Termination of the Session of the General Legislative Council.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 561, 30 August 1851, Page 2

Termination of the Session of the General Legislative Council.

Our Wellington dates are to the 16th inst. The Session of the Legislative Council was brought to a close on Saturday, the 2nd inst., the various measures which we have from time to time reported as in progiess, having been passed. It will be our business in future numbers to select or condense such portions of the final discussions upon them as may be likely to interest our readers. Meanwhile, we give immediate insertion to the proceedings in the committee on the Estimates, in relation to the augmentation of the salaiy of the LieutenantGovernor of New Ulster, and to the vote for the salaiy of the Colonial Chaplain in this Province. Mr. CAUTLrY proposed that the grant to the Colonial Chaplain be struck out ; seconded by the Colonial Treasurer. A discussion ensued in which the Colonial Secretary of New Zealand, the Colonial Treasurer and Mr. Cautley took part. The ArronNEY GrNrRAL or Nrw Zealand said, that when the subject of the Colonial Chaplain for New Muaster was under the consideiation of the Council, he had declined voting on the ground that the General Legislatuie in voting the estimates were then doing, almost not of necessity, what was peculiarly the business of the respective Provincial Councils ; ;md as the subject of the Colonial Chaplain for Now Munster related to a Province with winch he was not immediately connected he had thought it fitting to leave tho subject to the disposal of those members of the Council who were connected with that Province. But with icference to the subject then befoie the Council, viz., the salary of the Chaplain for the Province of Mew Ulster, he felt himself bound to take a different course, and ho would state the reasons which induced him to do so. If the subject were then before the Council for the first time — if the question wore then for the first time raised whether theie should be a Chaplain for the Province of New Ulster, to be maintained out of the general revenue of the Province — he thought he should vote against it ; not that he was, like other members of the Council, unwilling that a Chaplain of some paiticular denomination should be supported out of funds supplied by persons of vatious leligious denominations; for he thought that a minister of the Chi istian religion, of almost any religious denomination, had the power, and did leally exercise an influence for good, directlj or mdiii ectly, to the wholo community. When he (the Attoi ney General) urstamved uitlie colony, nearly ten years ago, he found that a Colonial Chaplain bad been appointed, and although he had for the greater pait of the timo been p.iid by a vote of Parliament, yet, fot the last two or three years, his salniy had been borne upon the geneial revenue of the colony. He had been present in ono or more sessions of the Council when the vot« for that salary was pioposed without making any objection to it, and seeing that tbis was probably the las>t time when provincial estimates would be voted by the General Council, hp did not think that that was the fitting occasion for either suggesting 01 assenting to a change, 110 thougbt that the hubject would bp more propeily reserved for the consideiation of the Council of tho Province when it should be compo^od of the lepresontatives of the people, Another consultation also weighed with him in the vote which he intonded to give. The llev. gentleman who filled the office of Colonial Chaplain in the Noith had no iea»on to behevo that hia salary would be taken away from him, and if it hud been bis

(the Attorney Gene al's) intention to vote ag.un*>t the continuance of that gentleman's salary, he should hare felt himself hound, in common courtesy betwwn man nnd man, to give him some notice of bis intentions, and not at a moment's notice to deprive himself and hia family of their ordin lry means of support. For these rrasona ho felt himself bound, on the present occasion, to vote against the amendment. On a division the numbers being equal, Sir Gjjouoe Grey gave with great reluctance bis casting vote, but be thought it equally due to tho individual not to deprive him of his income, and also due to the inhabitants of New Ulster, that if it were done they should do it themselves. It was due to the individual who held the office to state that he had filled it for several years, that lie was of most exemplary char<cti?r,nnd discharged his duties with exemplary fidelity, ami had a numerous family, and was led to believe tfao situation ii permanent one. The Colonial Si-cultary of New Munsttr would state, now that the motion had been lost, that he voted with the amendment simply as recording his opinion a? to tho general principle. He knew, of course, that the amendment would be lost, in taking it for granted that members would vote as before with regard to tho Colonial Chaplain of New JMunster. Had he not known tins he would, however, have declined voting at all, as iie thought the cases of the reverend gentlemen holding the appointments very different. The appointment of Colonial Chaplain had been disapproved in New Munsturby the Provincial Council from the" first ; the N«w Ulster appointment, had been in existence from the commencement of the colony. He would prefer even to sco a principle violated than injustice done to an individual. On the vote for the Lieutenanr-Gov6rnor's establishment of New Ulster being proposed, Mr. 811 l considered it rather an anomaly that the salary of the Lieutenant-Governor should be inferior to those of some of the officers of that Province ; if the anangement was permanent he considered it undignified to place him in a lower position in point of emolument than some of his officers, unless there was some special reason for it. Sir Glorgl Grly proposed to make no alteration ia the estimates ; as soon aa the colony was divided into different Provinces the salaries of the LieutenantGovernors would be according to a scale fixed by her Majesty, he therefore thought it better to allow the temporary arrangement to exist. No doubt the subject would be adjusted on a different footing in a few months. The Colonial Secretary of New Zealand said tho salary was not equal to the Lieutenant Governor's expenses, and proposed as an amendment an increase of £200. Mr. Dilton thought the sense of the Committee would be against the amendment. The Committee divided, for the amendment 4, against it 6. Mr. Dillon said the regulations of the Home Government prescribed that military and naval officers on full pay should only receive halt the salary on accepting anycivil appointment, and he had voted against the amendment for that reason. The Colonial Slcuttary of New Zealand then pioposed the salary of the Lieutenant Governor of New Ulster should be „£BOO. Sir George Grey said one thing alarmed bimj those Lieutenant-Governors that were not military officers would now piobably apply for increase of salaries, representing that they had no military pay, which might lead to unknown demands on the Treasury. The offices of Governor and Commander of the Forces were often held by the same person who bad drawn both salaries. If the salary was increased it ought to be undei stood that the sum voted was considered by the Council the salary due to the office, without reference to the peison who filled it. 'Jhe LiLUTENANT-GovcßNon wished to state, in consequence of a casual remark that had fallen from hi* Excellency that other Lieutenant-Governors would be in a position to demand higher salariea, that he had already represented that a salary of a year was. not adequate to his expenses, and he wished to make that statemeut that no misapprehension might exist on, the subject. Every year he had held the office he had been considerably out of pocket, and he stated this to the Council as the result of his personal experience. Sir George Grey referred solely f£> future demands which might spring from the iucreaso of salary under consideration. He would add one further remark, that in establishing new Provinces, the whole future prosperity of the colony depended on not making for these offices too large a charge on the revenue. He wouM. also state that for several years he had held the office of Governor in another colony with a much larger population, with other offices attached, holding a much higher rank, and drew less pay than was drawn by the Lieutenant-Governor in this Province when his allowances were taken into consideration ; and he gave thia to the Council a8 his own personal experience. The amendment was then carried. The Colonial Treasurer said, according to the estimates, the expenditure of the Northern Provinceby this vote would exceed the revenue. Sir Gloroe Grey thought the Colonial Treasurer was wrong to a certain extent. A considerable amount m the expenditure was to be regarded only in the light of an advance. The error had been fallen into from the circumstance that a great portion of the expenditure which was charged on the revenue would be defrayed by the land fund. If the ordinary revenue should prove insufficient these charges would he defrayed from the land fund. He conceived there would be a surplus revenue. Immediately before adjourning the Council sine die, Sir George Grey laid on the table a copy of the Charter of Incorporation which he had granted to the " Borough of Auckland," together with a copy of his despatch to the Li&utexant-Governor of New Ulster, accompanying the Charter. The papers do not contain any report or even summary of the provisions of this Charter ; but no doubt they will without delay be made known to the public here through the Government Gazette,