The Southland Times. SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1564.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 14, 2 July 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1564.

Reverting to the subject of the Provincial form of Government and its inability to meet the present circumstances of the Colony, whatever may have been its advantages while New Zealand was in its early youth, we will now view it in the political relations it has bequeathed to us. Sir George Grey expressed the opinion that, as the various Provinces progressed in wealth and prosperity, instead of amalgamating with one another and becoming fused into one, they would remain distinct and separate ; and that, so far from being merged into municipalities, the Provincial form of government would require to be changed for one possessing higher and more important functions. Earl Grey, however, taking a clearer and more comprehensive view of the ultimate fate of the Provincial Governments, differs in opinion on this point. In his despatch of Eebruary, 1852,he writes : — " With respect to the powers to be entrusted to these Provincial Councils, I am disposed, for my own part, to believe (notwithstanding the alterations which you state to, have taken place in your own views on this point), that with the progress of events, as colonization extends, and the several settlements are drawn nearer to each other in boundaries and interests, they will very probably assume more and more of a municipal character, while the functions of the General Legislature will increase." By, this we conclude his Lordship means .that the impotency of Provincial Councils to. meet and satisfactorily grajpple with -the-more important functions which the altered circumstances of- the ; Colony will force -upon the'm^'will become more \ and more apparent, ' and the ! want; of a higher form of Legislature, with a larger field for its opera-

tion, must necessarily be felt ; that a general {desire^ ito sweep away the pref sent hybrid and expensive system of Provihcialismj and substitute j a", more economical^ and , legitimate -form •• ofcgovernment, will gradually assert itself as a larger population requires, and a more extensive field for operation developes itself with the growth of each Province. Already the anomalous position of Superintendents is beginning to work unsatisfactorily for the interests of the public in the various Provinces. Possessing, on the one hand, extraordinary powers, the limit to which, judging from experience, it is difficult to determine; on the other, having ho executive powers conferred by the very Act which calls into creation the appointment, a Superintendent must either be left to act despotically, or become bound by a compact with his Council, which on the face of it is absurd and unconstitutional, and necessitates a series of compromises on either part to be at all workable. His functions^ under the Act, are wholly legislative. The intention seems to have been to have constituted him a sort of Upper Chamber, having the power of veto on laws passed by the Lower Chamber or Council. But the exercise of his functions are accompanied with singular conditions, viz. — " subject to instructions." He can assent to or disallow a bill; not as he pleases, but as he may from time to time be instructed. Should he assent to a bill in defiance of the Governor's instructions, he can be removed. Should he disallow an Ordinance in defiance of the wishes of the Provincial Council, it can stop his salary by refusing to place it on the estimates. On the whole, it is an anomalous position, which has been saved from becoming humiliating by the log-rolling policy of the General Assembly rendering it advisable to court Superintendents. lii no Province have the results of a Provincial form of government proved so satisfactory as to induce the majority of settlers in it to seek for' an augmentation of its powers or dignity. Every Province can point to a period in its history when the Superintendent and Council were at variance on their relative positions ; in some the dispute is not yet adjusted ; in all, it depends entirely on the temperament of the individual occupying the position of Superintendent, as to .whether the compact he may have entered into with his Council, however strictly worded or seemingly binding its nature, will be broken. Of all the Provinces in the Middle Island, perhaps Otago is, at the present time, tlie most constitutionally governed ; but that is simply because the present Superintendent, Mr. Haktus, is wisely content to throw the responsibility of government entirely on the Executive chosen for him by tlie Provincial Council ; but iv some things it is a concession on his part, Avhieh no Provincial legislation could compel, and is dependent entirely on his will. His successor may take a different view, and the old squabbling be renewed. As for ourselves we are groaning under this absurd and anomalous mechanism of Government at the present time. It it true that the New Provinces' Act was intended as one step in the direction of reducing Provincial Governments to municipalities, by curtailing the powers of Superintendents, and providing that they might have seats in the Council. Were this adopted, much of the present paraphernalia of government would be simplified. By the Superintendent being the head of the Executive, fighting his own policy in tlie Provincial Council, standing or falling by the will of the majority of the peoples' representatives, and, if necessary, appealing to the people, should he fail in carrying that policy, we should have responsible government without paying too dear for it. Even this has its inconvenience, by rendering fresh elections so frequent, that the public, wearied by constant applications, would become apathetic on the subject. Another disadvantage in the present system is beginning to manifest itself in the lack of ambition on the part of the ablest and leading men in each Province to contest for Provincial honors. Occasionally, should any peculiar phase in the political horizon cause a temporary excitement, a seat in the Council may be sought after by those who, under ordinary circumstances, would not trouble themselves in the matter ; but it is more with a view of removing an obstacle to the general prosperity, than of seeking that which ought to be considered an honor. Looking at the history of the older Provinces, we are led to the belief that, whatever may have been the inducements — novelty or what not — which led the ablest men to compete for Provincial honors, and enter the small political arena of a Province, in its earlier days, as time progressed, they gradually dropped out of the ranks, 'and their places were taken by men of inferior stamp in education and social position. Nelson is a remarkable instance of this ; Auckland. and AYellington can look back to Councils far superior to those they at present have. Canterbury has always taken precedence amongst the Provinces of New Zealand for the quality and; mental calibre of her Councils ; but she has enjoyed a larger field of ability from which to choose. Yet we question if even Canterbury is not deteriorating in this respect — not that the men are not there, but that they lack the inclination. In fact, the feeling is gaining ground that tho Provincial are verging to Municipal Councils, and that their powers of legislation ought to be curtailed. It is not uncommon to hear men .of position excusing themselves for being in the Provincial Council by assigning, as a reason, that it is necessary to keep up the respectability of the institution. It. is not as an honor to be sought, but as a safeguard against misrule,, that .they condescend to enter the arena. The ambition of the ablest and leading men in the various : communities is turned to obtaining seats -in the "General Legislature. In T the earlier > stages of the Colony, : the difficulties of communication, and the exigencies-

of]\circumstances, acted as a barrier :to\yards the gratification of " • this amhition. Each had 'enough to do to -fight the battle of life/ few had>the v iheans, or could afford the„ leisure, 'of attending a General Legislature -in' ; a distant part of the island.^ In a .Province^ they could attend to their own affairs" and the public* business without inconvenience, and thus their political aihbitTdh r 'was satisfied-ur- the more - contracted- sphere-of" a Provincial Council: <l Nowj : «with easy and- constant communication with -any part of the Colony;; with) the ladder of fortune surmounted, -pohticaLi ambition takes a higher flight,'; seeks /ia larger theatre for its display. A seat once gained ma wider field for the exercise of ability, and what is conceived a more honorable position, a member of the- General Legist lature, as a rule, despises; the more con- . tracted and less r distinguishe'd''pOsition.ola Provincial Councillor, and /does .not ,con r . ceive it a prize worth contending ;. for. "We do not argue this to. beajproper state of feeling ; iwe merely record what ex- 1 perience has proved to be the case, and' cannot deny that it is a natural ; bhe. We have even heard it argued that a seat in the Provincial Council, by contracting the scope of a man's abilities to the contemplation of the storm-in his own- saucer/ unfits him to grapple with and master the subjects brought under his consideration; in the sea of general politics. Be this as it may, so surely as a; member . of a Provincial Council looks with, contempt., on the present municipal honors conferred by a seat in the Town Board, as certainly will he, on entering the General Legislature, view with disdain the former object-of hisambition — a seat in the Council of his Province. And thus, unless some radical change is made in our system of government, Provincial Councils will fall into as much disrepute as Town Boards enjoy at the present time. ' ' '','"..'. ..

The nomination of candidates for the seat vacant in tho Provincial Council by tho resignation of Mr. Samuel Beaven as one of tho members for the Waihopai district, took place yesterday, at the residence of Mr. Robert Coupland, Puni Bush. The Returning Officer was on the spot at twelve o'clock, the hour appointed, but. twenty minutes were allowed to elapse ere the proceedings were commenced. No fresh arrivals having come forward, the Returning Officer called upon those present to nominate candidates for the vacancy, whereupon Mr. Ross proposed, and Mr. Pearson seconded, Mr. Thomas Swale as a fit and proper person to represent the district. No other candidate being proposed, tho Returning Officer declared Mr. Swale duly elected, and the proceedings terminated. We observe that the prevalence and increase of scab amongst the flocks in this Province has at last aroused the sheep-owners to a sense of the importance of the matter. A meeting is to be held at the Elbow, on the 12th instant, for the purpose of taking into consideration this and other subjects connected with the Sheep Ordinance. The Theatre Royal was filled last night with one of the best and most- fashionable audiences winch we have seen within the walls of the house for a considerable time. Tho performances were, as announced, under the patronage of His Honor the Superintendent, and the programme was altogether a most attractive one. First came that fine play of Sheridan Ivnowlcs' — "The Hunchback " — then followed dance and song by Misses Ada Hart and Hetta Fleming, and the whole was wound up with the pleasant farce of " The Young Widow." In the first piece we must bestow very great praise on all who took part in it, everything being put on the stage to the fullest advantage, and not a single hitch occurred to mar the success of the performances. Tlie play abounds, as is well known, in no thrilling or startling situations, but the interest which attaches to the fortunes of the various characters is irresistibly fascinating, and, when well portrayed, of a deeply mstructive nature. The "Hunchback" is essentially a play which appeals to the finer feelings of our nature more than most plays of the kind profess to do, and such being case, it will doubtless continue, as it has liitherto done, to bo a great favorite with the public. To Miss Eloise Juno was entrusted the impersonation of the character of Julia, in whom the chief interest attaches, and the truo pathos and womanly feeling which this young lady threw into her conception of the character, told well with the audience, who were loud and hearty in their frequent applause. Mrs. Holloway appeared as Helen, a part in wliich she scarcely could have been better suited. The famous love-making scene with Master Modus (Mr. B>. B. Dale) was a very clover and amusing bit of acting, in which she was greatly assisted by the imperturbable swain, who, as he confessed, unlearnt in a very short space of • time all that " Stupid Ovid" had taught him concerning the art of love. Mr. E. Eolloway acted the part of Master Walter (the Hunchback) in his. usual excellent style. Indeed we considered him last .night as even excelling himself in his usual careful and painstaking manner. Mr. James Streeton, also, acted in his customary accurate rendering of .the part put into his hands ; in fact, we observe that this gentleman, whatever may be bis defects "otherwise, is always well up in his part, and the prompter has a sinecure's office, we should fancy, when he . is speaking. The farce of the " Young Widow " made a most pleasant finale to the .evening's entertainments'. Mr. HoUoway and Miss Ada Hart appeared as the. Mistress and. Maid. (Amelio. and Inicy), whose, chief pleasure for the nonce is to torture with jealousy and suspicion their \ respective suitors, Captain Mandevitte and Splash (Messrs. Streeton and H. B. Dale), and, as usual, they ;succeeded to • their heart's content.- -Mr. R. B. Dale has fine scope 'for, his drolleries, and his extravagant conception of the Young Widow's dancing-master is certainly made as absurd asitcould possibly be. The performances pn tho whole were highly successful,, and gave great satisfaction; to all ; ; present, as their liearfcyapplauso; abundantly . : testij ; ; fled. To-night, wo observe that" GuyMahhering" is announced. We should suppose that the bare mention of ~ the" title Srould" draw a" crowded house. ' The piece abounds in the very; best of music, amongst which aro the " Chough and Crow," &c, &c:/; The farce of..'? The Dead Shot ";mQ. conclude, , the entertainments. . A notification' appears .in the. New Zealand • QazetteA.ot 6th! June, that! Hi- Excellency ■ the> , Governor has given his assent to " The Debentures' Ordinance No*. iy''i^4y'' ;i .paVsed;it'-ia"9t Session: of .' Council. '

j ' I On Thursday, the remainder of the t cases> of |g appeal against the Town Board assessment cameM^ on for hearing, in the Resident Magistrate's CourtfS^sj In the cases of assessment, the judgment^ .. given in the case of Mr.^Heale was upheld, in every instance, i.e^ that the "assessment be levied .on^lO^peKcent. -of the. setting value of -unimproved-. •**_• sections, and on 15 per cent., of those v iniproyed, saidjpeircentage being determined oh as the ahnual-value-to-let, at Bth April last. The result of^these^ "decisions will be— -a reduction, of ., the revenue of the Town Board "to at least ""one-&Ur^. t pf.its„... former income. . Much dissatisfaction , >r be! felt ! by, those parties, 5 who^ 'having "palH* their' ■rates, are- now I precluded from i ob taining- •' the reductions which then* more wide-a-wake neighbors^haye. succeeded in procuring. In.a case of, - .-<> appeal against the special rate.. assessment,. the decided that the procedure of the Board, in the levying of these rates; -was" hot in accordance with the provisiohiTof the Ordinance, an'd&therefbre illegal. Judgment was therefore;^ awarded in favor of the appellant. A few tjrvial^ cases of debt was all the business before the;Courtfe-' at its sitting yesterday. *As wiU be observed on reference e to our commercial columns, the total; Customs' reyenue'yfbr the quarter ending 30th June, 1864, amounts to £9,614> 195. Bd. The -revenue for the correspond^ IT ing quarter of last year was £15,000, or about £6Jooomore. .^h,--i v^:uo ! --'; ' We have compiled from the Custom House books, the following: statistics of ; immigration andH emigration by foreign and coastal vessels, at the port of InvercargiU, for the quarter ended 30th "June, 1364 : — Fobei&n.— Arrivals : Male adults, , 23 r ; fem^e adults, 13; children, 2 males' and,2^ females — total, 40. Departures : 29 male adults ; 6 female adults; children, 6;males r andus>females — total, 46. Excess of departures oyer, arrivals, for 1 tho quarter, 6. Coastwise.-— Arrivals : 40 male adults ; 16 female adults; children, 1 male and 6 females— -total, 63. Departures : Male adults, 558 • female Ladulte, T s2;'l chud^en,llOi males, 7 females — total, 627. Excess of departures over arrivals for the quarter, 564. Total excess of emigration over immigration for the period, 570. ; ',:::':;'.''; -. :">:;(]•>:' The following is the state of H. M.'s Gaol, Invercargill, for the week ending Ist July : — Sentenced to liard labor, 11 ; awaiting trial before Supreme Court, 21 ; remanded, Resident Magistrate's Court, 5 ; debtors, 6 ; lunatics, 5. Total, 48. Received during tho week, 13 ; discharged during the week, 6. Increase of inmates > for the ; week, 7. > - ~) : <''>■' We are informed that a j>arty of miners, are at,-^ present in town for tho imrpose of purchasing the requisite material for the erection; of; water-wheel machinery on the Nokomai Goldfields. They report that there are two companies; of twelve men each, about to commence this system of mining enterprise there, and they are full of hopes that rich bottom , finds await them. Should this plan. , succeed, as they fully expect it will, the Nokomai Diggings will undoubte-dly rush more into public favor than ever. The three West Coast prospectors arc still in the hospital, at Queenstown, but are rapidly recovering from the severe effects of their eventful journey. A public meeting was to be held on their behalf. We are informed (says the Wakatip Mail) -of two instances of success, very common in this district, and both on the Shotover. A party in abandoned ground, above Maori Point, recently obtained from a small' paddock 250 ozs;, and other -~ trials have led to the belief that the ground is very rich. The other is also an abandoned claim, and its value has likewise been recently ascertained ; it yielded 49 ozs. to a small paddock also. We observe that Thatcher, surnamed the " inimitable," has been canvassing for civic honors in Auckland. The citizens of that place, how- ■' ever, have decided that tho chairmanship of the City Board is not quito tho " right place " for the satirist. • ' Tho following particulars of an attempted robbery appears in the Wakatip Mail, of 25th of June : — " Michael Curry, miner,' living" on ' the Twelve-Mile Creek, reports a daring attempt at robbery on Thursday night. He says he /was drinking at a shanty, where he met a man named Jones, who, it- turned out, had been recently discharged from gaol, after having undergone imprisonment- for robbery at Wetherstone's. Jones is described as a \otj powerful man, and there can be no question about the power pf Curry. After drinking for some time, Curry started to go' home, and Jones accompanied him, " to see him safe across the creek." At the latter place, he says Jones shook hands with him, using his left, and while doing so struck him two blows; the" second of which felled hinvto thegrbund. ; After he was down Jones kicked - him, ; ! but '■ ' Curry managed to get clear, hallooed out, and threw a stone, which he was; able to pick up; f at his assailant. His mates turned but with guns, and though every search was made, no traces could He found of the would-be robber. ' Curry had a considerable amount of gold' oh ; his person, which Joheß found out in the shanty." A novel and somewhat ludicrous affair, occurred at Mount Greenock one day last week, which is ''';. thus chronicled by the Talbot Leader >•— '^' With a . - view to f intimate to claimhplders that tbe Prince of Wales Company had- struck -the lead beneath the Mount, the Prince of Wales men erected a staff twenty feet high on the Mount, and hoisted a flag eight feet by three feet bee inches thereon. .The ground of the banner was, of white; with the Prince of Wales plume in red in the 'centre. For 7 a few, hours this flag waved gaily in the breeze, without let or hindrance, but at length it attracted the notice of a large eaglehawk, which happened to be passing near, and which evidently deemed that a great liberty had been taken with bis eyrie by the Prince of Wales men. Sweeping "round the staff several times, he at last made an indignant attack .upon the flag, which- he tore down, and then fleV away across country with his^prey; One of the owners of the flag speedily obtained a fowling piece to bring the robber to bay, but the shot ' whistled harmlessly in the direction he had taken, ' ;and the only satisfaction he had wa9 to 'see the' bird sail away across the bush, evidently well satisfied with the revenge he had taken upon< jbhose who had used his eyrie for a common mundane purpose. The bird was watched for a* considerable distance, and when last seen' was Btill ' holding.the flag firmly in his beak."