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.

/^ ENTLEMEN, Mr. FmGjsRALP vJT having announced his intention of resigning the office, of Superintendent of this Province, I have the honour to state, that I shall present myself to you as a Candidate for 1 t when the period of Election shall arrive. It may perhaps be thought presumptuous in me to take this step withoub having had the way prepared by the customary requisition. But the fact that I should be a candidate, in case Mr. FitzGerald did not desire again to be elected, has been so long and so -generally known, that it would have been affectation in me to>have Avaited for one. 1 have thought it the less necessary too, because the means by which signatures to such documents are now too often obtained have tended to inyest them Avitli almost as much of disrepute ass credit. ' At all events they have deprived them' of much of that, value in public estimation which such testimonials onre possessed. I feel it to be my duty, Gentlemen, to state

at the outset of this address gome of the consi - delations which have led. we to offer myself to your notice and to ask at ycfur hand* % highest civil appointment jt js in your Jfaffei' to bestow. I ha,ye beeii a resident amslf|'you almost from the foundation of the' settlement, and have ever taken a more or less active part in the public affaire of the province. It is flow two yeays since I had %. honour Of obtaining a seat in the Provincial Council, Since th.en my time has been wholly engaged }n the pH&lki service; and there is scarcely an office "w4wthe Provincial Government, # J; • except that of > the Solicitor and that of the Provincial. Engineer, the duties, of which I have noi for some period, discharged. X mention'this not to found tiny . present claims on your confidence) for I feel too. conscious how great the distance is between tha most; important of the offices I have held and thaf'to which \ now aspire, but to show that .1 have had considerable experience ip thj(adjriinistration of the affairs'of the p|6viftc«t^ ft^djfh'us, I hope, establish -the* pl^umption, that; I possess aome&&tne^quali£^jons re^uir^l for the discharge .^ of the administrative duties which attach ffc^the office of 'Sttjpipntendent. You wil^^^^Hemeu, probably expect from those who msjr^eaent themselves to your no-, tice on thjsliCcaiNon some general exposition p.f the yiepft tE^^^of the nature of the tffica for which^hey'ijtje candidates, and the leat ing principles''By which,, should they succeed, their .conduct of^ffS^^ould be guided. To that task, therefprfe, I jiow address myself. Had this been .the first election'of a Superintendent, this task would have been one of very considerable difficulty. Xn no part is the Con--1 stitution Actmoredefe^tive than whereit.defines the duties of S&perjnijendent. It would almost appear as if the framers of that Act, unable to determine with anything like precision the status the Superintendent should occupy in the Government of the country and the functions. he should discharge, had confined themselves to. simply defining his legislativejdutie&, leaving it to time and circumstances to- develop the amount of executive power he should exercise. ' Gentlemen, that which the Constitirfcion^Apt so vague1 and unsettled, lime and experience have 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 Ordi-) nance has, in some cases definitely, in others provisionally, invested him with n 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 interfere 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 be guided in their exercise. Thus, in this Province as in others, an Executive Government Ordinance has been passed by which the, Superintendent is bound to have an Executive Council, by whose advice he fstp be guided in carrying on the Government of the province. I do not consider it necessary in this place to discuss, at length the advantages or otherwise of this order of things. 1 simply lay before you the nature of the office .as-1 iind it, and the circumstances that have led to its present form of development. Nevertheless, I will not shrink from avowingl my 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 peculiarities of New1 Zealand, the scantiness 'otMts population, and 1 the difficulties of inter-communication, the best and most efficient means by which the aii'airsof the yaiious provinces can be at present administered. In it too the "great principle of self government' is fully recdgnised. Ihe power you possess, and which you have periodically to exercise, of electing your Superintendent, ought to secure yon the services of an active and intelligent officer. That officer "lias the assistance of an Executive Council whose acts must be -supported by the approval of the Provincial Council. Throughput the whole arrangement the principle of responsibility is brought to bear. The Superintendent is responsible to the_ province, the Executive Council to the, Fm\ incial Council, and the Provincial Council in. its turn to the people. Whilst then the Constitution Act remains unaltered. I am un.Me to imagine a system of Provincial Government under

combining- more of simplicity, efficiency, and economy. I say while the Constitution Act is unaltered, for you are not unaware that many persons are of opinion that it can be amended. It would, however, be an unprofitable occupation of your time and altogether beside my present purpose to consider on this occasion possible changes. My duty is to deal with fects. -If changes are introduced it can only be by an authority-1 to which Superintendents in common with all others affected by them .must bow. I take it, then, that the 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 he is 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 this way- • t • ■

, You will then, I have no doubt, concur with me in thinking that it would be inconsistent for a candidate" holding these views to express ■. himself dogmatically on particular subjects, or labour to produce what is 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. It 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 have the confidence of the Provincial Council, lie must either attempt to carry on the Government with an adverse Council pr 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. - J .But while, for" these '-reasons, I .-abstain-from *i placing .before you .-a policy which shall imply ' a rigid adherance to particular views on particu " lar subjects, as being* botli indiscreet and at variance with the spirit of our present law, I have no hesitation in expressing my ojnnions 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 lam 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 objectiona-. • ble amongst our own selves, or move calculated to discourage persons in other countries from settling here than uncertainty on this point. I could almost say that it would be wiser to ad-, here 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; But I venture to assert that the question has already' received as ample deliberation as under any cir- ■> cumstances it could receive. When the price j of land was under deliberation in the legisla- I tare of this province, every reasonable sum, and ! almost .every imaginable, mode-of'payment was ' proposed to the Council and discussed. I should probably be within the mark were I to say :tliai. more than a dozen divisions took place on this point. Ten, twenty, thh'ty, forty, fifty, and sixty shillings were all separately advocatetl and proposed. The mode of payment, too, whether by money down or by instalments, was equally the subject of difference of opinion and division in the Council. iJ; 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 its 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 la/nd.without 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 revennp from-this source during the coming year is £10,000. But wIM appears to me to be tho ,

most satisfactory fact connected with those sales v is this—that the large majority of them have been made to persons of the working classes ,ancl to bojm fide settlers and cultivators of the soil. It may be fairly asked, how much of,this laud would have found its way into their hands had the price • been materially lower P It is matter of notoriety .that, within two or three days of the present regulations coming into operation, some large capitalists arrived here for the purpose of making extensive speculative purchases, even outside the original Canterbury block, and at a distance from the cultivated districts. How much land worth having would have.been left inside, and esj^ecially in the neighbourhood, o.f your towns, had the cheap land policy prevailed, I leave yon 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 veiy large amount of capital has been embarked in pastoral pursuits ; and I think the faith of the legislature and the Government is pledg-ed to its protection—that -is, protection to this extent — that the order of things under which that capi - tal was invested and the stockowners induced to enter On their separate enterprises should not be liable to frequent change. But I am disposed to maintain that regard for our own interests, no less than good faith towards others, should prompt us to resist any alteration in the price of land. The produce of our pastoral districts 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 main 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 encouraging 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 oi; two the rents derivable from that source will \>e alone sufficient, not only to pay the large contribution annually requiredfrom this province towards the extinguishment Of tlie' New -Zealand Company's debt, but will leaVe a considerable balance available for the use

of the pvovihce. The present price of land, Gentlemen, constitutes the main, almost the only protection of the pastoral interest; and I ask you seriously to reflect whether it is expedient to withdraw it—whether 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 Treasury, 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. j Another subject on which I desire to say a few more words is our form o^ Government. There are some persons who 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, of which a Mayor, Aldermen, and Council are 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 mode of Government. It is, however, not long since that the jobbery, peculation, and coinvption, 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, excepting 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 preference shown for-corporation'rule,.and,-person-ally, I can feel but little attachment to a system which has produced snch results. . But in truth,

there is no fair analogy between the circumstances of a municipal corporation in England and a jnrovince 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 government of the province." This alone destroys all parallel in the cases.

i It is said however, that, even if the analog tails, it will be move economic to do awny with | the existing: departments and have the business I £ the Government conducted by the .Provincial Council divided intocomn.ittees, I must say that I disbelieve in this altogether. It assumes that these committees will do their work with out remuneration. I know not on what "rounds gentlemen can'be expected to devote their time 1 to the public service without return. Nor do I think the public desire that they should do so 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 Lvery member residing beyond a certain distance from Christchurch is paid a certain'sum per'diem for. every day he attends the Qouncil. If, then, the members of committees are',air tobe paid their expenses merely, the system wfll not only be cumbrous and clumsy, but xhore 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 Governmenta rigid economy. It must, be one consistent with efficiency. It is not economy else. My conviction is, that the plan put forward is as fatal both to efficiency and economy as ingenuity could devise. There is one further subject to which I will allude, for though it does not come within our control _ and is- not a question of domestic policy, it is one, nevertheless, on which the effi- ■ cient Government of the province is so dependent as in my opinion to demand notice in this place. I refer to the seat of the General Government. Every day's experience shows how seriously the administration of our affairs , is embarrassed by the great distance of this , General Government from Us. lam anxious , therefore to state my desire, in whatever posi- , tion 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, exe'eeuefd' convenient , length. Opportunities, however, will doubtless ■ 1 be presented in which such subjects maybe discussed between us. It will be my business so far 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 rather 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 ori 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 rousin°* feelings of animosity and hostility which it is most desirable should not exist. 1 can only say for myself that it will be my anxious desire to keep- the canvass as clear of these evilsr^s possible.

And now, gentlemen, it only remains for me to assure you that, whatever the result of tins appeal, I shall be perfectly satisfied with your decision. While I admit most freely that the office !bf; Superintendent of this . province may well'be regarded as an object of laudable ambition,'yet I feel so conscious of the. labour, anxiety, and responsibility of the office, as to regard it with much more of apprehension than! desire, I have, however, (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 with 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 tri be, Gentlemen, Your very obedient and humble servant, JOSEPH BBITTAjST. Limvood, April 3, 1857.