The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1870.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 126, 31 May 1870, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1870.

The Council was engaged during tbe whole of a long sitting last night in discussing in Committee the Executive Government Bill, and it was eventually decided that the Executive shall be constituted as follows: — The Provincial Secretary, Solicitor, and Treasurer to he members ; the Superintendent shall also appoint two other persons to be members of the Executive Council, one of whom shall therein represent the interests of the goldfields, and have a seat in tbe Provincial Council. Not more than four and not less than three members of the Executive to have seats in tbe Provincial Council, three j of them to be removable on the passing of a vote to that effect by the Council, provided always that the Provincial Secretary shall not be so removable. Thus it will be seen that the Council has adopted a semi-responsible form of Government; how it will work is a question which has yet to be solved, but for our own part we are i free to confess that we look forward with grave misgivings to the effects of introducing what we fully believe will prove an element of discord into the workiDg of our Provincial institutions. However, the people through their representatives have demanded it, and upon them must rest the responsibility. From the tone of the Council last night, it is evident that the intention is to create a new office under some such title as Secretary of the goldfields, the duty of which officer shall be to supervise the officials employed upon the goldfields, and generally to report to and advice with the Superintendent upon matters connnected with these districts. Although, as a rule, we are strongly opposed to the creation of any new offices, we are on the present occasion disposed to accept the opinions universally expressed by the West Coast members thab such an appointment is necessary, and that a really capable officer, if such cau be found, will be the means of saving large sums of money from being uselessly or unnecessarily expended. The difficulty, however, will be to find such a man as will perform the onerous duties that will fall upon his shoulders in a satisfactory manner, and we venture to predict that the Province will have cause to regret that the Councii has refused to avail itself of the services of Mr. Kynnersley. Whilst ou this subject, we must congratulate Mr. Shephard on the manly and straightforward manuer in which he stood up last night to protest against the unfair and unreasonable cry that was perpetually being raised by one or two members of the Council, agaiust the Superintendent, for not doing this, that, or the other thing, which clearly were outside the sphere of his duties. He did not, he said, staud there to sound the praises of the Superintendent, but he could not stand quietly by aud listen to such charges without raising his voice against them. It was uot for the Superintendent to be constantly visiting all the parts of the province, and taking upon himself the work of his subordinate officers, in fact, it was impo-sible that any one mau could do the work that some of the members seemed to think should be performed by the head of the Government. What was really wanted in a Superintendent was, that he should possess clear business capacities, and should generally supervise the government of the province, without taking upon himself the petty details into which some seemed to think that he should enter. It is to be hoped that such a rebuke, coming from so influential a member as Mr. Shephard, who himself is usually to be found in oppositiou to the Government, will have the effect of silencing this foolish cry which a small minority of the Council seem to delight in reiterating ad nauseam.. An interesting discussion took place on that clause of tbe Bill which provides that no member of the Council shall hold any contract under the Provincial Government, and we were glad to find, ' that although one of the members sesined

desirous of striking out the clause, there was a determination on the part of the large majority to set their faces against anything which might seem to interfere with the independence of members. As one of them forcibly expressed it, "If members were allowed to hold offices of emolument under the Government, it would be tantamount to offering encouragement to the vilest species of logrolling that could possibly exist, and the Council might gradually glide into a body of jobbers." Such an expression of opinion, endorsed as it was by a large majority, was sufficiently indicative of the feeling of the Council on this subject. The first clause providing that the Act should come into force on the Ist July, was so amended as to make it come into operation . from and after the passing of it. The Council seems anxious to plunge at once into the unknown future that lies before it, and we earnestly hope that the public may never have cause to look back with regret upon the step that has been taken by their representatives.