PERSONAL GOVERNMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5469, 7 October 1878, Page 2

PERSONAL GOVERNMENT.

(Prom the Canterbury Press.) In tho course of his statement upon Native Affairs the Hon. Mr. Sheehan stated that in - the Native Department it was a matter of personal government. He claimed the right of dismissing all those employed in his department at his own will and pleasure, and apparently without any reference whatever to tho rights of those gentlemen under the provisions of the Civil Service Acts. But this is not ail. His Native policy generally is a return to personal government. Orders in Council, on tho iniquity of which tho Premier has so often waxed eloquent, are to be a marked feature of the new Government measure. “We," said Mr. Sheehan, “intend to restrict our land, purchase operations, and we intend to meet tho'difficulty in this way ’. We ; shall . re-. quire, before any title is declared to be complete, that it should pass through the ordeal of an Order iu Council, and a certain number of months after this, the title is complete ; we shall reserve to ourselves tho right either to take' the whole block, paying purchase money,, interest, and expenses ; secondly, to take a part of it if necessary on the same terms ; or thirdly, to make it a con-, difcional rectification that a certain portion shall he cut up in small allotments f»r tile purpose of. settlement." Now wo are getting accustomed to the claims of the, present Ministry for unlimited personal power iu the government of the country. But the proposal, of the Native Minister Js simply outrageous., , It is nothing more nor less than that the Cabinet shall' have unlimited power over every land transaction with the native race. Our readers can easily understand how these--Orders iu Council could- be employed for tho purposes of political , corruption—how Ministers could so arrange matters that it would, ho greatly to the interest of' all those having dealings in native lands, to support the Government of the' day.’ Such a system may, in the opinion of the Governmeut, result iu the lands, of the colony bang occupied - “ with greater facility than; has hitherto been the case—occupied indeed under a system of such fairness that it will be impossible for an advantage over, others to be given to one class of the community or to, a single individual." ' But we scarcely think so. If there is ono feature more than another which distinguishes the Bills introduced by the Grey Government this session, it; isA the frequency with which it is proposed to hand over to the Governor in Council the powers which in any other country not blessed with tho rule ot a “liberal" Premier would be strictly defined in the body of the Bills. The Land Tax is to be administered by Orders in Council. The Companies Incomes Duty Bill proposes a similar method 1 of administration. , And in the measure under notice the same ‘ arbitrary powers are sought to’be granted ' to Ministers. Thou the Minister lor-'

> Public'. Works claims practically absolute power in dealing with the public work*'of "the colony, and Parliament, ha* granted him hia wish. Now, irresponsible power is a most dangerous weapon in the hands of almost any man, or body of men, however high-minded. Ministers no doubt regard , theraaeivea as beyond the/each . of." temptation, as entirely Incapable of misusing their powers and position ih ; an' unworthy manner. But wo are - : altogether unable to understand how the Pro- ; mier can justify the claims made by his Ministry to be trusted with absolute power. Hantard is filled with eloquent denunciations from his lips of the iniquity of legislating for the colony by means of Orders.in-Council. Vot it would appear as if it were the chief aim of the present Ministry to substitute for Parliamentary Government personal rule. Sir G, Grey may perhaps imagine that it will bo for ~ 1 ‘ ■'the well-being of tho-whole human race that this colony should hand over to his Ministry the 'extraordinary power they demand; but wo cannot h*lp thinking that, in spite of his v laborious efforts, the people of New Zealand have still too great a regard for constitutional ■ Government to submit to any such rule.