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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 24, 28 January 1874, Page 2

We were in hopes that the present session of the Provincial Council would I have been devoted to carrying out the j work for which it is specially held, and that alFquestioiia of farm's of Government, and of personal likes or disii&es would have been suffered to give place to the more important one of a public works policy. Such hopes, however, were vain, for on the first order paper of the session there appear no less ■ — frb^xi three votes hostile to the present Govern men t. The first to move was Mr Guinness, who, having already displayed a disposition to be quarrelsome by making a most uncalled for attack upon the Executive for presuming to propose Mr Barnicoat as Speaker, proceeded to announce his intention of making an attempt to put once more upon the stage the farce of Responsible Government. Ifc is one with which tie Nelson public are familiar, they having before this enjoyed a good laugh at, but the Council that acted it is now defuncf, and it is only necessary to say that the promoters were bo ashamed of the whole thing that they took the earliest opportunity of reversing their decision, and Responsible Government in our tiny legislature /fcaqie to an untimely end. With the experience of 1870-71 before it the Council is scarcely likely to agree to Mr Guinness' resolution. Another of the notices to which we have referred is that given by Mr Donne, who has certainly laid himself open to a charge of being influenced by purely personal considerations in tabling bis want of confidence motion. As a rule, it is considered necessary before proceeding to such an extreme, to ascertain what ie the policy of the Government to be condemned and upon that to found an attack on the Executive it is Bought to dislodge, but yesterday His Honor had not left the room five minutes, and there certainly had cot been time to read carefully the schedule of the proposed works when Mr Donne rose with unseemly haste and. gave notice of the motion which stands in his name for to-morrow. Whether the Council will be disposed to listen patiently to his individual grievances remains yet to be seen, but the general impression is that he would certainly have displayed far better taste had he waited to learn what were the proposals, before attacking the members, of the Government. Mr Ivesa's resolution in favor of a re-consolidation of the offices of Treasurer and Secretary is of quite another character, and we fully adrrit.that much might.be said in support of if, if the duties of those two officers were to be considered as confined to mere office "work, .li has been clearly shown during the time that Mr Greenfield acted in both capacities that he was quite capable of performing the clerical work of both departments, but a member of the Executive must uot be looked upon simply as a clerk but rather as one who shall advise, and may be consulted by; the head of the Government. It is a matter on which there may fairly exist a difference of opinion, but for oqr own part we are not disposed to allow that the salary of , a really useful member of the Executive is thrown away, even if there should not be full employment for him during office hours, especially now that there is a probability of public works : being entered upon on a large scale.