Untitled

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 792, 16 November 1853, Page 2

The most interesting intelligence brought by the Overland Mail, which arrived on Saturday, is that connected with the Opening and early Proceedings of the Provincial Council of Canterbury, as we find them recorded in the Lyttelton Times of the Ist and the Bth of October. The Council assembled on the 27th of September, at Christchurch, where, before entering on business, the members attended Divine Service, and an appropriate sermon was preached by the Rev. K. B. Paul. They then proceeded to a comfortably prepared Chamber, and the Superintendent (Mr. Fitzgerald) delivered the Opening Address, which was of such length that the report of it occupies upwards of four pages of the Lyttelton Times. It is a well-written composition. clearly arranged, comprehensive in matter, and graceful in expression. Notwithstanding its length, we shall, if practicable, at some future day, transfer it in extenso to our columns; but as it would be impossible to do so to-day without sacrificing the claims of the recent English News and other demands on our space, we give the following precis in which we sum up its leading points:— After some introductory remarks on the in tcresl and importance of the occasion, and the weight of responsibility resting on the Council, His Honour reviewed the history and progress of the Canterbury Settlement. Notwithstanding (lie temptation of the gold discovery, the population of the Province was now at least as large as that which had landed there from England since December 1830. Out of 24,483 acres of land sold to purchasers from the Canterbury Association, 21,008 were owned by resident colonists, or leased to actual occupants, and out of 4009 acres appropriated for church and educational purposes, 1270 were leased and occupied. There were at least 7,300 acres fenced in, and not less than 3,400 acres under crop this spring. There were 100,000 sheep in the Province, and not many less than 4000 head of cattle, and 400 horses. Within the Canterbury block alone, above a million of acres were taken up for pasturage, producing a rent of 2400 L aycar, which will in four years have increased to above 7000 L a-year ; —“ Of the rest of the Province I can say nothing, the Commissioner of Crown Lands having, I regret to say, declined to give me any information on the subject of his Department/’ On a rude estimate, the value of the actual property in various investments in the Province might be staled at nearly half a million of money. The asscrlion Chat the experiment of the Canterbury Association had failed was therefore untrue. This part of the Address was wound up with a high eulogy oa Mr. Godley’s personal character and zeal for the public service. After a few intermediate comments on the slate of the Laws of the Province, His Honour turned from the past to the future. lie called attention to the words of the Constitution Act declaring the large powers entrusted to the Provincial Council, which, he said, should he graven upon the memory of every member of the House, as constituting the Magna Charta of their liberties for all time ; these few exceptions of subjects on which they were not to legislate, were of the more 'aluc because they seemed to prove the power of the Council lo make laws in all besides for the (good of the Province.

Ilis immediate object in calling the Council together was to obtain a vote of supply, as the Appropriation Ordinance under which the Revenues of the Colony were then expended would expire on the 50lh of that month. But having assembled them, he would lay before them his course of policy, and the measures he deemed necessary for carrying into effect the large and liberal intentions of the Imperial Parliament.

Rills would be brought forward to create a Common Seal for the Province, —to create the oflices of the Provincial Government, —to enable the House to call for all persons and documents within the Province, and to compel their attend ance, or production,—to protect Members in privilege of speech, and to relieve the publishers of documents under their orders from the penalties of libel,—to authorise the Superintendent to issue a Government Gazette, and to make the notifications so published, legally binding on those whom they concern. With respect to the Executive Council, he had deemed it necessary that one or more Members of the Provincial Council should be charged with the conduct of the Rills sent down by the Superintendent, and in possession of the policy which dictated these measures ; also that the Superintendent should habitually consult them upon the affairs of his government, and especially upon the exercise of his patronage. Certain members had kindly undertaken these duties, and the Bill would legally constitute the Board. The Heads of Departments and the Executive Council would not necessarily be identical; the offices of the former would not for the present be dependent uj on the policy of the Government, hut the latter should hold office only on condition of being able to carry the Government measures through the House.

Another Bill would he proposed, to provide •that if any member of the House accepted any office or employment under the Government, be should vacate his scat, and he subject to a frosh election by his constituents. An cm-

powering Ordinance would also be necessary, to conf r upon the Superintendent certain powers hitherto exercised by the Governors and Lieu-tenant-Governors. There were new offices which he conceived it would he necessary to create. One was an office of Public Record, for the safe custody of the Sea!, of public documents, registrations, ic. Another was a. Court of Requests for (he recovery of Small Debts, coincidenlly with the establishment of which he conceived the Resident Magistrate's Court should he abolished. . Estimates would he laid before (hern of Hie probable Revenue and Expenditure for the year commencing October 1 ; hut, prior to all other business, he would ask them to vote a small supply lo meet the immediate expenses of Government. As respects salaries and duties, His Honor said, “ The general principle upon which I have acted is this ; that Government is most economically conducted when ils servants are liberally paid, whilst the whole of (heir time and energies are exacted and expended in its service. A numerous, ill paid, and half employed staff is the most wasteful machinery for conducting public hsdiness : I therefore propose, by the provisional union of offices, so to distribute the work to he done, that the time of every servant of (lie Government shall he fully occupied. The business of the Provincial Secretary’s office I propose lo conduct myself, with the assistance of a Private Secretary. The duties of Provincial Treasurer, Resident Magistrate and Sheriff, will be performed by Captain Simeon, with the assistance of one clerk, Mr. Hamilton who has been recently appointed by the General Government to he Collector of the Province, has kind'y undertaken lo superintend the Provincial Audit Office, the principal duties ot that department being pci formed by one efficient clerk; and, in the event of your determining to establish an Office of Public Records, Mr. Briltan has consented lo execute (ho duties which will attach toil.” Regulations would heframed tosecure an immediate payment of demands on the Government, and a watchful audit of accounts.

His Honour had provisionally appointed Mr. Sewell legal adviser, with a seat in the Executive Council. “It was right, however, to state that, in all matters connected with (he affairs of (he Canterbury Association, Mr. Sewell would not be consulted, and would not, when such questions were under consideration, be summoned lo the meeting of the Executive Council,"

It would he perceived that (he Estimates made no provision either for immigration or for public works. It was hopeless lo expect that the ordinary Revenue would at present supply means for these objects. The only fund that could he available for these purposes was the land-fund, and the waste lands of the Province were not under (heir control. It was most important that the Council should possess both the power of dispensing the Land Revenues, and control over the Land Department, which in (hat Province called for immediate and wide reform.

The very important subject of the affairs of the Canterbury Association must be posponed, as ‘•‘(he question stood in abeyance until Mr. Sewell should have made some definite proposal, lo which he had been invited by the Provincial Government.” The reason assigned for Mr. Sowell’s delay was that the accounts of the Association had not yet been received from England. After a few words on the necessity of a law for the prevention of disease in sheep, and a revision of Ihe law of trespass, His Honour proceeded lo dwell at considerable length on the subject of the education of the people, both generally and in the particular circumstances of that Province. The practical points to which the whole converged were, (hat there should be a State Education maintained by a rale or tax on the Province, and that “ the Education Fund of the Province should he used in all instances to supply Ihe secular instruction to schools set on foot by some religious body guaranteeing that religious instruction shall he given to the chit, dren attending it,” The Native population, though small in that Province, should not he neglected in the arrangements. His Honour concluded with an expression of hope that the Council would maintain the absence of (he jealousies of parly and of the animosities of faction wihch had hitherto distinguished the community of which they were Representatives, and that the Province would be governed “to (he glory of God, lo Ihe honour of Her Majesty the Queen, and to the safety welfare and happiness of all classes of her subjects in this portion of her dominions.”

Captain Simeon was chosen Speaker. Subsequently, the Rev. O. B. Mathias was appointed Chaplain to the Council, the Commissaries of the Bishop having been requested to prepare a form of prayer to be used daily before the commencement of business. Mr. Tancred moved that a Chaplain should not be appointed, as he thought “ it would be au infringement on religions liberty;’' but no member of the Council was liberal enough lo second his views. The sittings were fixed lo be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at four, p.m., and on Wednesdays and Fridays, at eleven, a.m.

Although not amongst the contents of the Lyttelton papers, it will scarcely bn considered out of place in a summary of Canterbury intelligence to mention that the Home News of July 25 states that Mr. Godlcy, late of Canterbury, had been appointed Income Tax Commissioner for Ireland. A public dinner had been given to him at Greenwich on the 20lh of that month, —we are not informed by whom, except that Lord Wharncliffe presided. The Wellington papers by this mail are to the 15lh ult. They contain very little news.

The Government Gazette had published Returnsshowing the following resulis:-The Immigration at the Port ol Wellington for the June Quarter, 1853 amounted to 117; the Emigration to 211 The Imports at. Wellington for the same Quarter amounted to 20,272/.; the Exports to -19,15G/. :—The Total Receipts of the Province of New Munster, exclusive of the Land Fund, for the year 1852, amounted to 32,847/. 10s. (id. The Public Ball to His Honour the Superintendent took place on the 15th ult., and passed olf in excellent style. -The Independent says, ‘ All the political parly feeling, which prior to the ushering in of the New Constitution, had divided the community of Wellington, and had arrayed friends and neighbours in opposite ranks, appeared to have been entirely discarded; and those who were so recently engaged in political warfare, seemed to vie with each other in promoting the celebration of the event, and in endeavouring to shew that the time had, they thought, at length arrived, when every vestige of party feeling should be consigned to the tomb of things that were.”

;We have one Taranaki Herald , that of the 291h ult. It contains the Estimates as amen led by a Committee of the Provincial Council. Some considerable alterations have been made in the distribution proposed by the Superintendent, one being an increase in His Honour’s own salary, another a striking out of the sums proposed to be appropriated to the Speaker and Members of the Council themselves.