The Oamaru Times. AND WAITAKI REPORTER

North Otago Times, Volume I, Issue 10, 28 April 1864, Page 4

The Oamaru Times. AND WAITAKI REPORTER

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 1801.

I We lay it down as a fundamental axiom that eveiy civil community contains within itself the necessary amount of j ability for its own government. This principle must be self-evident to the most common-place thinker. Experience con- | firms it, history records it, and political thinkers admit it. Notwithstanding, it is a common thing to hear from all who take any interest in the public a film's of the Province — and especially of late — bitter complaints of the want of political leaders in the present Council Various causes are assigned for this btate of things. Among others, that nothing less than firstrate ability is required to govern a country. This, however, is a great fallacy, and worth exposing. Take then, for example, the evidence of a most comptent witness in this case, Thomas Carlyle : — '' Intellect," he says, " exists in all countries, and the " function appointed it by heaven is to " govern. Who are available for our " offices ? All the gifted souls of every " rank born in our generation. These are " appointed by the true eternal divine " right to govern, and precisely as you " employ them will your state be favored " of heaven or disfavored." The Latter Day Seer here puts our proposition conclusively, and all the more so since he assumes the highest ground for it. Just j as the first law of compensation pervades all physical nature, so also doos it rule in the world of humanity — in the social and political relations of mankind. Requirements and capabilities are ever co-exten-sive — as water finds its own level. The

i ordinary exigencies of society are always . such as it can itself supply. > But, to advance a step. Is the actual s amount of ability needful to conduct an administration much above the level of that • required to manage the ordinary affaiis of . ! life. That is the, next question ; and to answer it satisfactorily, we n*ust have recourse to the evidence of competent and reliable witnesses. All philosophic history goes to prove that " quite as much talent k requisite for the management of private and ordinary affaiis as of those which relate to a whole community, and which are frequently, though in some respects without justice, considered the most j important." Thucydides says, " that men " of moderate capacity are b^st fitted for I " administrative functions." And likely Cervantes was of the same mind, for he makes Sancho, with nothing but a decent i share of mother wit, an excellent governor. The reader may remember the penetrating | j remark of Voltaire's, apropos of the cha- | racter of that wily statesman, Cardinal i Mazarin — " The vulgar sometimes suppose j " a prodgious extent of capacity and a ge- ' " nius almost divine in those who have i " governed empires with success. It is not " a superior penetration which makes great i u statesmen — it is their ehaiacter. Men,! ; " however deficient in capacity, see clearly i " their own interests. A citizen of AmI i i " sterdam knows as much on that point as " a Buckingham, a Richelieu, or a Mazarin. j | " But our conduct and our enterprises de- | " pend entirely on the temper of our j " souls, and our successes depend on for- \ | " tune." In the business of legislation, it , ' is not those who possess the most com- ' plete knowledge of history and the science , of government succeed best, but those who I have obtained that special kind, or portion \ of both, which is most nearly connected with the actual character and circum- , stances of the community c\ er which thev are placed This is the gieat point to be , j observed by all who aspire to the office of legislator, and the observance of which will prove the true antidote to present growing complaints. And it was in reference to this truth that Pericles, , the wisest legislator of Greece, remarked, , " that in framing laws he had prepared " not those which were abstractedly the \ " best, but those best suited to the AtheI " nians." Colton, the celebrated author ! of Lacon, makes a very epigramic remark, i which we may quote in further support of ' the view we are maintaining : — " Many," | he says, "have been thought capable of] " governing until they were called to | " govern ; and others have been deemed ' " incapable who, when called into power, j " have most agreeably disappointed > " public opinion, by far surpassing all I '• previous anticipation. The fact is that j " the great and little vulgar too often ' 1 " judge of the blade by the scabbard, " although they may excite first-rate ex- ] " pectations, are not unusually found to be " the companions of second-rate abilities ; " whereas to possess a head equal to the " oreatest event, and a heart superior to j " the strongest temptations, are qualities I " which may be possessed so secretly that " a man's next-door neighbor shall " not discover them until some unfoiseen " and fortunate occasion has called them : " forth." But, not to multiply authorities needlessly on a point which may be now fairly assumed to be established, we shall j ■ dismiss it with the conclusive evidence of 1 the illustrious Irish Statesman, Edmund Burke, uttered in the course of one of the ! greatest speeches ever delivered within ' the walls of the British Parliment : — "I ] " have known merchants with the senti- " rnents and abilities of great statesmen, and

" I have seen persons in the rauk of states- " men with the conception and character " of pedlars. Indeed I have found nothing " in any habits of life or education which " tends to disqualify meii for the functions " of government, but that by which the "power of exercising their functions is " frequently obtained— I mean a spirit of " low cabal and intrigue which I have " never in one instance seen united with a "capacity for manly and sound policy." It is only necessary to give a glance at the present Council in order to verify these conclusions and detect all necessary materials to insure the maintenance of a good government.

j The Provincial Treasurer has at last sum- ! monecl courage to make the financial stateI raent, and thus remove the alleged diffij culty to the progress of the public business. [ Had it been made sooner, 110 doubt it | would have been better ; but perhaps the j country has lost nothing through its being j delayed a little. Ou the whole, it is a very | creditable production, and not without i some pretensions to statesmanship. Indeed I Mr Gillies may take to himself the credit, without being charged with egotism, of , having produced the most statesmanlike I production of the kind yet attempted in the Province. It is. however, too volu1 minous to publish in full ; we therefore propose to give our readers a resume of its ! leading matter. j The revenue estimated to yield £350,600 j had, in reality, produced £360,324 4s. 3d. I There has been a deficiency on the Estit mates in the sale of Crown Lands ; but the i increase from other sources has brought f up the excess of the whole, as detailed in the figures quoted. The ordinary expendi1 ture has amounted to £318,784 14s. lid , against the ordinary revenue — £30,372 4s. 4d. less than was estimated. On the 3M of March, 1863, a sum of £6238 4s 8d due to was the Bank. Deducting this amount from the £41,539 9s. 4d.. the difference between the ordinary expenditure and revenue, a balance is left of ordinary revenue of £33,331 4s. 8d. , Against the Harbor Loan of £50.000 ( unnegociated, £21,618 12s. 6d. has been expended. Under the loan 1861-62, | (£50,000), bearing inteeest at 8 per cent., £7000 have been negociated at a premium of £655 — making the result of the sale I £7655. Against this, £7455 17s. has been 'expended, leaving u balance of £173 3s. 1 Against another loan of 1862, not yet i placed ou the market, an expenditure of , £13,524 0s. 3d. is set down. Of the 1 £500,000 loan, also unnegociated, there I has been an expenditure of £304,882 7s. 5d. ' Deducting the credit on the loan of 1862, and the excess in ordinary revenue, from I the debits on the then loans, an actual indebtedness of expenditure over receipts remains. £304,544 12s. 7d. Of the loans authorised by the General Assembly, there remains £303,154 2s. 9d. unspent, in addition to the £35,301 4s. 8d. of surplus revenue. For various items, such as loans, a sum of £50,103 16s. lOd. is put down as due to the Province. On the other hand, the liabilities are set down as amounting to £346,703 3s. Gd. By deducting from this sum the loans, amounting to £50,103 16s. 10d., we have a balance of liability of £296,599 6s. 8d. Added to this, for contingent liabilities, on contracts not yet finished, £92,413 6s. lid. — thus making a total of actual liability, under all circumstances, of£389,012 13s 7d. The Treasurer then proceeds to make some remarks on the progress of the Province, and comparisons between the revenue of the last and preceding years. In the short space of ten years, the revenue has increased from about £2000 to

£860,324 4s. 3d. — the amount received at the Treasury during the year ending the 31st of March, 1864. Comparing that sum with the revenue of the preceding financial year, we find aii increase of £70,000. The Customs' Revenue and Gold Export Duty show an increase in the preceding year, the one, £23,000 ; the other, £13,000— while the only decrease has been in the amount realised by the sale of Crown Lands, which is £6000 le&s thin the previous year. The progress of the Province, as regards imports t and exports, is highly satisfactory. In 1862-3, the value of imports into Dunedin amounted to £2,069.372, while in 1S63-4, they amount to"£3,413,356,— showing an increase of £1,400,000. During the same period, the exports were valued, 1862-3, at £1,745,947, while for 1863-4. they reached £2,569,718— an increase of nearly a million during the year. The position of Otago, as regards the other Provinces in New Zealand, so far as imports and exports are concerned, is highly satisfactory. While the exports of this Province amount to about half the imports, the proportion in all other Provinces, e v en under the most favorable circumstances, is about one-fourth, This fact of itself, observes Mr. Gillies, is enough to show that the position of the Province is evidently satisfactory.

We five obliged, through pressure of other matter, to hold ever a portion of our Parliamentary news. The Government have at last seen the necessity of providing better Post-office accommodation at Oamaru than that existing. Tenders for the erection of an office are being advertised for> plans and specifications to bo seen at the office of Messrs Mason and Clayton, Dunedin, till tomorrow. We are not aware of the kind of building to bo erected ; it is to be hoped, at any rate, that it will be composed of stone, it being almost as cheap as wood. Messrs. Ramsay and M'Cabo have exhibited to us a sample of lignite from the lode now being worked by them at the Serpentine Creek, on Mr. Teschmaker's run, about fifteen miles from Oamaru. We have since tried it, and pronounce it to be the finest sample we have ever tested. The lode is six feet thick, and not far from the surface. The New Zealand Herald has the following : — " Bishop Selwyn has left the camp in consequence of differences which have arisen between himpelf and the General, who very properly refused to allow him to go about the enemy's camp for the purpose of patching up a hollow peace. It is said, too, that he has been endeavoring to enforce upon the General the advisability of accepting any terms from the Maoris, saying that enough of them have been killed, and that it was time the war was brought to a close. Whatever arc the real circumstances of the case, the Bishop is now in town — a telegram having been sent down on Sunday last to the Rev. Mr. Lloyd to take his place at that post." Our Canterbury Correspondent's letter has the following : — " On Monday last, the Panama Contract was discussed at a public meeting at Cliristchurch. His Honor was in the chair, but Messrs. Fitzgerald and Moorhouso were absent from illness, and the tiling was a failure. After some very caustic remarks from Mr. Wakefield, and the Provincial Solicitor (Mr. Travel's) on the absurdity of the whole affair, the meeting quietly dispersed. On the same subject, the New Zealand Herald of the 6th inst. has the following : — " The contract entered into by Mr. Crosbio Ward (late Postmaster-General) with the I.C.R.M. Co., for opening a line of steam communication between New Zealand and Panama, has beon repudiated. The Colonial Government had no other alternative. Mr. Ward so far exceeded both Ins means and instructions, and held out so little encouragement to New South Wales and Queensland to take a fair share in the obligations imposed, that no other course could by any possibility be adopted. This is the third time that New Zealand has missed the Panama route." Vane, the notorious New South Wales highwayman, has pleaded guilty to four charges of bushranging. He has been acqxiitted on another count, charging liim with shooting at the police with intent. Samuel Jones, alias Old Sam, charged with having assaulted Mr. Fraser, and robbed him under arms at Hawkesbmy, on the 9th inst., was committed to take his trial at the next Criminal Sessions of the Supreme Court.

A serious accident happenod on Friday lust, in the cutting about a quartet 1 of n mile beyond the Island Stream Bridge, on the Ofcopopo-road, to George Fleming, one of Mr. Quarrio's teamsters • It seems that while driving through the cutting, the break by some means got out of gear, and while Fleming was making it right again, the dray started, and owing to the extreme narrowness of the road, he Avas unable to get out of the way — was caught by the wheel, and sustained a compound fracture of the ancle. Mr. Williams was at once sent for, and set the fracture, and we are glad to state that the patient is progressing favorably. This is the third or fourth accident that has happened at this place through the narrowness of the road, but fortunately none of them more serious than that of Friday. They are enough, however, to show the Chief Engineer of Roads the necessity of having this and other like cuttings in the district widened. Through the courtesy of the Postmaster, wo learn that 15,110 letters and 8278 newspapers passed tlmough tho Office at Oamaru during the quarter ending March tho 31st ; and that these numbers are considerably below the mark, because all mails passing through the Office irom tho South to Canterbury are not noted. And from recent returns, we find that a greater number of Money Orders were issued during the month of March than at any othor ofllce in the Province, Dunedin excepted. Elsewhere is a notico of a general meeting of the members of the Oamaru Cricket Club, to be hold at the Oamaru Hotel, on Saturday next. As a means of protection for wooden buildings against fire and weather, the Time* recommends tho following : — " In painting houses, take one measure of fine sand, two measures of wood aslie H well sifted, three of slaked lime ground up with oil, and mix them well together : lay this on with a brush, the first coat thm, the second thick. This adheres so strongly to the boards covered with it that it resists an iron tool and the action of fire, and is impenetrable by water." On Monday last, considerable excitement prevailed at Hampden, caused by a report of a cow having died suddenly at that place from pleuropneumonia. The carcase was promptly opened by Dr. Hayne and Mr. R Hasty, but no evidence of disease was found m it. The cause of death, however, is attributable to the animal having eaten a considerable quantity of toot. It is rumored that gold lias been found in a gully some eight miles from Ilampden, up (he Shag Valley. Several parties are said to be working, but results have not yet beon made known. Our Hawkesbury correspondent's letter of yesterday contains the following items : — Elopement from the Dunstan. — A case uss brought before the Resident Magistrate, Hawkesbury, this morning, which has created a grent sensation. In the latter end of March, a loving couple, accompanied by a servant, put up at a well-known hotel here, and on the 2nd instant were married at the Episcopalian Church. Latterly, (ho couple have been living a short way out of town, and this morning were apprehended on the information of a storekeeper from the Dunstan, who charged the lady with being his wife, and the man whom sho married with being his servant, and of robbing him of a gold watch, gold ring, 11 oimces of gold, and £130 in money. The case stands remanded until tho 8th May next, for production of necessary evidence. It seems that the injured husband left his home on business, leaving his wife, the prisoner, and servant in charge, and on his return was somewhat surprised at finding the place nailed up, and on entering found it was completely gutted. He eventually traced the absconderg to Waikouaiti, and, as I said, had them apprehended. The ring was on tho male prisoner's finger, and the watch was also identified. A man named Greorge Heny was apprehended by Sergeant O'Brien, and has been sentenced to two months' imprisonment, for stealing a blanket and coat from the tent of Hugh Abernethy, at Moeraki ; and also to one months' imprisonment for stealing a pair of trousers from the ten fc of Andrew Mason. We observe a prospectus published m the Christchurch joiu-nals, announcing the intention to commence a weekly paper at Timaru.