TO THE ELECTORS OF THE PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 483, 20 June 1857, Page 3

TO THE ELECTORS OF THE PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY.

GENTLEMEN, The dissci.ition of the Provincial Council will .shortly oc-, fusion a vacancy, iv the office of Superintendent of this province. 31 1\ Fitz Gerald has declared that it is not his intention to present lmnsglf for re-election. Under these circumstances, I have, after mature consideration, determined' to offer myself as a candidate for the forthcoming election. From evexy gentleman seeking1 so hig\\ an office you will doubtless expect to hear an outline of his-politfcaloninions. I will claim your indulgence \vh\\e I endeavour, very briefly, to state my views respecting such matters as are , most prominently interesting to the public of this province. j Before dbjnjj^so, I would ask you to believe tliat j vr solicit}yg .your suffrages lam anhnated |* ' by-a sincere 'tfcsife to.be ijcwlrumental in secur--ij^ji^^K^K^f^ife^and pi'^gressof the province; -i§ not the only ip^ "'^^l^/Jl^l^^^^^^^d^roradopt'-'' ing, V N I rim not altogether a stranger to the majority of your number, and am happy in believing that my personal relations with this majority are such as to Justify a strong hope of success in my present proposal. I arrived in Canterbury during the first year _ of its settlement, and, with theexception of a phort time, dur-ing which I visifcad the neighbouring colonies, have since resided'among j'ou. I had the honor of serving you in the first General Assembly, and have been a member of your Provincial Council since the extension of its numbers. For a short period I discharged the duties of Resident .Magistrate, and, since my retirement, have been -engaged in the prac-, tice of the law. The public affairs of Canterbury I am earnestly desirous of seeing conducted with scrupulous honesty and singleness of purpose. The Imperial Parliament having conferred upon the Colony of .New Zealand a constitution of unparalled liberality, and of fewer imperfec? tions than are by some persons inconsiderately ascribed tp it, I am wishful to see that consti T tution properly read and carried "out* feeling assured that by it every provision is made for the political necessities of the colony, and that great inconvenience must speedily,follow h/judicious attempts to interfere with its natural and legitimate operation. I am among the number of, those who, f regard the past legislation of the; provinces, ' generally, as exhibiting a decided tendency to exceed the powers conferred upon them by the Constitution Act, and think it highly desirable that such tendencies should be at once correct ted. ' ■ ' One of the. principal duties of the Provincial Government is to provide funds'for the con--1 etruction and maintenance of public works and local improvements ; and one of the «-hi<>f sour--1 ces upon which Government must rely for this purpose is the sale and rental of the Waste "Lands. • As to the price anc] general management of the Waste Lands, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I am entirely'adverse to any change in the Waste Lands 'Regulations that shall involve a reduction in the price of the WasteLands, or the tenure of such portions as arg

occupied for pastoral purposes. For the simple reason that I should, in the first place, consider auch changes as infliotingan injustice upon the present occupants, and calculated'to retard the advancement of the provinces, by reason of the doubt and uncertainty with which the public would thenceforth learn to- regard provincial legislation. - Hecause,, also, I dp not apprehend that a reduction of price, below' the present fixed rate of £2 per acre, is at all necessary to secure such an income for expenditure on public works as will bear a just proportion to"p^r resources in the shape of available labour. ;" J,',' ' With veference to P ; ubK<s JWork^ lam very deiiroua that the coiintty'soould J*pfsiprojighly opened out by m#ans of sufficient !r6a^ and bridges, as/ fast a* the necessary funds can' be redfand. A*d,,atthe. sam^t^^Jlihitik,it ofthe highest iuappcLamopihAtf especial care should be .taken 'to ascertain x wlieni appropriating public 4 money, tli^t,,priorHy*1W given to suoh works only 'as are most needed and which promise to yield the greatest amount of -public profit and convenience,. I trust that for many years wo shall' not be compelled to resbrt to. the levying of faxes as a means of supplying the Provincial Exchequer. Nothing short of an extreme exigencywould in my opinion justify compliance with such a'measure. In order to avoid such a position, it'appears tome only necessary that > the ■ greatest' economy should pervade the administration of the Government, and that cara should be taken never to anticipate ouv revenue, except in cases where such a course would ensure, an extraordinary public benefit.

It i« perfectly needless for me to state that \ am in favour of that system of legislation that' bears most equally upon all classes of the community. I believe there are few to be found who would be -bold enough to pr,opos§. a scheme of class legislation to a people' so' thoroughly imbued with a love of fail- pluy as the public of Canterbury. I hope that this, spirit wiH1 continue as strong as ever, and that the progress of/education will foster and increase thafloye- of order and respect to duly constit'uted/oauidratafeyuvhich is already one of the proudesjfe1 characteristics of >v our-infant state.*, , - -■< Should you, gentlemen, do me the honor to elect me to the office of SuperilrteVd&hti/-iThave great hope that I shall .'find riiys/elf competent to a proper discharge of its political "functions. I am especially encouraged ni this belief^ when I consider that, under our present system of Government, I should be associated with and'ad- - vised by the ablest men in the province, In conclusion, gentlemen, I promise that, if elected, I will devote myself entirely- to the promotion of the social and political welfare of the province; that I will adhere faithfully to the constitution, and will never be a party to its infringement or evasion, either directly or indirectly ; and that, in so far as may devolve on me, I -will always endeavour to secure to the public the services of the, ablest and best men, in all departments of the Provincial Government. Before the day of election I hope to have frequent opportunities of more fully explaining1 my opinions. In the meantime, gentlemen, I beg to subscribe myself, most respectfully, Your very Obedient Servant, W. S. MQORHOtJSE.