GOLDFIELDS LEGISLATION.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 284, 14 August 1874, Page 2

GOLDFIELDS LEGISLATION.

GENERAL GOVERNMENT CONFESSION. Mr. Vogel might say that he thought the Goldfields question was one that required a large amount of attention and consideration. There might be circumstances connected with it of a nature not satisfactory, but he did not think those circumstances were to be met by legislation". The difficulty probably was, that the administration of the Goldfields had, if he might use the expression, fallen into great, irregularity. Originally, it was intended that the management of the Goldfields should remain in the hands of the Colonial Government, with power to delegate to the Superintendents. Little by little -that process of delegation had been entirely - changed into a process by which the Colonial was divested of all responsibility, and the entire charge remained in the hands of the Provincial Governments; bo that the management had fallen into an irregular condition. Goldfields questions were mixed up very much with other provincial matters, much to the dissatisfaction, apparently, of the residents on Goldfields. Honorable members could not charge the General Government with any responsibility for the management or mismanagement of the affairs of the Goldfields, because, to all intents and purposes, the matter had passed entirely out of the. hands of the General Government. It was not the Act of the present Government, of the Government that preceded the present Government, or the Government preceding that again. It was a result that had followed from a long course of systematic administration in one direction. He was not prepared to say that it was desirable to make a change; but he must this: that the experiment which had been made during the recess, in the case of immigration, was one that, to his mind, would have been much more satisfactory, and much more in accordance with the case, 1 had it been originally adopted in respect to the Goldfields management. In respect to the management of immigration, the position was this. The Minister for Immigration had asked the assistance of the Superintendents, and had handed over to them a certain amount of power. They did not go beyond that power without asking for special authority, and the Colonial Government continued responsible, and were in a position to lay before the House full particulars of all that took place in reference to the discharge of the duties devolving upon the Minister for immigration. Perhaps it was too soon to express an opinion upon the subject; but, as far as the experiment had already gone, it appeared to him the plan worked well; that was to say, the Provincial Governments had asqjdered large services to the Minister for Immigration, whilst, at the same time, the latter had been enabled to tell the House that he had not ceased to be responsible for the charge of his department. Had such a. course been adopted in the delegation of the Goldfields powers, the probability was that the House would have been in absolute possession of all matters connected with the Goldfields from the very first. It would have been in a position to know what defects existed in the administration of the Goldfields, and would have been able to deal with all Goldfields questions in a manner which, it appeared to him, they were scarcely in a position to do at present. Year after year the General Government had no information as to what took place under the powers delegated to the Superintendents. Sometimes reports were laid on the table, but they were laid on the table under no responsibility to the Colonial Government itself. In fact, all power over the matter had gone out of the hands of. the General"Government, and they were not inclined now t6 come down with proposalsjor amending the system. If any amendment were desirable, it should be the lesult of very great thought, and very great care. It was certainly not a matter to be dealt with by the house, in a hasty manner, m the middle of a session; and he wished clearly to intimate that the Government had no intention, to move in that direction. The matter had fallen into a certain groove, and really theire was too much important work before. the Government to allow of their seekiiig for grievances, if. there were any grievances connected with it. mat he had said on this subject was simply an indication, of his own impression, that really the gentlemeu who represented Goldfields-' constituencies in that House, represented those constituencies less as Goldfields than as portions of the < :olony. The ventilation of Goldfields matters, and all the detaiLs connected with them, could <be much better dealt with in their Local Legislatures than in the General Assembly. All representations from the Goldfields should really go to the Provincial Governments. • Those Governments had the

entire direction of Goldfields in their own hands; and in the General Assembly honorable members were aware there was a great deal of disinclination to form an opinion on Goldfields matters, much less to take any active part in them.

Mr. Macandrew said it appeared to him, after what had fallen from the Premier, that the sooner the House abandoned all attempts at legislation for Goldfields, the better it would be. It was clear to his mind that the Colonial Legislature had admitted its incompetency to deal with the subject. Somefour years ago it was stated from all quarters that legislation was necessary. He believed every member representing a Goldfields constituency was strongly of that opinion; but now it appeared, judging from the statements of those representing' Goldfields, that no legislation was necessary. Although he had no strong views on the subject, his opinion was that legislation was necessary, to the extent of consolidating existing Acts and in regard to riparian rights, which this Bill, he understood, provided for to a certain extent. He really thought that the best course to adopt—if the House could see its way to abdicating this part, of its function—would be to leave the matter to be dealt with ,by the Provincial Councils. It was very clear that what was suitable for Westland was not suitable for Otago, and vice versa. They were told that Auckland had a special Act peculiar to itself, and he thought that was a very good reason for the course he suggested. His own opinion was, that legislation was necessary. However, after the declaration of those who were especially in charge of goldfields interests, that legislation was not necessary, he would recommend the honorable member for the Dunstan to withdraw his motion.—' Hansard.'