Government of the Colony.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2372, 23 October 1880, Page 1 (Supplement)

Government of the Colony.

Victoria is governed under a Constitution built upon the lines of the British Constitution. The representation of the colony is in the hands of a Legislative Council and a House of Assembly. A Governor is appointed by the Imperial Government, to whom the colony pays £IO,OOO per annum. A large civil service is maintained at great cost to the country. The present Ministry, who have inaugurated a stern policy of retrenchment, have begun, as a preliminary, to lessen this expenditure. The following is a list of the Governors of Victoria since

the year 18 61, the date of the separation of i the colony from New South Wales : G. J. Latrobe, Superintendent District Fort ! Phillip, from 30th September, 1-39 ; do. Lieutenant I Governor, 15th July, 1851, to sth May, 1854 ; J. i Vesy Fitzgerald (Administrator), Bth May, 1854, | to 22ud June, 1854; Sir Charles Hotham, K.C.8., > 22nd June, 1854, to 31st December, 1855; Major i General ftlacarthur, (Administrator), Ist January, i 1856, to 26th December, 1856; Sir Henry Barkly, > K.C.8., 26th December, 1856, to 10th September, I 1863; Sir Charles Darling, K.C.8., 11th September, ; 1863, to 7th May, 1866; General Carey, C.B. j (Adminstrator), ith May, 1866, to 15th August, 1866 ; Viscount Canterbury, K.C.8., 15th August, 1866, to 2nd March, 1873; Sir William Foster Stawell (Administrator), 3rd March, 1873, to 19th March, 1873; Sir George F. Bowen, G.C.M.G., Administrator of the Government of tho colony nf si G f iTVTnrp.li. 187 M? rln frnvfivnoi\ i

30th July, 1873, to 22nd February, 1870; Sir Eeclmoud Barry (Administrator), 3rd January, 1875, to 10th January, 1875; Sir William Foster Stawell (Administrator), 11th January, 1875, to 14th January, 1876 (during the absence on leave of the Governor, Marquis of Normauby, G.C.M.G., S.C., 29th April, 1879.) The subjoined show the Ministries since inauguration of responsible Government: —Haines Ministry, from 28th November, 1855, to 11th March, 1857; O’Shanassy, 11th March, 1857, to 29th April, 1857; Haines, 29th \April, 1807, to 10th March, 1858; O'Shanassy, 10th March, 1858, to 27th October, 1859; Nicholson, 17th October, 1859, to ‘26th November, 1860; Heales, 26th November. 1860, to 14th November, 1861; O’Shanassy, 14th November, 1861, to 27th Juno, 1863; M'Culloch, 27th June, 1863, to 6th May, 1868; Sladen, 6th May, 1868, to 11th July, 1868; M'Culloch, 11th July, 1868, to 20th September, i«69; MacPherson, 20th September, 1869, to 9th

April, 1870. (In this Ministry, Mr. Graham Berry first held office as Treasurer.) M'Cullooh, oth April, 1870, to 19th Juno, 1871; Duffy, 19th Juno, 1871, to 10th June, 1872 ; Francis, 10th June, 1872, to 31st July, 1874; Kerford, 31st July. 1874, to 7th August, 1875; Berry, 7th August, 1875, to 20th October, 1875 ; M'Culloch, 20th October, 1875, to Ist May, 1877; Berry. 21st May, 1877, to sth March, 1880; Service, sth March, 1880, to July, 1880 ; Berry, still in office. There are five judges of the Supremo Court, viz.: —Sir Win. Foster Stawell, Chie! Justice, salary, ! £35 0; Sir Redmond Barry, puisne judge, £ 000; Robert Molesworth, Esq., pu sne judge, £3O 0; James Wilberforoe Stephen, Esq., puisne judge, £3000; George Higinbotham, Esq., puisne judge, £’.ooo. The County Court judges are—Messrs. Bindon, Cope, Hackett, Leach, Skinner, and Nolan, each of whom receives a salary of £ISOO per annum. The Master in Lunacy is John Alfrey Porter ;

Master in Equity, Frederick Wilkinson ; Insolvency Judge, W. B. Noel; Registrar-General, Richard Gibbs ; Commissioner of titles, B. i;. Bunny. There are 10 police magistrates, who are assisted by local justices of the ], eace. VITAL STATISTICS. The return of the population of the colony up to 31st December, 1879, was .188,500. The total number of births was '-6,839; of marriages, 4ih6; of deaths, 12,120; giving tho following proportions to the population, viz.:—Births, 30-21; marriages, 5'61; deaths, 13-o The excess of births over deaths amounted to 14,719. ~ , , , _ During the yearl-39, one elderly diet of /<; married a lady aged 35, and another of a similar age united himself to a damsel of 73 winters. Cue young man of 85 was married to a young woman of 55 years of age, and 72 couples are recorded as having no specified ages. The excess of births over deaths last year was 11,719.

For tlio year 1879, the returns show that, of the , deaths, 7033 were of males, and 5087 females. Of j these 1070 died when under 1 month of age, and 245 when upwards of 80 years of age. Thus a great : proportion fell before the scythe of death at the very outset of the journey, and a few only of those lucky travellers who had completed it. In the gaols of the colony 38 deaths are returned as having occurred, albeit 5473 cases of disease were treated. Gaols are notoriously healthy, and it would seem that, as a t/erm*c/ i'c&sorf, the best thing that any person could do, who was suffering from some chronic ailment, would be to get placed in “ limbo ’ 1 for a year or two. In the Industrial Schools and Kcformatories last year there were 7 deaths—974 cases of disease having been treated. In the Asylums for the insaue there were 220 deaths, and 2058 cases of disease treated. There were 3590 lunatics, of whom the average for the year 1879 amounted to 2'9340. The suicides during 1879 throughout the colony

amounted to 108 cases— 96 being of males, and 12 of females.