POLITICAL—PROVINCIAL.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 34, 18 August 1864, Page 5

POLITICAL—PROVINCIAL.

When the July Mail left, the Provincial Council of Southland was about to meet, and great hopes were entertained out of doors that the result of its labors would be satisfactory, not only in bringing before the public a full and explicit statement of the affairs of the" Province, but also in devising some scheme for extricating Southland from its financial embarrassments, and preventing the possibility of their recurrence in the future. By those better acquainted with the subject, it was known that, as regards the second part of that programme, but little was to be expected from our Provincial legislators. It is true they might devise as many schemes as they thought proper ; but, after all, the financial difficulty of Southland was one with which the General Government was alone able to grapple in a comprehensive manner. The Superintendent's address was not satisfactory. The entire blame of the Provincial difficulties was thrown upon the General Government, for its disallowance of the loan for £120,000, "to cover lia- " bilities on account of the general expen- " diture of the Province," —in other words, the reckless expenditure in excess of revenue. No mention was made of that expenditure being continued in defiance of the almost certainty of the loan being disallowed, or, if allowed, being unnegotiable. Alluding to the railways, His Honor characterised them as likely to prove eminently reproductive works, and that, consequently, the charges for the loans for their construction would be only of a transient nature; but the railways are not completed, and the sum of the loans has already been expended on other works, and a feasible means of replacing the money does not appear. The reply to the address, while expressing sympathy with His Honor on the embarrassed position of the Province, goes on to say that the Council " cannot but give utter- ** ance to its grave regret at the reckless " expenditure on public works which has " led to it, —an expenditure incurred in " the face of financial difficulties of no " little moment." The difficulties are attributed, not to the withholding of the General Government's sanction to the £25,000 and £150,000 loans, " but rather " to the Provincial Government having " entered into large contracts since the " 30th of September, 1863, at which time " there was an unprovided overdraft for ** ordinary expenditure of over £47,000." Tn anotber pai-agrapli "The Council *- further begs to express its entire dis- ** approval of the application to other " objects of funds raised on the security " of the loans for the construction of the " Bluff Harbor and Oreti Railways. Nor ** can it see how the sum of these loans " can be expended on the construction of " raihvay works, seeing it has " already been spent on other works." It will be in the recollection of our readers that, during the recess, the Executive had resig?ied (with the exception of the Provincial Treasurer), and it was hoped that His Honor, seeing at last the necessity for so doing, would be willing to give certain pledges that for the future he would be guided by the opinions of the gentlemen composing the Provincial Ministry. Unfortunately, the Superintendent did not choose to bind himself in any manner. He was willing

to have an Executive ; but had no intention .that the members composing it should have one atom of power. The old quarrel, which had previously engrossed £h large a portion of the attention of the Council, and also of the butside public, was renewed. The: members of Council were unanimous in their determination not to take office "dnless the Superintendent entered into a formal engagement with them that he would be guided by their advice,: — that the decision of a majority of the Executive should be final. His' Honor ; would not give way, and then the Council declared by resolution, that if His Honor would not work with them in their way, they were prepared to work with him, provided he took the entire responsibility. They also prayed him to send them down some financial plan, which they would, if it lay in their power, pass. The Superintendent, however, wished the Council to originate some scheme for extricating the Province, which they were not inclined to accede to. With the exception of the fact that the responsibility has been more firmly fixed on the Superintendent, who possesses the sole executive power in the Province, and the expression of a very strong opinion by the House as to His Honor's past political conduct, the session which has just terminated has been a most barren one. Southland will, in the course of a few months, have the opportunity of electing a new and enlarged Council, from which the second Superintendent will have. to be chosen. Let us hope that a man of larger views, more experience in the active business of life, and with a smaller share of stubbornness and pride, may be found to take tlie place of Dr. Menzies.