SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 29, 6 August 1864, Page 2

The Sonthland Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1864.

We have said we sincerely trust we shall never again have to chronicle so useless a session as that of the Southland Provincial Council, which has just terminated. hi one sense, however, it has accomplished Bueh, and we propose to show in what nanner. The question is asked — What has ;he Southland Provincial Council done ? Fhis may be answered best by asking, mother — What could it have done ? The conduct of affairs, preceding the summonng of the Council, had been so miserable, ;he efforts made by the Government to jxtricate the Province from its difficulties lad so invariably failed; and the last ;r owning folly of the "Bhin plasters" had ■endered us so completely the laughingtock of Wevr Zealand, that, on the Council being summoned, every one .nticipated immediate relief. Had ' :very member of the Council been" a cry Heeciti.es, fully equal to the task of ' leansing these A"v? eail - stables- we doubt .} rhether they could have realised the exectations formed of them, simply be* < ause those Expectations were nawar- ( anted by the possibilities, much, more the '' robabilities, of success. The firat duty ■■). £ the- Council was to endeavor to get the

powor entrusted to, and the responsibility fixed on, a body of men amenable to themselves, and whoso aotions they could control, Failing this, their only alternative was to % tha responsibility on the Superintendent, oven though they despaired of controlling his action, TFp to tho pwwiify $P *ytf Qn * 9? divided te< Bpon^biiijiy- Hah •wo-elsod most injuriously 4b» «tnr f\Miv Insert ' Whlll- it' was evident that fchors ,ym ra\* blw ftttaehftble't'p some cmc, : the diffieulfcrwag to ntid $iS individual on Wndtn td fIS-tltf onus, Sitting: the <36ttfs$ 0? thtJ Sessioi this waa tented doubly &p jjftr-eni Tk Ps6vinei4 who, to da hi»i justice, has throughout held tonaoiouslj to hia • . salary, . was ones of >■ the eoln. mittee which drew up and gaVe his entire eonenrrenee to the vsply to Hia .Honot'i address. . T hat reply fitat^s '. that m Frovinoial Oounoil, "while deßfrcms o expressing its sympathy with your Hono: in the present embarrassed position of th< Province, cannot but give utteranoe to iti grave regret at the reckless expenditun on public works, which has led to it, — ai expenditure incurred in the face o impending financial difficulties of no littl moment." Thus it would appear, tha the Provincial Treasurer, while desirou of retaining the loaves and fishes of office was by no means so eager to share an; blame for the actions of the past. Thong] it is perfectly true that the greater portioi of our liabilities were contracted befor Mr. Taßlto^'s advent to power, it i equally true that contracts were entere< into long after. TJp to April, tender were called for, and yet Mr. Taelto] stated he found, on entering office, th Province hopelessly embarrassed. Fo this " reckless " expenditure, therefore, hi was surely in some measure to blame "Whatever the situation of affairs whei Mr. Tablton and his celebrated Ministr undertook office, it is evident enough the] did not possess sufficient financial ability to extricate the Province. They coulc do no more than attempt the partu rition of that abortion, the " shin-plaster ' scheme. But Mr. Tarlton" repudiate; having had any hand in the reckless ex penditUre. "Who, then, is to blame for it ! Whose the prolific brain which achievec a "shin plaster"? If the Provincial Council at its last session did nothim else, it fixed the responsibility for the nex few months on the individual arrogating to himself all the powers and functions o: G-overnment. In doing this, it did abso lutely all that it was possible for it t< accomplish under the circumstances. I tried its best to induce the Superiutendeu to work with it. Mr. Pearsox, to judg< from the debates on the subject, spai'ec no pains to explain to the Superintendent that whether former legislation providec for it or not, the circumstances of the Province demanded that he should conseni to part with his power and responsibility ir favor of an Executive possessing the confidence of the Council and the public. 1I( instanced to him the example of Mr Harris, the Superintendent of Otago whose strong good sense led him to adopi this course unsolicited, and who consequently, while in all probability enjoying quite as much power, is the most populai Superintendent in New Zealand. Bul Dr. Mekzies, though stating his perfeci willingness that his successor should be bound as tightly as the next Counci" might choose, declined for himself thf mildest ligatures. The Council having failed in obtaining a legitimate power, fixed the responsibility on His Honoi by the resolution of Mr. Harvey, declaring the present Provincial Treasurership not a political appointment and holding the Superintendent alone responsible for the conduct of affairs. At the same time it declared by resolution that if His Honor would not work with them in their way, they were prepared tc work with, him jirovided always he tools the entire responsibility, and prayed him to send them down some financial plan, tc which they would, if it lay in their power, give their assent. His Honor, however, while determined to keep the power, shirked the responsibility. In his message, No. 6, he asked the Council to devise some plan. Now, it is perfectly true that the Provincial Council having failed to obtain its legitimate powers, might have incurred the responsibility of devising some financial plan for meeting contingent liabilities, and handed it over to be worked by " a Government in which it has ceased to have any confidence." But there were serious objections to this. First, it was absolutely necessary for the successful operation of any plan that the men to whom its development was entrusted should possess the confidence of the Council. Secondly, that these men, being responsible to the Council, should have the power of carrying into effect the wishes of the Council, without interference on the part of an individual over whom it had no control. Dr. Mexzies refused to accept any financial scheme of the Council on these terms. Had the Council handed over any plan to be worked out on his own terms, it would simply have been consigning it to destruction. Whatever Dr. Menzies' official capacity may be, he has not succeeded in convincing either the Greneral Government, the Banks, or the New Zealand public, that he is a JWi/de or a Gladstone. The General Government has lost all confidence in him ; for not only has it entrusted to its Sub-Treasurer -the disbursement of the funds it has advanced, with strict injunctions that he shall, satisfy himself as to the nature of a contract before he pays under it, no matter who may sign the voucher authorising payment, but he is requested, we understand, . to furnish the General Government with a list of all the outstanding liabilities of the Province! This is the crowning evidence! of a total loss of confidence on the part of the General Government. It will not ask the Superintendent to furnish such a List, Jest it should be again deceived"; for it is evident enough that, when,) the? £45,000 was advanced, the General Government was; nptr made thoroughly iware of the outstanding liabilities oi the Province. As to -entrusting any plan to ;he Prpyineial Treasurer (Mr/fTASfciojr)/

the thing k too abstttd, His>ppeavanee in the managerial room of any o£ theBanks, tti disouga the begt financial scheme, "vpQuid be ,ita qwq deatWawsani. ■\Vo neyeji came abros^ any qtiq who so strongly eier^plifiQcl tlie old fable "of the asa in tlio' liona'a &}•s," H T£*. Tablioit could only bo musisM, oj? bth©riviso p?e* vented &om Mlt^Fj ftM? -*ftJsW..^ba.-ft.-Of «eot ] but Qlftb f • I}B SP# Ml idii, and thpn^we felVlen^ wliaf Ba3p= paned iti •■&s- fel?k -^0 espim&gmram; an raeeiptw-'ii^B^tlifti'jiiftethei? jMfcjdf ■ tlieUotso ageai had aMf ed, esekifflik'g helplessly „yith: J 3!pa»ria BuMnm^'ByG* di-gi»ouß-.I • f o, hate, eatfusted. any iplan io His Hoaoi? and Hs .^ewttteis would have bean more than ■* tile Council was justified in doing, and vvhat -jis worae, would have, been ..utterly useless, and; indeed ruinous^ : Had -the Council devised a remedy 1 , &anded f it ovor to be carried into execution by the aaeri we have described, it w>uld have envied in failure; and' the last hope'bf 'the Province been deatroyedV, The ; Council, unjustly blamed. now ' for'.dQing nothing, -would have then been; as unjustly blamed? for incompetency, in devising a remedy which depended J for its success entirely on the men entrusted with the duty of carrying it into execution. The Council might have made one other 'sacrifice. ;; -Dr.' Menzies, in his' sixth message, displayed the usual amount of fencing, "lie referred to certain resolutions regarding the conduct of G-overnment passed at the beginning of last Session of the Council, to which he assented at the time, and still conceived himself bound ; but he utterly ignored the Provincial Council's Ordinance passed at the end of that Session — passed because the Council found, during that Session, that its previous resolutions were not sufficiently binding. This Ordinance Dr. Menzies, taking advantage of his delegated powers, disallowed ; in other words, declared that the public should not be governed as they desired, by the expression of their will through their representatives, but in accordance with the will of the Superintendent. This action alone proclaimed the utter uselessness of an Executive Government as based on ' the resolutions referred to in His Honor's message, No. 6, for his Executive had agreed to andadopted in the Council the Ordinance which the Superintendent disallowed, without, we are bound to believe, troubling himself to ask their advice or consent. The Provincial Council at this session, failing. , all other means, might have waived its legitimate claims, and consented to an Executive on the old principle — that of being consulted or not, as His Honor chose to read any particular Act bearing on the subject. Had it done so, would the desired object have been gained ? We think not. The Executive, occupying' an exactly similar position to that of the last — the mere puppets of an arbitrary and incompetent man — would not have restored confidence, and in all probability, immediately after the Council was prorogued, would have been obliged to resign; on finding their advice not asked or taken. Unless, indeed, they were as tenacious of office as Mr. Tarltojt, in which case they would have proved as utterly useless for the protection of the public interests. Taking everything into consideration, we conceive the course pursued by the Council to have been the correct one. It fixed the responsibility where the power was arrogated. It showed its desire for retrenchment by demanding fr^-jh estimates. It protected the public as far as it could from a recurrence to past recklessness by passing a new Appropriation Ordinance, and it appealed to the only judgment-seat left — the G-eneral G-overnment — for protection for the people against a despotism which, under the present anomalous form of government, it is powerless itself to resist. It has been asserted tliat during the session there was no organization, each member bringing forward his own financial resolutions, which might have been amalgamated into one set. The absence of an Executive is a sufficient answer to the first objection. The Council was unanimous enough in concurring with the stipulations required by ■ Mr. Pearson before he would consent to accept office as a member of the Executive. In appealing to the G-eneral G-overnment ; in repudiating the system of divided responsibility ; in all matters of moment it was unanimous enough.. Where there was no Executive, it cannot be wondered at that -in minor matters each thought himself at liberty to act for himself." As to the other sets of resolutions, they could not well have been amalgamated. Mr. Calder's were, addressed to the Governor, praying his assistance to get rid. of the incubus in the. shape of the Superintendent, ' which was prostrating the energies of the Province. Mr. Chalmers' resolutions were addressed to the Superintendent himself, and though the protests contained in them are somewhat similar to . f those in Mtv C alder's, the object ' sought was very different. Mr; Chalmers 7 besides" protesting, request the Superintendent to send down fresh estimates, land. I offer? the co-operation of the' Council in any- ' \ prudent measure he , may " devise for liquidating the debts of the Province ;~anda suggestion is thrown out if or rendering less burdensome to the .creditprs.therliabi^ lities of the past.:' ■tMt^-Tarlton's, or rather as it turned out after a. 1 , great deal of circumlocution,. His .Honor 'B, are of an . entirely different character,- and- -in- :- their entirety so wild, that r fortunately the. Council .would next adopt them ; picking out, from - them what, liUie^was' useful and practical, , passed that portion, and consigned the remainder .'tq< the waste basket. They., appealed; .to..... the.^General , Assembly : for. a guarantee for past and future loans, and, instead; of protesting against the mismanagement ;bf. our affairs by ourselves, 1 :\ ratuafly ■- tKrew.. the . entire bl^me of bur position; first on the Greneral Government for not sanctioning the £120,000 and i625,0C^ loans, and' se'condl|,-; on' , thfe"'^Stpck Exchange ' tiating the loans which had already been

"ttanfpf £a|f Junefi|e publjc piss' o^^^li andTl^ll^cti^i^ [^; cqjfutimi l|| $S§!sfc ■" inygtenoiisvlc^ who' always liii.evwrjj?? v . thing, from Breaking the o^ma«ser?ioe> • J^o >$unalagf^fiiwa^ '! mutton." ,E^qb& w}s sa»oftH\e|i apps^ tiiat seme end ßMtld«liseQve? e tf Sstnwp Mmj's indivi^a!, 0 pd ,.iH«& « n 1 ■" oha^a6*;^#w T ' : .Wdlwtwnatlfeß|.- to' : "'fibyifii eifte* one saati, o? qne.set.of «i§flj "df'the Admystfationj and haviag " a^optdd , one^ e1? ,., ; pihst conchsiah, ', lls '^ -* = 'tfc| "./ftZ&Md. '^■' 7 bii^-- : i"ite^-i^»?:i^/^»i«#* " {tfMM. " OOhe present gftiis us; ftp re» " spdasibility at aU. " Thr P&Viiici&l JpouncUj\49 u H)i6Bßji!wi^vßt-'^* T.&der&nos - ' fer tHe^gr^ve authority;^henpe; tbeiad* 'monition , prqce^ede^ ' followed jit, im|)li« ' bitly; v !Kie}r ;f^dr?V^PXET . ; MiMj!^in« :■ .dividual."" By 'passing" Mr^, Habtey's '• resolutidn, 'they fixed 1 f He responsibility:,, . and in order to " follow ;^it '/to its ' legitimate issue," declined afterwards to • divide the.,. responsibility:, ,with .the Super-. ' intendent/ when ' tnat individual cleverly ; sought to thrust-it -on them. They saidj J " You have taken the poster, take.also the responsibility ;' send us do';wri any prudent . measure,;for meeimg u puri embarrassments, • and we will pass it for you, but'do'n't'seek " ; to divide the responsibility. Give us the ' power, and we will work) out the problem. , Keep the power, and . work it, „ out . yourself.- To be successful, whoever s undertakes to work ■■■■* out the problem i must have the .'■■ uncontrolled power i to do it." This is what the Council ' ' has been told to do, and yet it is abused by the same authority for following its advice, and its conduct characterised as partaking of " flippancy, carelessness, and vindictiveness." This is hardly fair, the ; Council has riot only* found " Stuabt Mill's individual;" it has done more, it has discovered the "mysterious eat." . The problem to be solved is, " "Who shall bell the cat?"