New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK’S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, August 6, 1851.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 627, 6 August 1851, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK’S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, August 6, 1851.

The late vote of the Legislative Council, doubling the salary of the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Province, does not appear to have been a very judicious one. The present holder of the office, Lieutenant

Colonel Wynyard, besides his pay and allowances in command of his regiment, if we are rightly informed, receives also (since General Pitt’s death) allowances as senior military officer in command in this colony. By a regulation of the Home Government a military officer on full pay, in accepting a civil office in the colonies, is only allowed half the’salary of that office, since it is presumed he does not neglect his military duties, which must occupy the greater part of his time, and ’the colony should therefore only pay for a divided service. We should not be surprised if the Home authorities were, in effect, to carry out their rule by reducing the Lieutenant Governor’s military allowances, and squaring accounts with him at the expense of the colony. The alteration was made in opposition to the Governor, who explained that the salaries of Lieutenant Governors would shortly be adjusted according to a scale fixed by Her Majesty, and suggested it would be better to allow the temporary arrangement to exist. The only excuse offered for the alteration was that the salary was not equal to the Lieutenant Governor’s expenses. But if a Lieutenant Governor’s expenses, instead of his services, are to serve as the measure of his remuneration, there is no saying where we are to stop. But passing to the general question, since New Zealand is to be divided into so many Provinces, we really do not see that Lieutenant Governors are wanted at all. The proposed alteration is made with a view of giving the settlers, by means of Provincial Councils, a greater control over their local affairs, and as the settlement does riot become of more importance by being called a Province, so the senior officer of the Government in the settlement does not really acquire more consequence by being called his Excellency. On the contrary it is possible his usefulness, and therefore his influence, may be diminished by the addition of this title. The appointment of a Superintendent to each Province, who would also be Resident Magistrate, or Colonial Secretary, of a subordinate officer who would carry out and give effect to the instructions received from the central authority, appears to us all that is required. Once more to refer to examples, we believe Major Richmond would not be a whit more respected by the Nelson settlers, or receive any accession of dignity, by being dubbed Lieutenant-Governor of that Province, if it be made one, than he enjoys at present as Superintendent and Resident Magistrate; and while the new title might serve as an excuse for increasing his salary, it might also operate to diminish his usefulness, since, though His Honor, we dare say, satisfactorily discharges the duties of Resident Magistrate, His Excellency might consider it beneath his new-born dignity to dispense justice from the Bench. If New Zealand is to be divided into four or fi ve Provinces, with a Lieutenant-Governor to each, at the present liberal scale of salaries, the colony will be as much overgoverned as it is already overjudged.

The sittings of the Legislative Council terminated on Saturday, when his Excellency the Goyemor-in-Chief laid on the Council table, for the information of the members, the charter of incorporation for the borough of Auckland, and his despatch to the Lieu-tenant-Governor accompanying the charter, and adjourned the Council sine die.

By the Lucy James, from Taranaki, we have received Auckland papers to the 15th July A seems a stray number of the Independent had been received there containing the first account published in that paper of the de- *“? lati y e c <>™eil on the second reading of the Provincial Councils Bill, and tnose wno were credulous enough to put any \ tatements of the Independent supposed the Lieutenant-Governor’s speech S Q Pr °J UCe I a sensat ion in Wellington! The Southern Cross believes its “ readers will be as much deli^ht t,d x i_ • portant intelligence,” and tries after its faM 6 a / her ° ° f the Lieut - G overnor. { no s / ran ff er to those acquaintstates U J°’nro lepot defer will receive a practical illustra-

tion from thia collision ‘‘Governor Eyre by J the people is now a p opula hl M[ J certainly lose nothing by tr a sr‘’ affords as good an illustra£ as Smollet’s story of the thr% JS By this time the whole affair Wellington, and the only feeliV it (sensation there has been m 3 exc M well wishers of the Lieutena??r been that of regret for his imn G ? Ver M New Zealander' is wisely “the Public” (at Auckl a nd)®?SJ with interest the Reports of th? ? proceedings on this measureJwM the Spectator’s account of th? ings now before us,—as we kn Spr °l reports sometimes are not aWiM cordance with the versions of th P N The next arrival at Auckland contemporary that anxious to correct its own earhl of the proceedings in the CouS second reading of the Proving r-M Bill by. publishing a second edition rl report of the previous Saturday’s A report was spread at Auckland M duty on Tobacco had been shillings per pound, which had causing the Merchants to get the? frf out of bond with all possible deJ? i the present rate of duty.

Tub weotter at Wellington Afc. month of July, 1851 ;— 851 Days of continuous Rain Showery Days ”’ Days on which no Rain fell ”’. ‘‘“jj Quantity of Rain—B inches, Highest. Mean. Barometer ... 30-34 29-87 294 Thermometer. 59° 48°