New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1874.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4260, 14 November 1874, Page 2

New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1874.

We are not surprised that the people of Auckland are indignant at the proposed departure for England, of the Superintendent and Provincial Secretary, on public business. That the project is seriouslyentertained, and will be carried into effect, we have very little doubt. Mr. Williamson is not a man to take up a matter and then hastily lay it clown again, while Mr. Sheehan has already displayed considerable skill in outfacing public opinion. The journey will be undertaken, we believe, and the sum of £ISOO which has been set aside by special order of the Superintendent, in the exercise of his discretionary power, will be spent in travelling expenses. No doubt this will be a gross abuse of power, but there is no way that we know whereby it may be prevented. But after all it is only the outcome of the provincial system ; —the ripe fruit of Superintendentalism. For the present, the Superintendent of Auckland and his promising lieutenant are within the law. There is no express enactment prohibiting the Superintendent of a province from leaving the colony, but in the case of Dr. Featherston, when he. was appointed one of the New Zealand Commissioners to treat with the Imperial Government, the General Assembly passed a special Act making provision for the contingency, which had not been foreseen by the framers of the Constitution. Dr. Featheeston proceeded to Europe while retaining his place as Superintendent of Wellington ; but he did it by virtue of express legislative enactment. Mr. Williamson proceeds to Europe, self-nom-inated, in violation of the implied condition of residence within the province during his term of office as Superintendent, and without the sanction of the Government, —indeed, we should say, against their strong remonstrance, Such being the exact state of the case, let us consider what motive impels Mr. Williamson to proceed to Europe in such hot haste, without the knowledge and consent of his Provincial Council, and in opposition to the nearly unanimous voice of the public. It is to establish reliable agencies in the British Isles to select five thousand emigrants, to form special settlements under the Auckland Waste Land Act of last session. Now, this implies two things. First, that the General Government agency is not to be trusted in the selection of emigrants ; second, that there is a reasonable certainty that special settlements,, on the contemplated scale, would succeed in the province of Auckland. With- regard to the first, we shall say very little. Great and well-founded complaints have been made against the Agent-General's emigration agents, but the department having acquired experience, is gradually settling down into something like efficient order ; and Mr. Vogel has gone home for the express purpose, amongst other things, of conferring with Dr. Featherston on this subject, and with authority to make any change that may be necessary. Mr. Williamson, therefore, with the balance of his £ISOO in hand, will not be in as good a position as Dr. Featherston to select local agents ; and any action he may take will simply be by way of competition with the General Government agents. In other words, ho will incur a wasteful and unnecessary expenditure, without being in a position to provide! the necessary funds to give effect to any large schemeof settlement. Touchingthesecond point, the reasonable prospect of special settlements succeeding in Auckland, we .have to remark that Mr. Williamson's own experience must' convince him that the thing is impossible. Under these circumstances, therefore, we think the General Government should not in any way assist or encourage Mr. Williamson in an enterprise which cannot have any other outcome than ruinous failure. Of course, Mr. Williamson may be able to persuade men of capital to emigrate and found settlements, but we don't bolievo ho will. "

So much for the general features, on which we have touched as gently as possible, because we should be sorry to write anything personally offensive to Mr. Williamson, whose devotion to the interests of his province may havo led to this excess of zeal. Wo shall now briefly glance air the case as it affects Auckland, and tho rest of the colony. We shall say nothing of tho want of delicacy whioh prompts tho application of £ISOO of public money to such a purpose, when we know that Auckland received a dole of £25,000 from the Consolidated Fund last session, and in the face of an almost open revolt against tho oppressive taxation which has been resorted to by the Provincial Government of Auckland. But we havo a right to ask how tho public business is to bo conducted during the five months' absence of tho Superintendent from, tho limits of his Government ( Here we come to specific enactments. There arb two laws upon the statute-book which come into play after Mr. Williamson has packed up his carpet-bag and taken his leave of Auckland. Tho ono is tho Superintendents Deputy Act, 18GG ; and the other is the Audit Act. Mr. Williamson will leave a deputy ; but as tho Government positively refuse to delegate to tho Deputy-Superintendent tho Governor's powers "which, for purposes of local administration are usually delegated to Superintendents on election, the Deputy-Superintendent of Auckland can only exerciso the power conferred upon him by statute. And that is of tho most harmless character. The only thing which tho Deputy-Superintendent may legally do, under tho Act by which the office is created, is to sign a writ of election in the event' of a vacancy occurring in tho Provincial Council. That, and only that, is the independent Executive power of a

Deputy- Superintendent. And to the exercise of that power, under the very peculiar circumstances of the case, we trust the estimablo gentleman who will be left to guard the Provincial citadel of Auckland may be confined. What follows 1 The public service must be brought to a stand-still, inasmuch as warrants can only be signed by the Superintendent. It may be possible to maintain gaols, hospitals, a lunatic asylum, police, and harbor services without money, but we suspect Mr. Dignan will find the task an exceedingly difficult and unpleasant one. The Provincial officers may work without pay, but the tradesmen with whom they deal will certainly expect payment. And where is the money to come from 1 The General Government cannot step in. and relieve Auckland from the consequences of the infatuated folly and recklessness of its rulers. The law is specific enough on that head ; wherefore, we anticipate anything but happy times in the Northern province. But the reputation and credit of the colony must suffer from the gross irregularities that are certain to be committed when the whole provincial machinery is out of gear. Whether, at the last moment, Mr. Williamson may bo persuaded to abandon his rash enterprise, it is impossible to say. We sincerely hope it may be so, but we confess that our hope is not based upon any ground of certainty. Truly, it would have been well if the Assembly last session had abolished the North Island provinces, and thus prevented the possibility of such a public scandal occurring. Precipitate legislation is an undoubted evil ; but there are worse evils possible in the misuse of Executive functions by Superintendents and their advisers. Since writing the foregoing we have received later Auckland telegrams. It is rumored that the Superintendent has abandoned the idea of going to England. This would be a wise resolve. We trust that for this time at least common rumor is not a common liar.