece'ssary "',t66';. because';the;;meansi by" Kvliich'signatures to suclv'documents ar'enow.tb6 !i 'often, obtained' have tended to*invest them;with: ■ kimbst ''"■ as- much of--disrepute as credifc-'' Afc: all • We.ritsTthe'y' have deprived? them-' of much, of; ithat. value'ih public estiniatioii wliich such' tes- ■ timonials oricel'po'ssessed; ': ••■• ; .-•■;:-:. I I feel it to be my duty, Gentlemen^ to state

at the outset of this address gome of the' considerations which have led me tp offer myself to , ' your notice and. to ask at your hands the highest civil appointment it is in your power to "bestow. I have been a resident among you. almost from the foundation of the settlement, and have ever taken a more or lets active' part in the public affairs of the province. It Is^now two years since' I had the honour of obtaining a seat in the Provincial Council. Since" then my time has been wholly engaged in the public service; and there is scarcely an office under the Provincial Government, if I except that of , the Solicitor and that of the Provincial Engineer, the duties of which I have not for some period discharged. I mention this not to found any present claims on your confidence, for I feel too conscious how great the distance i» between the most important of the offices I have held and that to which I now aspire, but to show that I have had considerable experience in the administration of the affairs of the province, and thus, I hope, establish ' the presumption, that I possess some of the qualifications required for the discharge of the administrative dutie» 1 which attach to the office of' Superintendent. You will, Gentlemen, probably t expect from those who 'may present themselves to" your notice on this occasion some general exposition' of the views they take of the nature of the office for which they are candidates, and the leading principles by which, should they succeed, their conduct of affairs would be guided. To that task, therefore, I now address myself. Had this been the first election of a Superintendent, this task would have been one of very considerable difficulty. In no part is the Constitution Act more'defective than where it. defines the duties of the Superintendent. It would almost appear as if the framers* of that Act, unable to determine with anything-Kke precision the status the Superintendent should occupy in the Government of the country and the functionshe should discharge, had confined themselves, to simply defining his legislative duties, leaving it to time 'and circumstances to develop theamount of executive power he- should exercise. Gentlemen, that which the Constitution Act left so vague and'unsettled, time and experiencehave to a great extent determined. The Superintendent is now recognised, not merely as the* legislative but also as the executive head of the? province, endowed with very ample powers* Within his jurisdiction the Empowering Ordfnance has, in some cases definitely, in othersprovisionally, invested him with a large proportion' of the executive authority of the Governor himself; and the recent legislation of the General Assembly, while it appears to lean towards a restriction of his legislative, shows no disposition to inteifere with his executive functions. The necessities which have led to the investiture of the Superintendent with.these important, powers have also suggested the means by which he should 1)e guided in their exercise. Thus, in this Province as in others, an Executive Government Ordinance has been, passed by which theSuperintendent is bound to- have an Executive Council, by whose advice be is to be guided in carrying on the Government of the piovince, I do not consider it necessary in tint, placeto discuss at length the advantages or otherwise of this order of things. I simply lay before 3 rou the nature of the office, as I find it, and the-' circumstances that have led to its present form ' of development. Nevertheless, I will not shrink from avowingmy opinion, that not only theoretically is the existing arrangement to be approved and defended, but that, in practice also, it supplies, under the present physical peculiai ities of New Zealand, the scantiness of its population, and the difficulties-of inter-communication, the best 1 and most efficient means by which the affairs of the vaiions provinces can be' at present administered. In it too the great principle of self government is fully recognised. The power you possess, and whifli you have periodically to exeicise, of electing youi Superintendent, ought to seeme you the services of an active and in- ' telligent officer. That officer has the assistance of an Executive Council whose acts must be supported by the approval of the Provinci.J Council. Thrcmgbout the whole arrangement the principle of lesponsibility is biought to bear. The Supeiintendent is ic&ponsible to the piovince, the Executive Council to the Pro\ inti-i Council, and the Provincial Council in its tuin to the people. Whilst then the Constitution Act lemains unalteied. I am unable to imagine a system of 'Provincial .Government under it

combining more of simplicity, efficiency, and economy. "I' say while the Constitution Act is v unaltered, for you are not unaware' tliat many 'persons'are of opinion.that it can be amended. It would, however, be an unprofitable occupation ' of ybarHiiiieand altogether beside my1 present ■ purpose to consider on' this occasion possible changes.' My duty is to deal with facts. If ' changes are introduced it can* onty be by anauthority/to which Superintendents in common with' all others' affected by them must bow. I take it; then, that tlie Superintendent in his Executive" capacity is simply the" head of the Government and not the Government itself, an officer charged with the execution of certain " duties committed to him by law and for the most part defined by law, and that in all original and discretionary acts of importance heis bound ,to proceed in conformity with the advice he may receive from his Executive Council. , Gentlemen, I accept this view of the office as much from choice as necessity. No consideration could induce me to undertake it if the responsibility of Government were not shared in tliis way. You will then, I have no <?oubt, concur with me in thinking that it woald be inconsistent for a candidate holding these views to express himself dogmatically on particular subjects, or labour to produce what 13 termed ' a policy' by which he should be considered bound during his ' tenure of office. I have shown that the law compels the Superintendent to act under advice. I have also shown that he can only retain such advisers as the Provincial Council will support. Tt is obvious, nay certain, that those advisers -may, at one time, be persons holding one set of opinions, and at another time persons holding . opinions directly opposite. It is equally obvious that the Superintendent could' not agree with both. Should he unfortunately differ with those who hare the confidence of, the Provincial Council, he must either attempt to carry on the Government with an adverse Council or modify " his views in deference to theirs. I think the cases can be very few indeed in which doubt can exist as to which course should be pursued. But while, for these reasons, I abstain from placing before you a policy which shall im.ply a rigid adheranceto particular views on particular subjects, as being both indiscreet and at variance with the spirit of our present law, I have no hesitation in expressing my opinions frankly on some subjects of general interest and importance, which I believe are being at present discussed by you. It is said, but with what amount of accuracy I am unable to state, that there are some persons who do not approve of the price that has been fixed on our Waste Lands and who will make it the subject of appeal to you. It must be unnecessary, Gentlemen, to insist on the fact that nothing can be more objectionable amongst our .own selves, or more calculated to discouiage persons in other countries fiom settling here than uncertainty on this point. I couid almost say that it would be wiser to adhere to an arrangement having some imperfections in it than by frequent changes to create the impression that no settled law on this subject will ever prevail amongst us. ]!iu I venture to assert that the question has f'r >„ilv re- : ceived as ample deliberation as under m.y cir- i cumstances it could receive. When <! of land was under deliberation in tho l.' o -;sl,iture of this province, every reasonablt Mini, and almost every imaginable mode of pa\ im- " wfis proposed to the Council and-discus^ed. I should probably he within the mark were I to ?:iy that more than a dozen divisions took place on this point. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, and sixty shillings were all separately advocated and proposed. The mode of payment, -too, whether by money down or by iustulments, was equally the subject of difference of opinion and division in the Council. iJo length, however, by almost universal concurrence, the present price of £2 per acre (prompt payment) was determined on. That price has not yet been tried more than a twelvemonth, and even if there were no experience, in ifcs favour, I should still, for the reasons I have given, be indisposed to. change. But I think the experience of the brief time during which £2 has been the established price may be safely appealed to in its support. The sales of tandjwithout being in any way forced, have been free and continuous ever since. Nor is there at present any indication of falling off. And should there be no falling off, the estimated revftune from this source during the coming year is £4.0,000. But what appears to. me to be th e

most satisfactory fact connected with those sales is this—that the" large - majority of them have been made -to persons of-the working classes and to bona fide settlers: and Cultivators of the "soil. It may be fairly asked, how much of this land would haye:fou*nd its way into their hands had the price' been materially lower ?' It is matter of notoriety that, withhr • two or three days of the present , regulations coining into' operation, some large capitalists arrived here for ,the purpose of making . extensive speculative purchases, even outside fch& original Canterbury block, and, at a distance, from the cultivated districts. How much land 'worth having would have been left inside, and especially ;sin the neighbourhood of your towns, had the cheap land policy prevailed, I leave you to conjecture. But there are also extensive interests to be considered in this question of price. On the firm belief that it was definitely settled a very large amount of capital has been embarked in pastoiall pursuits ? and I think the faith of the legislature and the Government is pledged to its protection—that is/protection to this extent— that the order of things under which that capital was invested and the stockowners induced to enter, on their separate enterprises should not be liable to frequent change. But I am disposed to inamtainUhat regard for our own interests, no less /than good faith towards Others, should prompt us to resist any alteration in theprice of land., The produce of. our pastoral dis-, tricts now constitutes a most important item in our commerce. Whilst agritulture is at present languishing, and its prospects are much clouded, the pastoral .interest is happily flourishing as much as could reasonably be desired. Already, wool is our mam export, the clip of 1856 being valued at £70.000;,'and'in a few. years it will acquire a magnitude that will abundantly justify all which legislation has done towards encoura • ging its growth. Nor is this all. While the pastoral interest is contributing to the progress of the country, as every interest does which materially increases its export trade, it is also yielding largely to our territorial revenue. Within a year or two the rents derivable from that source will be alone sufficient, not only to pay the large contribution annually required from this province towards the extinguishment of the New Zealand Company's debt, but will leave a considerable balance available for the use \ of the. province. The present price of land, Gentlemen, constitutes the main,, almost the only protection of the pastora^ interest; and I ask you ' seriously to.reflect... •wlne^ier it is. expedient to withdraw it—-whettier it is wise to kill the goose for the golden egg, and interrupt this steady and satisfactory progress -for> the sake of a sudden influx, of money into the ;Tre.asury, which our resources in labour may not permit us profitably to expend, and the possession of which might tempt us to extravagance. My own conviction is..that it, would not. -,\; ■ Another subject on which I desire to say a few more words is our form of Government. There are-some persons vyhp regard the present mode of administering the affairs of the province as too cumbersome and, too pretentious, and who talk of conducting the Government after the model of a corporate town in England, j of which a Mayor, Aldermen, and Council are i the presiding geniuses. Never having been a member of one of those select societies, I am perhaps unable to appreciate properly the advantages of such a^nodeof Government. It is, however, not long since that the jobbery, peculation, and corruption,- which had grown out .'of the old corporate system in England, led to a sweeping, measure of reform, by which the whole of those model Governments, except? ing that of London, were swept away. : : And now it appears that the days of the corporation' of London itself are numbered. Experience, therefore, does not appear "to. justify .the pre-. ference shown for corporation rule, and, personally, I can feel but little attachment to a system which has produced,svich results. But in truth, there is no fair analogy between the circumstances of a municipal corporation in England and a province in New Zealand. To no corporation has there ever been committed anything like the power conferred on the Superintendents and Provincial Councils of this country, namely, the power to legislate for the Entire people of a province—or, in the words of the Constitution Act—-" to make and ordain all such laws and ordinances as may be required for the peace, order, and good gpvernment of the province." This alone destroys all parallel in the cases. ; ■

It is eaid, however, that< even if the analogy fails, it will be* more economic to do away with the existing departments and Have the jb.usinest of the Government conducted by the Provincial Council divided into committees. I myst say that I disbelieve in this altogether. It assumes that these cbnrimittees will do their .work without remuneration. I know not on what grounds gentlemen can be expected, to devote their time to the public service without return. ,Nor do I think the public 'desire that they shouldfdo co. But there is no warrant for believing that any persons could be found who would so act. Certainly the practice of the Provincial Council at the present time does not justify the expectation. Every member residing beyond a certain distance from Christchurch is paid a certain sum per diem for every day he attends the Council If, then, the members of committees .are all to be paid their expenses merely! the system will not only be cumbrous and clumsy, but" more expensive than the present one. If\ they are not to be paid,' my belief is that the attendance will be so irregular as to make the system obstructive of the business of Government. I yield, gentlemen, to no man in a desire to see introduced into all the departments of Government a rigid economy. It must, however, b» one consistent witW%ffidency. It is not economy else. _My conviction is,"that the plan put forward is as fatal both to efficiency and economy5' as ingenuity could devise. ,*', There is one further subject to which I will allude, for though, it does not come within out control and is not a question of dbmestio policy, it is one, nevertheless, on which the efficient Government of the province is so dependent as in'my opinion to demand notice in thi» place. I refer to the seat of the General Government. Every day's experience shows how seriously the administration .of our affair* is embarrassed by the great distance of this General Government from us. lam anxious therefore to state my desire, in whatever position I may be placed, to co-operate with those who will strive to bring it to a more central spot. There are many other subjects, gentlemen, to which I might direct your attention, but this. address has already, I fear, exceeded convenient length. Opportunities, however, will doubtless be presented in which such subjects may be discussed between us. It will be my business, sofar as may be practicable, to wait upon you. With regard, however, to a canvass, I must express my great regret that one should be necessary, not on the score of trouble, nor because it may expose a candidate to inconvenient questioning, but because I entertain a strong conviction, that the highest office of the province should be conferred by the people rathei 1 than won from them by the ordinary means of an electioneering canvass. Motives more or less impure will be attributed to the candidate* which cannot fail to disturb those feelings of deference and regard which should attach to the person filling so high an office. By some he will be looked upon as an adventurer practising on~ the confidence of his fellow-citizens for some unworthy object—by some as stimulated by inordinate vanity and ambition—and by others as impelled by a love of official power ; whilst it can hardly be possible in an active canvass to avoid rousing feelings of animosity and hostility which it ia most desirable should not exist, I can only say for myself that it will be my anxious desire to keep the canvass as clear of these evils as possible. And now, gentjeinen, it only remains for me to assure you that, whatever the result of this appeal, I shall be perfectly satisfied with your decision. While I admit most freely that the office [of Superintendent of this province may well be regarded as an ohjW. of laudable ambitionjyet 1 feel so conscious of the labour, anxiety, and responsibility of the office; as to regard it with m nch more of apprehension than desire. r I have, howeyer, endeavoured to. show that the Government will not rest solely on the Superintendent, but on him in conjunction with advisers. With this view of the nature of- the office, and \vith the hope that, should you confer it upon me, 1 shall not fail to secure the assistance of good and able advisers, I respectfully offer myself to you as a candidate for it. I have the honour to be, Gentlemen, . Your very obedient and humble servant, JOSEPH BRITTAN. Linwood, April 3, 1857,