The Southland Times. SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 5, 11 June 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1864.

"We have endeavored to- place ; before Sour readers the present .financial (position of the Province, impartially and truthfully. The task has : *iiot f been by any means^a pleasant one. ..It, cannot be agreeable to proclaim one's own insolvency ; to detail all the miserable features by which it has been compassed. J In order, however, that a prosperous 'future Yfor the Province may be secured,, -jt js absolutely necessary that the public sh7ould be put in possession, of -< the naked facta as they exist, rather than :as we.- would wish them. We have ' conceived it to be a wiser and more beneficial policy, to probe thoroughly our own wounds, with a view of discovering a remedy; than to enquh*e into the diseases of "our neighbors, and seek by magnifying or rejoicing over them, to palli,ate our own. At the-present time, each Provice in New Zealand. has to manage its own patrimony, a task which experience has shown, is sufficiently difficult, without captiously taking exception at ' the management of its neighbor, or glorying over her embarrassments. "We have lately had a bad example set us in this matter by our contemporary, the OtagQXDaily Times. That journal,, we are sorry to find, has so far forgotten' itself, as to blazon forth, seemingly with great gusto, and- without properly understanding them, our present financial difficulties. * The excuse made, that the loss- in credit of one Province affects the whole, is not- sufficient to exonerate him, ; either as regards Southlaud or Otago, for his treatment of the subject. It is undeniably true that each Province, while administering its own affairs, is bound for its own safety to uee that his neighbor is not mismanaging his. Partners in one firm, each branch requii'es to be £>roperly conducted, to secure prosperity to the whole. Eor this very reason it is undesirable to cast reflections on any, to seek to magnify its distresses, or mis-state its position. In doing this, as regards Southland, our contemporary has not benefitted Otago. To talk of the "comparatively iusignificant Province of Southland," &c., presuming to undertake railways, and impute to such undertaking our financial difficulty, while it shows ignorance of the subject, cannot do any material benefit to Otago. We do not doubt that to the majority inthe home country who have heard of Otago, the Province is yet unseparated ; that the railways of Southland onco finished, would benefit that Province to some extent is a certainty. The Dall;/ Times argues as much from our Northern Railway, and with some degree of truth. There was no occasion, therefore, to ridicule our presumption,, and conceive it had met with a just retribution. The "shinplaster " episode is bad enough as it is — it was unnecessary to cast imputations which our contemporary must have felt were without foundation. We have no wish to follow this bad example and retaliate on Otago. Her own difficulties are quite enough to occupy the attention of her Press and Legislature. We must give every credit . to the D.aily Times for boldly exposing the true financial position of- Otago — a course whichhas proved beneficial to it for the present, and argues safety for the future. ' Ministering to the disease of his own Province, our' contemporay will find his time, sufficiently occupied; or. if he is disposed to criticise his neighbours, let it be a fair and impartial criticism. We have tried, and we trust satisfactorily, to explain our present position. Let us enquire how it has been brought about, with & view of devising a remedy, and preventing a recurrence of a similar calamity. The Provincial Council, at the opening of its fifth session, was informed that the account ofthe Province was overdrawn to the extent of -£40,000, in reality- £47,000. As \yehave before stated, instead of taking alarm at this first step in a wrong direction, it heedlessly passed ari Appropriation Act, which on the* face of it declared insolvency. The estimated revenue was £144,250, the expenditure £239,410. Up to this point, the Superintendent, Executive, ftnd Council were equally to blame. If the true financial position of the Province w-ere not sufficiently [explained by the Government, the Council did not trouble itself to ask for explanations. It was [ informed that the prosperity of the Province was great, and likely to continue, and took it for granted that siich was the case. The Appropriation Act was passed, and the session was closed amidst general felicitations. ' His "Honor - r the Superintendent^proceeded to Auckland to attend the- meeting- of the General' Assembly. While there hey learned -that the Appropriation Act, latelyl passed by the Proyhjcial r -Council^/ rw^»ild; ybe Y disadlowed \ I 'by^the General Government. There was | but ,one. course left-— to jvait, , on ;;the \ "Ministry, 6^lain, 'the' .serious .financial 1 /fdifficulties; wrhich. would result froni the ' aisallowance, state that large public works had been contracted" -for? in the belief that it would be passed^ and; request to know what the General Government was prepared to do ; so that,[wheu7the Council was called together it might, Abe at once informed what was, v" within? "its- Compass to execute. Such a might nave presented itself., to an*7 brdiri J aiy mind. His- Horior;'^^ hbwWer, took a rf difierent course. He was; ; ,grac^ be dissatisfied with the "General Government for its presumption in disallowing

an Ordiuance which had ■* received his^ ■ concuri-enee;- and left ! Auckland without [ ascertainiQg Avhai coiu^e the -G-eneraly G-ovemniient would- sanction. y .- .'/x. "We now-open a^'fresh chapteiyone in which a single individual, taking advantage of the anomalous position, o£ intendent, ai' at present constituted, contends with' the mass, and with dogged ohstinancy, hurries onthe Province*tp4tspresent ex'isis; '.>-':[. * ! On his return from Auckland, ; the.. Superintendent found, .that . the numbers of the 'Executive and majority of ; tjie. Council had at la^t'heconie aware of jthe fact, that His' Hohof" had usurped | the functions of, both t>odies,- ancl .constituted * the "sole Whiter of the 'des^tiiiies of the Province y that -he had in fact, in his' small.sphere, hecoine^_a ,de«spot, t [We,do; not purpose; Bering intatoe'^eritsvbfl the memorandum signecL 'by'nine : ,meinberp of the Provincial^- Council, pledging themselves ' not to ■accept" office as members ..of. the Executive [Council, .until the Superintendent ' pledged to^'^act constitutiona^lly.' "We^cbhceive it to have b[een■:a great bliiiidef. ' : -'>-i!_ r^ferfge argtreb'd wanj of, confidence in. .the pledger.^. The first breach, [ carries: the impressibn oftreachery,. and dissolves the tie ; em..bittering' feelinga i: . and rendering irreparable . that 7 which, under, , other circumstances,. might have- been easily healed. , This, instance .proved no exception to* the 1 rule: "'No' sooner had [the ■Provincial Council met than the Provincial Treasurer, Mr. Chalmers, found himself deserted by some of those on whom he counted for sujiport. Thp xpiestioh arose as to Avhether the appointment was*' i -a: political one or not. Mr. Chalmers resigned. -The prize was ; a tempting one, and an Executive, [vyhich lip to. this time it was found impossible 'to form, went into office. This was the " Reform Ministry,'' or as the more profane termed it "the cure." Not prepared to r bring forward a new- ' Executive Council Ordinance this" "Ministry " lasted, about three days. '. Mr. Stuart was sent for, formed an Executive,, but -not being a worshipper of legitimate right, and being desirous of binding, if possible, liis Honor to govern within constitutional limits, was unable to work harmoniously with liim, and gave up the task. Mr. Tarlton was next sent for. This gentleman had distinguished himself in the Council soon after the opening ofthe Session by liis vehement display of patriotism. Indeed, he even went the length of declaring himself " a Roman citizen, &c." The patriotic steam having been let off, he' consented to accept the Treasurership, having as liis colleagues, Messrs. Beaven and Cowan. Obliged by the temper of the liouse to bring forward some sort of amended " Provincial Council " or, properly speaking, Executive Council Ordinaiice, he produced a miserable compromise, The liouse rejected this, and altered the Bill so thoroughly that its parent, whether the Superintendent or Mr. Takltox, could not possibly have recognised it. Of the merits of this Ordinance we will not at present speak, sullice it that it was almost a fac simile of the one in force in Otago, which had been found to work well, and circumscribed Avithin legitimate bounds the powers of the Superintendent. However contrary to the principle ofthe Bill introduced by himself, Mr. Tarlton had either to accept it or resign. He chose the former course. The -Council concluded that _ all was right, and blindly trusting to the good faith of the Executive and Superintendent, passed the Appropriation Ordinance. Irarhediately after, the Council, on being dismissed, was informed that His Honor had stretched his power to the utmost, and withheld the assent of the G-overnor to the Executive Council's Ordinance, passed by the House and accepted by tlie Executive ; taking care at the same time to afford the information in as insulting a manner as possible. We cannot say whether the Executive were aware of the contemplated breach of faith on the part of His Honor ; we are inclined to the opinion that His Honor did not trouble himself with con-, suiting them on the matter. If they were not participators, and we trust for their own sake they were not, they ought to have resigned on so glaring a breach of all constitutional privilege. Mr. Tarlton, however, in imitation of the Vicar of Bray, considered any little difference of opinion, or breach of etiquette, beneath his notice; and from that time to the present, the Province has been handed over to the unbridled will of an individual whose career, while it has brought us to our present position, has displayed a thorough unfitness for the. possession of power. Erom the closing of the last session of the Council, the responsibility of having checked, almost fatally^ the prosperity of the Province ; rests entirely with Dr. Menzies.