NELSON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 482, 17 June 1857, Page 7

NELSON.

We have the hist three ' Examiners' of the

month of May. The Council was still sitting--. In the course of an article commenting on the' resolution of the Coiincil, that a member of: that body should be on the Waste Land Board, the ' Examiner' has the following pertinent remarks on the separation of Legislative and Executive functions. We regret that we have not space for the whole article : — . j

Our I'roviiicialCo.micil has given the first stab to out Democratic Constitution. The suicidal dagger has been driven through the skin and muscles, iv, the direction of the heart. If the act be completed, °r a few more similar thrusts' made, the vitals will be jierced—the -victim mortally, wouvded. Luckily, there is yet time—and we.trust the hands will not be Wanting " to pluck the.accursed steel away" before further mischief be done.

They have made one of their'body an administrator ;>f the Waste Lands. That is-, the Legislature has ■ commenced to take upon itself the functions and powers of the Executive. Let them proceed in this direction—continue this assumption, arid the system of local self-government, to the extent towhchour present Provincial Constitution'carry it, will in Nelson at all events speedily come to an end.

The Legislature acting as the Executive is literally and thoroughly an irresponsible Executive. Every" step towards making the Legislature the Executive^ is a step towards utterly irresponsible Government. For it is idle to talk of the responsibility of the members to their constituents. Qr.ly at the end of four »p.trs reed they encounter their constituents, and the latter are too remote from the administration of aftkirs—have"too li'.tle opportunity of knowing what is going on in the ordinary daily business of Government to be any check upon its administrators. Take a member of Council, suppose him desirous of obtaining a certain block of laud at a cheap rate---or of enabling a friend to gK such a block. He assesses the land, —puts such a price upon it as he thinks convenient—buys tha land. When the transaction is finished, and the laud legally obtained—for it would be legal, the as.sessors being the Jegislators would of course take care to make'suitable laws—what is the responsibility to his constituents ? He may resign long before they could even he: r of the transaction, if they would ever be likeiy to hear of it at all.

Again—unpaid officials are always irresponsible, more or less. The hold you have upon paid officials is the po\ve,r you have of taking away their offices 'arid salaries. That alone is an immense check upon them. It is not likely any temptations would be thrown in their way, any advantages corruptly offered tliein, which would compensate them for the los.s of their annual incomes. But if your legislators administer 3 our affairs, this check is entirely wanting.

If you make your Legislature your Executive, we repeat you destroy the very possibility of responsibility. The Legislature is the only established, sound tribunal to which the Executive is to be responsible. Then the whole principle of the relation to be secured between thenl, is clear. Do every thing, adopt ever)' means possible or conceivable, to make your Government responsible to your Legislature ; give your Legislature every conceivable power and influence over the Executive short of becoming the Executive themselves. That is the true limit of the principle. You must keep the two distinct and separate —or the principle is losr. Thete i§ no body jomake }our Government responsible to.—May 20. GOLD. The gold iiqw brought to Nelson from the Aorere is of much finer description and more nuggetj' than that procured by the first diggers, •and new and better yielding gullies are beingdiscovered. The buying prices are still 745. and 745. 3d.—May 30.