The Oamaru Times And Waitaki Reporter Thursday, April 21,1864

North Otago Times, Volume I, Issue 4, 21 April 1864, Page 4

The Oamaru Times And Waitaki Reporter Thursday, April 21,1864

The adverse vote on the second

reading of Mr.Dick’s Indemnity

Bill by the Provincial Council

on Friday Last which resulted

m the resignation of the Excu-

-tive, is an Event of much quat-

-er significance than it seems

to be generally consideed.

We observe that out contim-

-poraries m commnenting on the

Event ,regard it as calculat-

-ed to work out good for the

Province.lt is however,but

one more added to the list of

failures already achieved,

“and then an End”.The Ex-

-ecutive must be shown that

it cannot spend money with

Impunity and plunge the

communtiy m debt.Still there

are other political complicat-

-tions of the case to be adjusted

of perhaps greater importance.

just now. Let it be granted

that the vote given by the Pro-

-vincial Council was a perfect-

-ly consecentious one –that

nothing but the purest patrio-

-tism moved Mr Yogel m his

Opposition –and that the

Council has an undoubted

right to suspend or reject any

measures before it which it may

deem to be detrimental to the

public intersts. Still there are

limits even to the discretionary

action of the Provincial Coun

-cil-limits not imposed m

deed, by the Letter of Constrituti-

-onal law, but never the less

zeal and salutary.When the

Executive has Expended certain

monies absolutely required by

the wigencies of the state, Even

wthout the cousent of the Pro-

-incial Council,the council

ought to have very solid grounds

of objection to proceed upon

before it adopt such a course

as it ded on Friday last.lt

must not use its power to place

an insurmountable barrier

m the way of just and needful

Executive adminstraiton. It

must not create dead-locks m

the course of public affairs.

It must not by a too free use of

its right of veto indirectly stimu-

-late and Encourage unnecessary

popular agitation .The council

should know when to concede as

well as when to reject,otherwise

it will entirely misapply its fune-

-tions;and from being an indus-

-pensible and valuable part of our

system of governement it will

become and intolerable obstructi-

-on and grievance.

Now the Council we think went

rather beyond the limits pointed

out m their vote on the Indem-

nity Bill.The necessities of the

country urgently demanded that

it should pass at any rate.its sec-

-and reading before the Mail clo-

-sed for England under such a

circumstance it was clearly the

duty of the council to pass the

Prill before it-at any rate not to

suspend its progress so premature-

-ly. But by this vote the Council

have not alone suspended the

progress of public business ,but

left the Province without a govern-

ment –at the present crisis a most

serious atate of things –and par-

-ticularly so.since there is some

doubts as to wheather there is mate-

-rials among the Opposition party

to form a solid Administration.

The result however of this undue

Excerise of power ,have still to be

developed.lf the Dick Ministry

do not go back to office and delay

be occasionaed m the formation of

a new executive a smart colli-

sion between the Council and the

people is sure to be the result.

There is no un settled public ques-

-tion Easier of Equtiable adjust-

-ment than the squalting queation

if only the interests of insitive and the

Permanet benefit of the Province

be taken into account .All that

is required to be done,infact is to

determine the limitations of the

lesiure of the present pastoral

tenauts of the crown on such gro-

-unds as simple justice and equi-

-ty dictate .If past administrations

had but honestly recognized this

fact and acted on it ,things would

not be as they are now .The land

question will compose one of the

many to be discussed during the pre-

-sent sitting of the council let them

the present ministry recognize tis

principle m their delibertions

and m all probibility the difficulty

Will erase to be.

The fact is the great evil m Con-

-nection with out Land Laws m gen-

-eral and with the squatting ques-

-tions m particulars has been that of

over –legislation. It is a fixed

principle m the science of legisla-

tion that the less artifical laws are

the better will they be understood

And the more easily will they be

carried out. In regard to many

things there is far more injury

done by over –legislation than by

no legislation at all. Like a patient

for whose malady as many diffe-

-rent remedies are recommanded

as there are physicians called m ,so

is it m matters of state. From

the sheer multiplicity of doses and

their opposite Effects on his cons-

-titution, the poor patient dies at

length –doctorial to death.

were he but let judiciously alone,

m almost every case through the

Mr. medicatorix natura, he would

Probably recovver. Homoeopathy

wins the day by its infimatesimals

that is to say by letting alone.

To enact that settlers shall have

no better tennres to their runs than

they now have –which by the way

amounts to none at asll –is to

legislate m sheerfully. Capital is

permetically sealed up,or sent

beyond the Province. The result of

this is gricuously felt by all sections

of the community m the absence

of the community m the absence

stapel articles of food and

many other ways .In short to

no other surce can the woes

which now afflict the Province

be logically attributed but the

land regulations which have

existed for years past .It is to be

hoped therefore that mr.Dick and

his friends have come to discern

fully the evils of the present land

law and the necessity of affording

greater encourgement to pas-

-toral settlement.

If the settlers were guaranteed

the use of their runs until they

should be required for agri-

-cultural and occuption .they would

be satisfied and from our know-

-ledge of them we venture to Bay,

very few of them would be inclianed

to stand m the way of bonafidi

settlement. Look for example

at the North and North West

angle of the Province.No per-

-son not utterly ignorant of that

country and man upon a land

theory of his own would ever dre-

-am of the settlement of this portion

of our territory as and Eligible

field for agricultural. To begin

with it contains a vast area

where nothing can live and that

portion adopted for agraicultural

purposes is so far from a market

that the cost of transit would be

more than the value of the produce

when brought to market.lt will

therefore be a long time before such

a country can be of any use for

agricultural purposes morever

much of the land on the seaboard

is valuless for such uses through

the same cause. Before them the

land can be used for agricultural

purposes trunk lines of commu-

-nications must be opened up.

(railways or metalled raods)

connecting the inalnd districts.

with the sea ports.

Further of the Entire community

the sqnatters are certainly the

least expensive to the government.

The revenue desired from the

Gold-fields and by tariiff is nearly

all swallowed up m provinding

roads and bridges, notices estab-

-lishments and the general ap-

-parates of local government.

In the pastrol districts ,there

are few roads and bridges.

Police are very flew because they are

not needed and the expense of

getting the license –fees and as-

-sessments m nearly nothing at

all.lt is undeniably true that

squatting pays well but neither

are all squatters wealthy men.

Many of them were once shepherds

and hard-workinh men.others

were overeseas and many of these

two classes are still struggling to

rise to a position of indepndence. These are plain and palpable facts, which all fairness and

justice must be taken into ac-

count m rightly adjusting the

conditions of pastrol tenants

lenure.The clear apprehension

and frank recognition of them

will for mr.Dick and miscollea-

-gues help vastly to bring to a

logical and permanent solution

and settlement of the question.

Let the settlers be made to pay a

full and fair rent for their

rims but let us hence forth and

for ever fors wear all conventi-

-onist crotchets and chass legis-

-lation .Let us have honest men

of patriotic and simple aims to

rule over us. Let the spirit of just

and fair dealing with all sections

of the community the recognition

of righteous claims and the promo-

tion of all good measures be the

dominant motives of the present

Ministry and it will not

alone be able to surmount and

settle the Land question success-

-fully but all others that now

press upon the interests of Otago.

[The above was m type before

the news of the resignations of the

Dick adminstration reached us.]

We take the following important

paragraph from mr. Fames Hornis

report to the committee of the

Oamaru Anti-Pleuro-pnermonia

Association dated the 18th instant

at palmerston –“I have the honor

to report that mr Jones’cattle at

Waikianiti have beem mustered

and having inspected them along

with mr Bust I am sorry to say the

among them. I have no hesitation

m saying that m a mob of about

a hundred head which I saw col-

-lected ,one-third are more or less

affective and twelve so badly that

they are to be destroyed either to-

-day or to marrow.. will the gentle-

-men m Dunedin and thye infected

district who are now during their

Atmost to have the present bound

-aries broken down m the face of

such facts as these continue to

large their selfish and unjusti-

-fiable demand ? In another

part of the same reports mr.Horne

remarks:- “I am glad on the other

haad to have to reports that at the

a careful examination of mr.

orbell’s molo.we known them a just

deal improved .There are a few

sickleyness among then but no

bad cases.As to the Respass of his

(Mr Orbell’s cattle the matter so her

as it has gone has been the means

Trousing the peopleou the Waikau-

-aiti side to look better after their

Cattle”

A bill has passed both Houses:-

the Syding Legislative prohibiting

the Exportation of diseased cattle.

The remains of mr. Griffiths,

Who lost his life while crosssing the

Waitaki River tow years ago were

Brought into town on Friday last

And on Sunday were interect.

Many old axquantances and

Friends followed them to the grave.

The Rev.A Gifford officiated.

and after reading the service de-

-livered a most impresive address

On the uncertainly & life refering

frequently to the decreased and the

accidently through which he passed

From time.

It seems that the efforts of the

Estimable Presbyterian Cl;ergymen of this dis-

-trict (the rev Charles Connor at

The Dunedin are likey to such

In some thing permanent before

Long. In the report of a meeting

held ast that infece .on the 15th isnatant

the Dunedin Times had the hol-

-lowing –“ A number of gentlemen

were fornmed into a communities.

with whom the Presybtery at dunedin

Will communicate on all matters

realting to the cause of Presbyte

-rianism .Great hopes are entertain-

Ed that a minister of the denomui-

nation will shortly be appointed

for the district.

Since the discovery of the gold

fields m thois province m 1861,

1,462,503 ownces have been exported

During the current year up to the

6th instant 129,427 ounces 10 dwls.

have been brpught down by 20 cart

and 176,500 ounces hsve been exported.

If would seem from thre following

paragrpahs extracted from the

Waikitip Mail that an Extcicinet and

Cheap means of making the New

Zealand Flay of Commercial value

has been discovered by a resident

at Dunedin shown :- “Amongst the

discoveries recently made known is

one by our follows townsman mr

Procler ,who has invented an easy

and rapid mode of dressinf flag.

The samples exhibited are very well

got up and mr Procter states that

the Operation of dressing rely oc-

cupies one hour mr/ Stewart since

this fact was piblished has called

at our office and informed us that

he also has discovered a method

of dressing the flag.

On Tuesday last there was a riot

among the roadmen at the white

swamp near Hawkesburg which

for a time promised to end seriously

The police however soon arrived on the

Spot and arrested the ring leader

and soon after the men retured gui-

-ettly to their work.The cause of the

affray we have not bee b able to learn.

The man Jones alias Old Sam

Who robbef mr Fraser nea Waikou-

-aiti on 8 th instant were arrested

a port Chalmers on Monday last.

Little money was found on him.

He had however m his possession

alife preserver .He made little

reistance and was therefore capture-

-ed more easily than was audance-

-cd. The Daily Times of yestersday

says:- Samuel Jones alias Old

Sam was yeasterday brought before

the Resident Magistrate on a charge

of hearing asaulted are robbed mr

James Fruser on the Waikiuaiti

road m the Bth instant .The mr woner

was acommanded for four days m

from attractive for Provided to

arrive m town.

We have seen a sample of potatoes

And parsnips grown by mr Litle of

The Maerewhere Hotel macre whe-

-nua. They are without doubt the

largest and finest we have ever seen

and are positive evidence at the

producing capability of the land on thet

district mr Little informs that thr

gromer from which the sample of

potatoes was taken yieldfieds over

twelve tones per acre .He was spenldied

over £3000 m building m Hotel and

making other improvements on land

still government property and

would expend still more capital if

the land were his own .He has made

frequent applications to have the

land surveyed men should cer-

but success suermen should cer-

-tainly m couraged.

In private letter to the Wellington

Independent dated 6th instant it

W stated “ that review the nashing

Cheek of the privates has been ta-

Ken prisoners .He was severly

wounded m three palces. Two men

of the 40 the regt.found him lying

m a swamp and when they brought

him m they received 10 each for

taking him praivatore .It was ac-

-ported a the fronnt that the macris

are keep m a thomed on appered

amongst themselves and m we one

hundred men on guard over m

Every day because he isists upon

making peace and they won’t

agree to it but are datermined to

fight it out.”

It is Notified m our advertising

columous that section m block I

Papatioris will be upon for appli-

-cation on Thursday the STH imo-

proy and will be decided on Tues-

-day the 17th following. Vllaps of

the block describing Each section

may be had at the office of his paper