POLITICAL-PROVINCIAL.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 8, 18 June 1864, Page 3

POLITICAL-PROVINCIAL.

• ■ 'THdrrGK the Council is still in recess, the political ~.-7 v atmosphere has; "tbeen* slightly stirred during the / "'ilasfc months by this election of four members to fill seats in- the Provincial Council, recently vacated - for various'" reasons. In March last, Mr; James Harreycontested a vacant seat in the Provincial ..-■■; pouncil; for, the, town of luvercargill,- and was ' - ' 'returned l!y a largo majority. Mr. Harvey's views on general,, polities did not materially, if at all, differ: from those of his opponent,. Mr. Mitchell ; -''^the^'ppint. at. issue being the prerogative of the Superintendent :Mr. Mitchell was inclined to 1 :: -' : the -belief tlfat His Honor was -not necessitated to - ''aslc the ! advice; of his> Executive in all matters V intimately connected .with the interests of the Prpvince> or" bound to act by it, should it "not afceord .with his own opinions. Such T was; the impression on the inincis of a, large ■ : - of .the constituency. Mr. Harvey, on. : the other- hand, clearly enunciated •■• ' ! -»n opposite doctrine when at the hustings. The course pursued by the Superintendent at the last session of the Provincial Council, ami the conduct of . public affairs thereafter, not having inspired inuch' /confidence i in, the public, Mr. Harvey's ; J : victory was easy. Shortly after, certain objections were lodged against several persons claiming to have, their names inserted on the electoral roll. This; list ef. Subjections was signed by a clerk in - " •■■.' ~-Meßßr£'ffaryey:'and-'Stuar-t* v s ollice. One portion ■ -of '-the Press .accused these gentlemen of anti- ■ 'liberal' ; principle's, &c. Both resigned their seats ..without consulting their constituencies. Such conduct was generally looked upon as ' ; pusulaniinous, as was evident- from the utter ■want of interest taken in the re-election of '"■Mr/ Harrey for the town, when that gentleman again solicited the suffrages of His constituency. Beyond a proposer and seconder, no oho was present. In all probability, had there been any opposition, he would not have been returned. The present elections being of only a temporary character, inasmuch as there must bo a general election after the first of October, and as there is no probability of there being iibre than ono session held prior to that date, so, kebn an interest is not felt in the result as might otherwise have been expected. In the room of Mr. Stuart, Mr. Henry Armstrong has been ; returned for the electoral district of Wallacetown. Mr. Armstrong has been for some time a settler in the district, well known, and universally respected. Prior to the nomination, the district having bepn thoroughly canvassed, and it appearing that Mr. Armstrong was very generally acceptable to tha constituency as a candidate, no opposition was offered, and we have no doubt that he will do justice and credit to their. choice. For the Aparima district, in room of Mr- Freeman Jacisoii, who had ' resigned in consequence of the personal inconTenienco he experienced in attending the sometimes .. rather . protracted sittings of the Council, Mr. ;■ Hugh Nurse has been returned without opposition. . Mr. Nurse has been long resident in the district, and is very generally popular ; ho will prove an acquisition in the Provincial Council. For the Waihopai district, in room o£ Mr. J. C. M'Kay, resigned, Mr. W. H. Pearson has been returned- On the day of nomination, Mr. John * Morton was proposed and seconded, although it • waa generally understood without his authority, ■ and against hifl express wish. The state of the roads in that district, and weather, was ; *uch aa to render it undesirable that the election should be contested, unless, indeed, it was the desire of the constituency, or " apparent that Mr. Morton would accept,.. werehe. elected. ■ Owing to the above causes, there were not more than ten electors present. On the show of hands being called, there were for Mr. Pearson — eighty 'and for Mr. Morton — two, his proposer , ftnd seconder. A poll was, however, demanded, which took place the following day. At half-past ,- one the written withdrawalof Mr. Morton having been placed in the hands of the Returning Officer, : the poll closed.: Eight voters had polled — six for Mr. Pearson; two for Mr. Morton. The former gentleman was consequently declared elected. Had the poll continued up to the legal hour, four -•-.p.m., the -result would probably have been some twenty- odd ■'■ for Mr. Pearson, and three for Mr. Morton; some of the former gentleman's sup-;-pbrters r amving'on the ground after the closing of the poll, and several being stopped from going by ; ascertaining that Mr. Morton had withdrawn from the contest.- -Mr: Pearson is one of the oldest residents iri the Province, has taken a, part in public affairs' since its commencement, indeed, represented his present district in the first two sessions" of the Provincial , Council. If ho succeeds in obtaining for us,what he promised at the hustings to do his best^to procure, .viz.— the repeal of tho anriual-value-to-let principle of taxation in the -.:- -Roads'; Ordman«3,"an'amen3&on'fc J in the Education Ordinance, by which the: present heavy > taxation f for ; educational purposes will be co.nsiderably '* anieKorated, if not altogether " oboushedj. ; andj secure a more equitable and eatißfacforyS.eipenditure of- the public money on r^tlie roads,., he, :i s?ill have -proved himself \ worthy ihe 'confifl|nc6| of I bisi constituency, and .'tha _public."at"targei .•>■% ( We n j haye 'every; reason to r U Ibo 'satisfied with 'the return of members lately effected; aid"; beheve -that . the ; infusion of new .blood- into the' Council will prove beneficial to every interest' in the Province. A seat has still r I tb ? befilled up-^jne in the Waihopai district— . f: Tacated by the resignation of Mr. Beaven, the delay-in issuing^ the "writ having been caused by ..'the absence of the ' Superintendent in Auckland. If there- -has 1 .been no. large .assemblage of ' ' Telectors -at u the. . various nominations, nor much-'- contestjiig for the seatsj.it is to.beat■- ■ : * tributed- -rather |6 '<' the inclement , state of tho 1 . -r weather^ and^roadß, rendering tho .-task of attending; at the'jpolltpg bbbths anything but a pleasant one, cbnjdmed r with: the i knowledge that the; views '■-'•-'■:■: i audprinclples bf the candidates were i such as were • acceptable' to the various' 'constituencies, and pre- : : - eluded opposition, th)vn; to any ; want of political . apathy on the part of the electors., .;. :'.. -:.'.. His; Honor ,'the Superintendent is ; expected • : ,',-,.. ahprfly from Auckland; as soon as he arrives, it is .- r . anticipated the Council ;will' be i called together;.' -.-,- ; The work before it is na light task. The financial position and prospects of the Province will require ;; . all its "ability and earnest attention. . . The relative ;. positions of ithe Superintehdent and a responsible; Executive must be definitely /determined.; iSome ; ; method of relieving the counfery districts from the 'taxation which, is at 'present felt a severe burden,, anS,, a-, better and a . more economical" system'tnan at present prevails.; for the conduct . of .publicf affairs — above all,{sonic . clear> moderate,' and liberal resolutions*on which to/ - base a new hind law, such as, , when submitted to the General Government/ would warrant jit in^ -■ ; /suspending, until the meeting :, of -the -General ;J y : Assembly^ thfe "last; land , act passed,-,, without _v ova- ',;•! cognisance ,'. or' "consent. '.. ■. We -trust the; j Council, will*be^ founcl eqiiai to and j d with . theirecent f SoVditiJ6n'tß itsniimbers, we have j no reason to expect it will not. The Superintendent's mission to Auckland is to ascertain what steps the General Government

will sanction to, relieve our present difßculties ; having disallowed the loan Jor £120,000, on the assent to it wliich the Provincial Government foolishly counted, aitd' 1 spent the monej'' in anticipation, borrowing: ifc. out of the Railway Loans." As .we have before stated, the General Government had no power to assent to a loan contrary to the spirit of resolutions on the subject, passed by the General" Assembly at its last Session, according to which it was imperative that all loans should be for specific purposes. The ono under discussion is not so, being for ordinary expenditure. His. Honor is, in fact, now. doing what he ought to have done on the Appropriation Ordinance, No. 3, 1863, being disallowed, which, as ho was in Auckland at the time, he might easily have accomplished. On his return he will be able to inform tho Provincial Council exactly what it is practicable to do. It is difficult to determine what that maybe. The General Government might impress the revenues, and open a credit for us with the Banks to enable ! the railways to be completed ; this would be the , most satisfactory course to be adopted ; — the | question is whether it would think it worth while to take this trouble, inasmuch as it can already 1 secure the payment of the interest and sinking fund on the past loans. Another scheme might be proposed, ' and possibly be accepted by the General Government, viz. — to allow the Council to pass an Ordinance authorising the hypothecation of the lines for ' Railway Debentures j — every care being taken to prevent their mis-ap--1 propriation — and giving the local Government, if necessary, power to lease the railways for a term of years, say ten, at a rental at least sufficient to cover the interest and sinking fund. Were some such feasible scheme adopted, probably the able . and well-known gentleman, who has already contracted for the greater part of our railways, Mr. J. JR. Davies, wtfuld be able, without much difficulty, to get some one in Australia to join him in completing the work which he has, with bo much energy, carried on. His Honor is expected down by the next steamer, which ought to arrive on tho 20th mst. Whatever he may have effected, wo trust ho will have received a salutary lesson — one which will prove beneficial to himself until the termination of his official career, and to the Province which has had the misfoituno to be mis-governed by him. There is one consolation in our present difficulties ; it is that they have come so early. The natural resources of the Province, its area of unsold and fertile lands, will survive the present depression, though its convalescence willprobably take a little time. Two years more of this baneful rule, and we question whether the prosperity of the Province would not havo been capped beyond recovery.