The New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1378.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5404, 23 July 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1378.

Sir George Grey upon all occasions plumes himself upon tlio fact that the free Constitution which wo now enjoy was his gift to tho colonists of New Zealand, and that it ♦is defective only in those points upon which his original plan has been . departed from. Those who have studied- tho Constitution Act itself, and Governor Grey’s despatches in connection with it, cannot fail to note the fact that neither in the Act itself, nor in the despatches, is any provision made or any notice given.of a purpose or of the need of the establishment of Ministerial responsibility in tho conduct of the Colonial Government. On the contrary, as we have shown before, in explaining his views upon the form of Executive Government which it would bo desirable to establish under the Constitution Act, he was careful to preserve, (is far as it was possible to do so, the autocratic power of the Governor-in-Chief, as ho loved to call himself. We quote ixom Sir George Grey’s despatch No. 151, of date August 30, 1851: — 49. I propose that tho General Executive Government should consist of a Governor in-Cliicf, nominated by tho Crown, a Civil Secretary,-and cither two or three principal otiicera, for tho present nominated by the Crown, and holding permanent appointments. 50. The duties of the Governor-in-Chiof would consist in corresponding with, and receiving all necessary instructions for Ills guidance in tlio government of these islands from her Majesty, through one of Her Majesty'® principal Secretaries of State. Ho would also correspond through the Civil or Chief Secretary with the officers administering the government of the several provinces, and within the limits fixed by tho laws existing at the time, would prescribe to what extent it should be tho duty of such officers to await his instructions before carrying into effect the powers by law vested in them. 52..1 think also that tho Govcrnor-iu-Chicf should be the sole Commander-in-Chief in tho New Zealand Islands, and should alone have the power of issuing to the officer in command of tho forces within these islands and their dependencies orders for tho march and distribution of troops, the formation and march of detachments and escorts, and generally for such military service as the safety and welfare of tho colony may require. 53. I think, farther, that the Governor-m-Clucf should alone be entrusted with the power of issuing orders regarding the temporary occupation of Crown lands for depasturing: purposes that he should have the appointment of all officers having the control or administration of the Crown lands, except such officers as might be appointed for these purposes by wardens or municipalities in accordance with the powers by law vested in them; and I think also that tho distribution of the Crown land revenue in the manner proscribed by law, either for emigration purposes or for the purpose of public works to bo executed under tho authority of tho 4‘rovincial Legislatures, should bo made under the direction of tho Governor-ia-Chlef. 54. In like manner I think that the expenditure of the civil list, and of such sums as may be reserved for purposes connected with the welfare of the native population, should be made under the direction of the Governor-iu-Chief, subject, to such instructions as he may receive from time to time from the Secretary of State, 60. I think also that In reserving .these powers to tho Governor-in -Chief, Great Britain would retain the means of promoting in every desir .ble way the interests and welfare of all her Majesty’s subjects In these islands, to whatever race they belong. Ido not think that, in justice to the native race who yielded the sovereignty of these islands to her Majesty, any of these powers ought for the present to be abandoned by the Crown, tfor do think that tho very great majority of her Majesty's subjects' inhabiting Now Zealand would desire for tho present to sej Great Britain relinquish these powers. But I think a wise foresight requires that the Crown, in retaining all necessary powers, should retain none that dre not essentially necessary. From this proceeding would probably spring a great and lasting contentment amongst her Majesty’ssubjects in these island-*, who, having a very large measure of freedom bestowed upon them, and being deprived of no privilege which was necessary for the free exercise of a system of local self-government, would probably for a long scries of years, cheerfully see vested in the hands of the Crown the powers which it alone could exercise for the good of all, and the possession of which by the Crown in no way interfered with the freedom or happiness of any class or community of its subjects. Tho Executive Government which Governor Grey left to. his successor, and with which he was obliged to meet tho first Parliament, consisted of Dr. Sinclair, the Oolonial Socretary ; Mr. Shepherd, the Colonial Treasurer; Mr. Swainson, the Attorney-General,—and it does not appear to have entered into the Governor’s imagination at that time that the majority of the people of Now Zealand could "have desired anything beyond “-the large measure of‘freedom” which he was graciously pleased to bestow upon them as his parting gift. Of the three members of the Executive, one only, Mr. Swainson, had a seat in the Legislature, and ho was Speaker of. tho Legislative Council. .

Bat there wore some liberals in the first House of Representatives, somewhat more advanced than Sir George Grey ; and on the 6th June, 1834, the newlyelected members, by a majority of 23 to 1 in a House of 30, adopted the following resolution : . Resolved,—That a respectful address be presented by the Speaker to the oilicer administering the Government, praying that Ids Excellency will be pleased to take the following resolution into his serious and early consideration, viz., that 'amongst the objects which this House desires to see accomplished without delay, both as an essential means whereby the General Government may rightly exercise a due con-trol-over the Provincial Government, and as a no less indispensable means of obtaining for the General Government the confidence and. attachment of the people, the important is the establishment of .Ministerial responsibility in the conduct of legislative and executive proceedings by the Government, , (Signed) Charles* Clifford, Speaker.

The officer administering the Government, Colonel Wynyard, upon receipt of this address, that three members of the House of Representatives, in addition to the permanent officers, should have seats in the Executive Council and conduct the Government business in the House ; and to these a fourth was shortlyadded, in order that Government mighc he represented in', the Legislative Council as well as the House ; but as it was found impossible, with the permanent officers in the Executive, to establish complete Ministerial responsibility, the new members tendered their resignation, and after many exchanges of memoranda' the session closed. The permanent officers of the Executive’were left in administrative charge, and the question of Ministerial responsibility was referred to the Secretary of State. ' The following is the account given by the House of Representatives, in a formal address, of the condition in which they found the public affairs in August, 3 854, a few months after Governor .Giiby had left the colony There appears to be no systematic plan for the management of native affairs, or for effecting purchases of land from tho natives ; the Department of Finance Is without order or arrangement; nor, so far as wo can learn, is there any effectual check over public expenditure, Tho Waste Lands Department requires thorough re-organisation, not merely from if? defective state, but In order to adapt It to recent changes. Complaints are heard from many quarters of the state of the Survey Department. 1 hero is no effectual system of public audit, and a dlfllculty is experienced in. ascertaining the real-state of the public accounts. Owing to this state of disorder and inefficiency, this House cannot at .this moment ascertain the true state of the colony s outstanding liabilities. Tho accounts laid before us show wide dlscsepanclcs between tho actual condition of the public finances and that stated In your Excellency s opening addceiH. Charges hitherto unknown to the public have been incurred,; which * threaten to absorb the larger part of the territorial revenue of tho Southern provinces. - Debentures on the public revenue arc stated to bo outstanding, issued without the authprlty-.of law ; claims of old debts, exceeding on the whole £IOO,OOO, still hang over the colony j a largo mass of old land claims remain unsettled, as it ’is alleged, by default of tho ,

Government, and little or no progress has been made towards setting at rest disputes arising out of old land grants, which it is feared may give rise to native disturbances. Not only is there difficulty in ascertaining the extent of charges on the territorial revenue in the form of laud scrip ; but the issue of land scrip appears to.bo without any effectual chock, control, or limit. A large percentage of the .territorial revenue has been bargained away to the nUlves with- v out legal authority; public reserves have been ini* llroperly alienated; the native reserves are without regulation, by law. To-sum up the case, the whole organisation of Government Ims appeared to this House to bo in a state of weakness apd disorder, demanding strong and immediate measures, botli for restoring it to healthy and vigorous action, and for adapting it to the recent constitutional changes. •Wo have readied the usual limits of a loading article, and must postpone to another occasion our proposed sketch of the establishment of the principle of Ministerial responsibility in the conduct of legislative and executive proceedings by the Government. It will be now clear that the maintenance of the old autocratic power of tho Governor and tho irresponsibility' of tho permanent Executive to Parliament' were both intended by Governor Gbby to bo maintained under the Constitution Act. It is-equally clear, if there be any meaning in tho words of tho address from tho House of Jlepresentatives which wo have quoted, that Governor Guey, at the close of his long term of absolute rule, had not left the public affairs of .the colony in a condition which was satisfactory to the representatives of tho people. The “ hanging up” of important business which Ministers impute as a fault to their predecessors, was a characteristic of “ Groyism” in old days, and was not then capable of tho remedy by “shunting" which has recently been found for it, but,which was not easy to apply evon in tho case of a respoiisiblo Ministor with whom old habits are inveterate.