THURSDAY, 25th FEBRUARY. MORNING SITTING.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 48, 26 February 1864, Page 5

THURSDAY, 25th FEBRUARY. MORNING SITTING.

The Deputy Speaker took the Chair at J 12.10. Present, Messrs. Chalmers, Jackson, Scott, Tarlton, Wilson, Cowan, Rogers, and Howell. GEEVILLE AND WHITING' S IIOAD MET.VL j CONTRACT. Mr. TARLTON (in the absence of, and by request of Mr. Wilson) inovcd the following : — " That the papers and correspondence laid upon the table by direction of His Honor tho Superintendent, relative to G-reville and Whiting's contract for the supply of Road Metal for the use of Government, be referred j to a select committee to examine and report thereon, and to have power to send for persons ancl papers. Committee to consist of Messrs. Tarlton, Cowan, M'Kay, and the mover. Report to be brought up on Friday evening." Mr. SCOTT secondedjthc motion, winch the House agreed to. | TOWN EOAE.D ORDINANCE AMENDMENT BILL. Mr. CHALMERS moved the third reading of the Town Board Ordinance Amendment Bill, which was seconded by Mr. Cowan — carried, and the Bill passed. POSTPONED ORDERS OP THE DAY. Mr. CHALMERS, with the leave of the House, asked to be allowed to postpone the following : — No. 2. Debentures Bill, No. 2, 1864, second reading ; Appropriation Bill; No. 2, 1864, second reading. He wished, he said, to have them postponed until after an Executive Council had been formed by His Honor, and the Estimates considered. The House granting the request, the motions wore accordingly postponed. THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OP THE SUPERINTENDENT AND EXECUTIVE. Mr. ROG-ERS moved for the suspension of the clause of the standing orders, No. 27. After some objections from Mr. Tarlton as . to suspending the standing orders without the „ movei* assigning any reason for so doing, by informing the House of the object of his intended motion, and Mr. Rogers having read the resolution he proposed to bring forward, the House agreed to tho suspension of the standing orders, when Mr. ROGERS proposed the following : — "Whereas it appears to this Council that the present Provincial Government Ordinance, 1862, is not sufficiently explicit in its definition of the relative positions and power of the Superintendent and Executive Council, and in consequence liable to be misconstrued ; and as the ! present circumstances of the Province require, a fuller - development of ministerial responsibility than is 'already provided for, a respectful; address *be presented to Has Honor the Superintendent that in conjunction '■with any AEiecictivk he may form, ha would be pleased to causb: to be prepared a draft of a Bill aineriding the present Ordinance and embodying the' above requirements. " ; In doing so he remarked that ho thought it would but very few worde fyom.him to Bhow

the rieeessity for/eush ii motion, the' necessity having presented - itself to every member of that a Qouncil. from ; ; the ; fact- of having; the . business suspended so long in 'consequence ,, of the xlifiererice of opinion as tb * the : construction^ arid : a3 to the meaning of : the present Ordinance. It had been admitted there jwas : a necessity , for : the Executive Council being consulted *on other ; matters, not provided for" in the Ordinaneo, and henco had arisen the necessity for!. the' alteration ho proposed. He need only say, that the necessity hadriot arisen in this Province alone. In Otago, they originally had a Bill like thoy had hore, but wliich had been amended in the first place, by aninorease in the number •of membersof Counoil> and again amended, by giving more power to. the Executive Council, and taking part of the responsibility from the Superintendent. He, however, , did not wish tp take the Otago Bill as a model, because- he did not think that iri this Province they were sufficiently well in circumstances ! and in purse, -to -enable them to go to the expense wliich in Otago they had .gone to. He didj however,' consider it necessary, that for the future, they shoidd have an Executive Council composed of officers, at the heads of the different departments of the Government — paid officers responsible to the Provincial Council,: and liable to be called on to explain any matters on whicli information ,might be required. He had framed the motion so as to leave it to His Honor and any Executive Council he might form — in consequence of the address to him on the previous day—to. frame the Bill. He believed that any new Executive— should his Honor form one — and his Honor himself, with all the circumstances wliich they would have before them, woidd be in a better position to frame the Bill than any individual member of the House. Mr. 'CHALMERS briefly seconded the motion. Mr. TARLTON objected to the contradictory character of the resolution. It asked the Superintendent to do what it was intended his Executive should do for him. If they were to have responsible government, let them not attempt at the outset to deprive them of responsibility by chalking out the plan they must adopt. Let them leave the matter to the gentlemen who might be appointed by liis Honor to act as an Executive. He disagreed altogether with the admixture of responsibility and irresponsibility introduced in tho motion. Mr. ROGERS, in reply, argued that the object of his motion was not to deprive the Executive Council of responsibility. As to the necessity of such an alteration being made there could not be any doubt. The present unpleasant situation of the Council had arisen from the defect in the Ordinance. Mr. TARLTON admitted the defect, but still objected to the dictation of the Provincial Council to the Executive to do what ought to be the' product of their own minds. Tlie effect of passing the motion would be to do away with all responsibility of the Executive Council which they had been contending for. The motion was put and carried — Mr. Tarlton only dissenting. The House then adjourned at twelve minutes to one o'clock until evening. EVENING SITTING. The Deputy-Speaker (Mr. M'Nab) took the chair afc ten minutes past, seven, PresentMessrs. Scott, Cowan, M'Kay, Wilson, Howell, Beaven, and Tarlton. There being no notice of motion, no petitions to present, and no order paper, tlie House was about to adjourn, when Mr. COWAN stated for the information of the Council, that negotiations were in train for the appointment of an Executive Council, and he hoped that by to-morrow ever ing the Executive would be formed, and their statement made to the House. HIS HONOR'S REPLY. Mr. M'KAY gave notice, that at to-morrow evening's sitting, he would move that His Honor the Superintendent's message, No. 12, be accepted as a satisfactory explanation of his views on the subject of responsible government. The House adjourned at twenty minutes past seven, till to-morrow evening.