The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XII, Issue 731, 9 November 1859, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

. 'Wednesday,.November 9/ 1859. ; It was expected that the session of the Provincial Council-would have been at-an end about this time 3 but -as affairs- have turnedout, there is no saying now how long It may be before members are able -to disperse to, their several homes. .^Another1 tea-cup storm has'been going on in our community. A change of-Government isNbeing effected,.and some of the members of Council who have got it up believe, or pretend to believe, that they are serving the country. Unfortunately for their pretensions, we strongly suspect that the country; does not believe this, aad -th-atit is little obliged to'them for their conduct.

Of course the whole-question between ■the. Government and this'little knot of gentle-' men, who assume to themselves' the- creditcf supporting the dignity ,of* the :Coimcil,ycan-i not be'narrowed into the one resolution which decided the resignation of the late Executive/ The late Government was formed-avowedly without any grand notions of party politics in. provincial business,: but with a view to carrying on the practical business of theprovineeto the greatest advantage. 'They mayappeal to what has been done, and the manner, in which it has been -done, -while they were in office,-as-a proof that they have not' been idle. This, at least/they have not been accused of. And we must say here, in justice to Mr. O.llivier, that during the past very laborious year .he has in no way spared himself, and that no man.who .'has liekl the-office of Provincial 'Secretary - has had so much work on his shoulders, or has attended to his work with more assiduity than that gentleman. The last financial year has been one of much difficulty. The -revenue for the 'first nine months of the year far exceeded the estimates-; public works were undertaken on a large scale in pursuance of votes of. the Provincial Council, arid in many cases it was found advisable, for the sake of'economy, and on grounds of public expediency, to exceed those votes. It is evident in a young.community, and when large piiblic works' are going on, that it cannot be predicted exactly for a year in advance how much or how little "can 'be advantageously spent on public works. The Public Works Committee of last year reported somewhat to this-effect:; and the question for the Government was whether they should adhere strictly to the Council votes, to the great detriment of public interests, or should call the Council together suddenly to alter the votes, or should take npori themselves the responsibility of departing' fronvthem and answering for this departure to the Council. They determined on the latter course, whether -rightly or wrongly it was for the Council to determine. The Provincial Secretary in his financial statement allowed the departure from orders, but stated that in every case the Government" were prepared to justify the course they had pursued. They laid no claim to a right of expenditure without vote; but they claimed a right to be heard as to their reasons for assuming the

responsibility. The Council met on the 29th September. .-■Returns—detailed accounts and a comparative statement to 30th Septemberwere by great exertion on the part of the Government laid on the table of the Council early in October. No such elaborately detailed accounts up to so late a date have ever been, we believe, laid on the table of any Council in New Zealand; and it is to be presumed that the Government considered that they had a v vht to some credit, on that score.

If the first three quarters of the past financial year .were, prosperous, the latter, as we are all aware, was the reverse. Every man in business is aware of vie monetary difficulties which all have to contend with. The Pro- , vincial Government was also met by temporary difficulties; but'had made such arrangements, through the liberality of ■ the Union.Bank of Australia, as •to enable them to prosecute all works in hand to a completion, and tv tide through the bad season-till the reaction should take place which has already begun and which1 must renew our rapidly progressive state with the coming in of the new year and the wool crop. Such was ' the state of things when the financial business' of the year came before the Provincial Conncil. To the astonishment of the Government a violent attack was made on them "by certain members of the Council,. without affording them an opportunity of: defending the items on which they had over expended. They stated that they were pre-; pared to be called to account, but that they' had expected »a hearing. Unprejudiced and ;• dispassionate persons were astonished: at themanner m which night after night the Pro-. 'vincial Secretary .was bullied. The intention * •of bullying him was well known and crowds •went down to "hear the fun." In public estimation Mr. Ollivier has certainly gained :• very much by his conduct in these very trying circumstances; and considering the provocation given, his temper stood the 'test -wonderfully well. There was one thing to give him confidence, viz., that there was little ■or no argument .amid a very,uneloquent stream of attack—but a halfpenny worth of bread to an-'intolerable amount of sack. In the «midst of all this an hon.- member, not generally known for any great activity as a legislator, .made a happy-go-lucky motion for further /accounts to~the'l3lst October:! "We have not : heard i this motion defended out of doors by Lone nian of business who knows what accounts are. A Government which had taken iso much trouble—-a trouble that might have been appreciated by business men—as'to give 'full accounts up to the very sitting-of the Council, did. not deserve to' have such a vote of want of confidence A pressed against "them. '.The Provincial Secretary, -very naturally, resisted it, both as showing want of confidence •and as being impolitic-in-thepresent state of affairs-to do so-unprecedented a 'thing* as to publish parfcof a quarter's accounts in -the middle of the session. This was a snubbing the Government had not Reserved and were ..not prepared^to-submit to. Qnex>r two other gentlemen took u|s'this resolution hotly, and refused to go into committee of supply till the return in question was produced. The«members of the Government-present refused to vote, and in a very thin house the motion was * carried. It ..must -be observed "that, at the same time that the Provincial Secretary refused to acceed to this unprecedented and hostile motion, he-offered ..any information to; any member who chose to visit the -Provincial' Treasury. So much for •. a wish to withhold information.

What'transpired last night we do not now know. 'But the gentlemen who •have been the cause of this 'crisis' must ..supply the place >of the late Government, or else answer to the province for. the.manner in which they conducted their opposition. Unless -we-are- much mistaken, they will find it difficult to satisfy the province, in any case, "that they were right. We' have,- on <all sides, ■except among a few friends of thehon. members in question, arfd especially among men -of business, a strong opinion expressed that they have unnecessarily and mischievously the coach. We should much like to •see an appeal, in some shape, to the province at large. .It would then be seen-whether the electors were prepared to endorse the conduct of the late Government -throughout 'the past year, or that of:those members of the Council who are.now playingI*at',forming a.ministry.'