Local Intelligence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 482, 17 June 1857, Page 6

Local Intelligence.

We learn from Auckland that it .has been arranged to dissolve the.tliree Provincial Councils, (Nelson, Wellington, and Canterbury), that have continued in existence since the universal election in 1853, about the first week in August. Along with the proclamation of dissolution, writs would be sent down for the consequent general elections. In every case the new Superintendent would be elected as early as possible, the present one continuing in office till such election. '

There is a peculiar circumstance in. this province which will, cause delay in the elections, and which must be taken into consideration in the issue of the writs; that is, that the members of the hew Council are to be elected from districts otherwise divided than at present; and that the electoral roll has to be made up for these districts between the dissolutiou.of the old Council and the election of the new one.

The Council has but now considered this question afresh, and has found that (as was pointed.out in the ' Lyttelton Times' of February the 21st,) the division of districts and the allotment of members to each require remodelling.. It has, therefore, carried unanimously to a third reading a bill to amend the representation, which, if accepted by the Superintendent, will probably be transmitted to Auckland by the Wonga. Wonga, :in time to receive the assent of theGovernor,and tocall his attention to the provisions necessary for the coming election. ■ . ..'.'.v

There are by thisbiU four members given to each of the two towns, and three to Akaroa. The former have at present six, and the latter has four representatives.... The remainder of the province, at present one district with..eight members, is divided into four agricultural and three pastoral districts. , The former are Kaiapoi with two members, Avon* with four, Heathcoto with four, and Port Victoria with two; the pastoral districts are the Ashley, Rakaia, and Timarui.with .one member each. There are therefore,1 in all, ten districts, returning twenty-sis members to the Council. The nomenclature, a point we touched upon in our article above referred to, it will be seen has been altered.'with' some regard to euphony, suitable to the geography of the districts. This word ' district' itself must, we suppose, remain till the province is permanently divided, before it is altered for some word more appropriate to a portion of the country represented in the legislature. We shall publish the boundaries of the districts as laid out, as soon as we learn that the bill has been sanctioned by the Superintendent, and is in a fair way to become law.

This ordinance is, on the •whole, a most satisfactory piece of legislation. Jt is urgently'required; it has been drawn with the greatest possible fairness to all interests and divisions of the province ; and it has been carried through the Council with such unanimity as to warrant its acceptance by the public at large. It is with no slight gratification that we see in the passing of this measure a disposition liberally to consider and to meet the requirements of the outlying portions of the settlement, remembering the heart burnings and jealousies that exist between different localities in some of the neighbouring provinces..

The Council has been at issue with the Superintendent. It wants him to refund to the publicans the difference between the sum appointed by the last new ordinance on the subject as the proper license fee and that sum actually paid by them, which was the fee of the old license; the license granted in return for the fee being the new one.

Justice to the publicans is.the cry of the Council. Duty to: the public; is the return cry of his Honor ; and the fight waxes warm. There are np\y three resolutions,by the Council on their side, and two messages from his Honor on his. [By the bye, the Superintendent has earned for himself in the Council the appellation of ' our own Correspondent,' ao regular are his communications/] The tone of the discussion has grown violent on both sides. The Ultima ratio of each portion of the legislature is appealed to. Dissolution on the oiie hand. No. Appropriation Bill on the other, are menacingly thrown out. However foolish it may be to threaten, there is at least sense enough on both sides not to carry out the .threats. On the one hand if the same Council that passed the law unanimously says that it was intended/that no greater fee than that proposed hrthe law should be paid for tlie license given according to the law, and unanimously thinks that, since this from certain circumstances was not done, the.over payment should be made good, there cannot be much doubt of the authority of the decision, and his Honor would surely be justified in allowing- his rigid ideas of duty on the point to be overruled. On the other hand, the Council has to consider that there would not be the smallest injustice _ done to the publicans if the money were never paid. For, in the first place, the publicans need not have paid the larger sum unless they had so chosen; and again, they have had larger advantages for the year for which the fee was: paid than .were contemplated by the ordinance,.inasmuch as they had during that time no opposition from, the 'wine and beer' license holders, the introduction of which class was the very reason and ground of tha reduction of the fee, in place of raising it, as was the first intention. Further than al\ ; ifc would be simply ridiculous to put the public to inconvenience, or to stop the course of business in any way, if the jolly fraternity of licensed victuallers cannot be made fifty pounds richer without such a step. The Superintendent is the stronger power of the two branches of the Legislature, and we are open to offer considerably long odds that the publicans don't get the refund. -As for'the other case of dispute, the duties and remuneration of the Clerk to the Council, his Honor has so little right or power on his side in the matter that we anticipate an. early Message of contrition on the subject:. '■' Sorry I spokiJ," rendered into, many words and numbered Thirty—something,in the series of Messages. ' , •■'...

Rumours float about of changes in..the Provincial Government. Mr. Hamilton has resigned his seat in the Executive : the public can only g-uess afc the reason why. It is said that Mr. S. Bealey and two other gentlemen havebeen asked to take office but that they have declined. Meantime the Provincial Secretary is there, doubtless a host in himself. His declavar tion, ■ however, that he would go .out. or* stay in- according to his Honor's orders does not tend to reassure the Council as to the reality of "Responsibility." The individual vigour of our present Superintendent is certainly equal to meet the state of affairs, but we suspect that hereafter, if "Responsible Government" does not becoTne less of a sham in the Province, the Provincial Council will insist*on some practical and effective means of carrying- on public business.

"We. find that we must talk of the Council, from a choice of subjects like that of Hobson in horses. All else is shortly, said. .An Amateur Dramatic Society is, we hear, started in Lyttelton, to encourage a taste, for the higher drama. Half-a-dozen representations of the best modern comedies are talked of during the year, so as not to interfere with the business undertaken by Mr. Foley, whowiU % \ve also hear, open a season both in• Christen ufch and Lyttelton. In the latter town he has already made arrangements to fit up the Town Hall for the purpose. The society referred to, consisting of course only of acting members, is disposed to look foi' help to those also who would support the enterprise but who are unable to appear on the stage themselves, and the plan has been, adopted^ of receiving honorary members, whose subscription (one guinea) shall admit them to all the representations given by the society during the season. Dramatic entertainments got up in this way are certainly as innocent and as captivating as any amusements that could be provided to relieve our proverbial dullness ; and we therefore do not wonder that; the undertaking has received 'promises of patronage add

support in all ways .from the ladies as well as the sterner sex in Lyttelton. Incouriection -with this subject, we learn that our old circus friend, Mr. Axtelle, now oh what we may 'call; a provincial tour, has gained both applause and pecuniary reward at Akaroa and elsewhere on the.■' Peninsula, and has been enlivening large audiences of our hard-workiii"-settlers by the talents of himself arid his fellows'. He is to return to Lyttelton this week. ■•• We must call our readers' attention to an erratum in the date lately given by us as the day of objecting to claims jo vote in Lyttelton. Instead of Tuesday, it should have been Thursday, the 25th inst.

The'weather is remarkable for intense cold. The froat has been sharp on tli£ Plains beyond all previous experience in this province, and ie still more as occurring in the early part of the winter, a season when we have been accustomed to look for wet "rather than cold.