PERSONAL GOVERNMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5473, 11 October 1878, Page 3

PERSONAL GOVERNMENT.

(From the Canterbury Press.) In the 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 the rights of those gentlemen under the provisions of the Civil Service Acts. But this is not all. His Native policy generally is a return to personal government. Orders in Council, on the iniquity of which the 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 laud purchase operations, and we intend to meet the difficulty iu. this way : Wo shall require, before any title is declared to be complete, that it should pass through the ordeal of an Order in Council, and a certain number of months after this, the title is complete ; we shall reserve to ourselves the right cither 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 conditional rectification that a certain portion shall be out uji in small allotments fer the 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 is simply outrageous. It is nothing more nor less than that the Cabinet shall have unlimited power over every laud transaction with the native race. Our readers can easily understand how these Orders in . Council could be employed : for the purposes of political corruption how Ministers could so arrange matters that it would bo 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 Government, result in the lands of the colony being occupied “ with greater facility; than has hitherto been the case—occupied indeed under a system of such fairness that it will he impossible for an advantage over others to bo given to one class of the: community or. to a single individual.” But wo scarcely think; so. If there is one feature more than another which distinguishes the Bills introduced by the Grey Government this session, it is 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 the rule of 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 of administration. And in the measure under notice the same arbitrary powers are sought to be granted to Ministers. Then again the Minister for Public Works claims practically absolute power in dealing with the public works of the colony, and Parliament has granted him his 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 themselves as beyond the reach of temptation, as entirely incapable of misusing their powers and position in an unworthy manner. But we are altogether unable to understand how the Premier can justify the claims made by his Ministry to be trusted with absolute power. Hansard is filled with eloquent denunciations from his lips of the iniquity of legislating for the colony by means of Orders in Council. Yet 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 be for the well-being of the whole human race that this colony should hand over to his Ministry the extraordinary power they demand; but we cannot help thinking that, in spite of his laborious efforts, the people of New Zealand have still too great a regard for constitutional Government to submit to any such rule.