The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 538, 30 December 1857, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Wednesday, December 30.

The General Assembly is summoned to meet on the 31st of March, and our Provincial Council on the 20th of January next. The short time between the meeting of the General Legislature and our Council will not leave room for a lengthened session of the latter, if it is intended that the members of the Geaoral Assembly who have seats in the Provincial Council should be able to attend in their places both at Christehurch and Auckland. The success of Mr. SewelPs mission necessitates the garly meeting of the General Assembly; the Provincial Council must meet atany rate before April to pass the Estimates for the ensuing year. Under these circumstances, the meeting in January appears to be the most satisfactory arrangement that was possible. There are some objections to the date appointed, but they a: c scarcely I sufficient to counterbalance the advantages. :It is true that there is not now time for any persons who may have wished to bring in private bills to comply with the Standing Orders; but the existing Standing Orders will expire within a week after the meeting of the Council; and, under present circumstances, the Council wonld find no great difficulty in- providing for the introduction of any bills, the promotion of which may appear desirable. New Zealand is so rich in legislatures that we suffer from a perfect "embarras de richesses." We must make the best of them and provide for the use of each in their season as well as we cani ' ;

The expediency of adissolution has been canvassed both at Auckland and Wellington. On Wednesday last we republisbed an article frona the * 'New Zealandar,' advo.

eating1 such a policy, chiefly on the ground that in some of the provinces such a change had taken place in the position of provincial politics that a new election was necessary to aflbrd an opportunity for the proper representation of present majorities. It was also urged that a new House of Representatives should deal with the loan and the changes likely to be made in the Constitution under the enlarged powers lately conceded by the Imperial Parliament. If to these reasons be added the fact that some of the seats in the House of Representatives are at present unfilled, there appear certainly at first sight very plausible grounds for a (dissolution. But, on the other hand, the objections to an immediate dissolution appear to us to be still stronger. In a Gazette dated the 15th-December, the new Acts of the Imperial Parliament are published, together with a letter from the Secretary of State in explanation of the views of the Home Government, which we hope to give in our next issue. It is very necessary that the General Assembly should meet without delay to consider the financial position of the colony j and we cannot but think that it would not only be unwise but unjustifiable of the General Government to lose any time in consulting the Assembly. It would be unreasonable to ask the Government to : incur the responsibility which would be thrown on them by any lengthened delay. :•■■

The chief reason for a dissolution advanced both at-Auckland and Wellington involves a very serious question of principle. Is it expedient or right that the constitution of the General Assembly should be changed and moulded by the ups and downs of provincial politics? We cannot think so. On the contrary it appears to us that it would be a most dangerous precedent to establish, that whenever a violent change may take place in the local Council of any province, the General Assembly should be immediately remoulded. We look to the General Government and the General Assembly as the representatives of comparative stability; at least we expect this one advantage from our system of double legislatures, that one should check and moderate the other. If a contrary theory were acted upon, we should be in a perpetual state of dissolution owing to the freaks of one province or another; it would be better to Kaye. annual parliaments at once; then at least we shoula know what to expect. -Because certain men are objected to j for their opinions on local politics, this is not a good reason for throwing them out of their seats in the House of. Representatives, to which they were elected, or should have been elected, on' grounds disconnected with questions'of purely provincial interest. It is true that several members of the present House objected to the loan and to the financial scheme of the Staflbrd-Sewell Government; but now that the loan is obtained they cannot reverse that policy. And as to " the distributive appropriation of the loan" the representatives of the different provinces may, as a general rule, be trusted to look after the. interests of their constituencies. The general complaint made against the members of the House of Representatives is too great greediness in behalf of their own provinces. Although a meeting of the present House of Representatives appears unavoidable under the circumstances of the time, yet it will be expected that a general election shall precede any important alterations in the Constitution Act, A short Session will be sufficient for immediate necessities; and if a dissolution follows in order to enable the constituencies to express an opinion upon fundamental changes in the constitution, we think that the general public of New Zealand will be satisfied. iWe^ are scarcely prepared for the turmoil of, "another general election because at Auckland and Wellington there have been local changes. ' We must reserve the consideration of the probable proceedings during the next Session/of the Provincial Council. for another occasion. ■