Copy of a Despatch from Governor Grey, to Earl Grey.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 616, 28 June 1851, Page 4

Copy of a Despatch from Governor Grey, to Earl Grey.

Government House, Auckland, October 22, 1849. (Received April 24, 1550.) My Lord, —Adverting to your Lordship’s Despatch, No. 54, of the 13th July, 1848 authorizing me to take whatever steps I might deem advisable for the formation of a third province in the Middle Island, so as to include the settlement founded at Port Otago, I have the honour to state that hitherto the fact of the population of Otago not having amounted to 1,000 souls, and the probability which has arisen of the establishment of a settlement at Port Cooper, and the creation of a fourth province in these islands under the auspices of the Canterbury Association, have rendered it most advisable to refrain from taking any steps in reference to declaring the portion of the Middle Island which lies in the vicinity of Otago a new province. 2. I wish also to point out to your Lordship that it is most probable that there is at present no authority in New Zealand which is legally competent to proclaim any new province in addition to the two now existing. 3. By the Act of Parliament, 9 and 10 Vic., c. 103, intituled “An Act to make further provision for the government of the New Zealand Islands,” it was declared to be lawful for Her Majesty to divide the islands of New Zealand into two or more separate provinces ; and by the 3rd section of the New Zealand Charter, of 23rd December 1846, Her Majesty did, in pursuance of the above-mentioned Act, ordain and appoint that the islands of New Zealand should be divided into two separate provinces, to be called respectivelj the “ Province of New Ulster” and the “ Province of New Munster;’’ and the Governor-in-Cbief was empowered, by the fourth chapter of the Instructions, under the Royal Signet and signmanual which accompanied the charter, to determine the boundaries of the two provinces by excepting and excluding from the Province of New Ulster certain portions of the Northern Island adjacent to Cook’s Straits, which power having been exercised by proclamation by the ’ Governor-in-Chief, all powers vested in him for the purpose of the division of the islands into provinces expired, and I apprehend that before he could now proclaim any further provinces in these islands, it would be requisite that he should be empowered to do so by instructions under the Royal signet and signmanual after the necessary alterations had been made in the New Zealand charter. , 4. But I further think that before the islands of New Zealand are divided into other provinces, it would be extremely desirable that some alteration should be made in the second chapter of the Royal Instructions which accompanied the New Zealand charter, by which an Executive Council is constituted for each of the provinces into which New Zealand may be divided, which Executive Council is made to consist necessarily of the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney General, the Colonial Ireasurer, and the senior officer of the military forces within the province. 5. An Executive Council of this kind renders necessary the formation of an expensive Government establishment, as it is necessary that the remuneration given to officers holding seats tn the Executive Council should bearsome proportion to their rank and the responsibility thrown upon them; whilst the duties of the Executive Council by withholding them from the duties of their offices, renders necessary the employment of additional persons in Government departments. yo 6 * V 1 5 ’ t ' lerefore > that it might be found jery advantageous, instead of the rule laid down in thn t» , t . iaia l nStrUCtions, to p oviue that the Executive Council of each province might be composed of all the persons atpresentnamed, orofany two of them,provid. '* hat ‘- ie ■ P rinci P al officer of the fipld f ° rCe i S the province, being a field officer should be one of them. g permit this fl/™- Lor< ! shi P think Proper to permit this alteration to be made in the Roval exp’endhurp 6 IS Ung provinces ’ to keep the penditure upon account of their several Governments within very narrow limits and even considerably to reduce the on account of the Government establishments

in th o existing province/T’’’’’*, officers to the provinces wk- ■ be established. mi ghth e , ?? , * bave . &c., The Right Hon. EWS G ’ &c.