The Southland Times. MONDAY, NOV. 21, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 75, 21 November 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, NOV. 21, 1864.

The resiilt of the Invercargill election must be very satisfactory to the majority of the population. Out of the four gentlemen chosen, three at least are thoroughly impressed \yith the idea that a radical change is required in the method of carrying* on the government of the Province. With regard to Dr. Menzies' election, it may at first sight appear an anomaly that the electors should have placed him at the head of the poll by a very considerable majority, but a s closer insight into the feelings of the community will show that a different result was not to be expected. The people have not forgotten the part that Dr. Menzies took at the time when Southland was demanding separation from Otago.. Nor have they overlooked the fact that he has devoted the whole of his time, during his term of office, to the ■ public service. However niuch we may disagree with Dr. Menzies' Views on the question of the powers belonging to the Superintendent, it is certain that "what he has done has been done conscientiously, and entirely for the good of the. community. Add to this that he has a large j number of personal friends, and it will no i longer seem strange that he should have been elected by a constituency which has on so many occasions been compelled to censure his public acts. If Dr. Menzies should not be re-elected to the Superintendeney, and we do not at present see' much likelihood that such will be the case, he will probably make a very useful member of Council. His experience in the affairs of the Pi-ovince enables us to expect BO much. It has been rumored j that ;he intends to retire altogether from public life should lie not be reinstated , in his office, and we must j say that on this point he was. not sufficiently explicit. "When asked the question, he said he ; should probably, remain in the Council; so, long as lie remained in the Provincej and he repeated 1 that, statement on the day of nomination ; but he did not * tell the electors whether he contemplated leaving -the Province, and we believe his stake in the country lies on the Otago side, of the, boundary. , ■ It-f-woiildj/jVprpb'ably,;.::!!^'. madeibut little difference how he'answefed the question, but should he notbo elected, and shortly afterwards should resign his seat in the Council, we shall think he has not acted quite fairly by the electors in the matter. Of' Mr. Maci)oNald's success we, were ahvayjs certain, and the very clear exposition of his 1 views oh the '"jpowers of the Superintendent which lie, gave on the day' of nomination makes assurance doubly sure "that, so 1 long as -he occupies a scat in the Council, those who are ; in favor | of Constitutional 'Q-overiiment will have their opinions i ably • and j energetically supported. On this question of the powers of the Superintendent both Mr. Oat/deh and Mr. Davies go heartily with Mr. Mac3>onal3), and a feir propor*

tion of country members— we may say amajofity—are also of^the same-wayvpf thinking/' '" y \ Whoever then aspires to the honor of being,elected Superintendent will have to. pledge himself, in the most solemn manner, to govern only by the advice and consent of the majority of his Executive Council. The ground that Dr. Menzies has taken up is one not very easy of comprehensions He claims' that r he has always acted with the consent of his Executive except in cases i where his delegated powers were involved, I and even there he expresses a willingness for the future'to consult with them ; but he also claims for the Superintendent a position analogous to an Upper House. To'us'itis quite; impossible to reconcile the two* ideas. - To be on a small scale, and within certain limits, a constitutional chief, and at the same time to fulfil the function 1 of* an Upper House, acting as^a check on- the, lower branch' of the Legislature, would puzzle a far wiser man than Dr. Menzies. In endeavouring to effect this combination, he, disgusted all who | were from time to time connected with , him in the government of_the country. ' It is much to be regretted that some shrewd" man, who "possessed thepower of sticking to his questions till he received a straightforward answer, did not, either at the Theatre or on the hustings, obtain from Dr. Menzies a little more explicit information on this subject. "When did he first adopt that idea J of an Upper House ? "Was >it before he assented to the present Provincial Council Ordinance, an'd if so, how could he possibly have affixed his signature to iif, whether he had previously informed the Council of his views or not? Was it afterwards, and could he still continue to occupy the post of; Superintendent: T when the / new. ■light in which he. saw-thingsi must.of necessity have seriously afFecteduthe; pledge he had previously given ? ; ,p_r., t MEsrzp;Si had already, during- the; existence -of -ithej old Council, completely alienated the support of almost every membervby his shuffling and prevaricafcwn .but:the speech in the Theatrej andHhe few words .on/tMeP hustings, showed more plainly than ever the necessity'forach"^ge7\;Th(BvPfoviace"must not again ;b'e.expb^ed'';to'the^'danger of an irresponsible Government;: x ''■' !';■' ." '- The . .great ..majority ...of. : the Council;; and the outside " public"" will, we^ "ate" lure; agree with us in this.' The electors of Invercargill have acted cqur r teously in placing Dr.' Menzies 1 at the head 9f. the poll, " and no harm is likely to arise from it •; but' the Council should be influenced altogether by higher; considerations. /We have previously pointed OUt ttie danger tkere _B---ta_^taie--. constitutional party ;will sacrifice their power by divided efforts. If two gentlemen are brought. forward, in opposition to each other, and Dr. Menzies, the latter will still retain his position. Before the meeting of the Council, the different sec--tions of the liberal party should put forward their men, and then the one ; can command most votes should obtain the support of the whole party when the; election comes on.' The matter ' should nob be postponed till the last- moment;. 1 '■ !J

We are indebted to Mr! Tonkins for the delivery of oiir Bluff parcel, containing later files from Dunedin, and several of the Northern Provinces, per the s.s. Rangatira, and brought on to the Bluff by the s v s.iiredale which arrired th»re ' yesterday. ' ' / „'.'..;,..',""..■ .... '.„:'■* From the intelligence contained under the head Of "Nelson," it will be seen that some splendid gold has been found on Lyell Creek, a tributary of the Buller. A new rush has set in forty milea below the Grey River in the Canterbury province/ With reference to the heavy finds on Lyell Creek, the Otago Daily Times has an. article seting forth that such heavy, yields ,are recorded as every-day occurrences hi OtagOj and, concluding I by stating — "that comparing the accounts from , , the mining districts in New Zealand and Australia, ■with our own, we have no. hesitation ; in; affirming | that the G-old Fields of OUgo present the fairest prospect of ample remuneration for the labor ernl ployed upon them;" . A very pretty little story was related by Mr.. Osborne at the hustings on Friday. That gentlaman evidently felt aggrieved that only 1 eight " free and independent" electors should have recorded ! their votes for : the i people's candidate--the advo- | cate of "poh'tical truth"; 1 and -he : could ndt let/ the opportunity pass without revealing Ihbw he '• had been jilted by - another UllßUCCesaful candidate—to wit, Mr. -Tarlton. Mr. O»borne said that he had agreed . with . T M£ Tarltqn , that ; each should suppoi't 'the, other.' with j. his • vote._ ? '.Mr., r Osborne I^refpre,;fuliy'relymg on : :the ; integrity; of the "honest, thoughtful, and: straightforward''; Treasurer, voted for him, but he i.' was ..astonished to find his quondam friend Tptiig', i against''.'ijM. i : This, he considered, was anything but "political; truth." As for himself, he had come forward " politically," and he would "retire "" politically," with the • full conviction thatf.-'he ■ had done hi» duty; and that ; the electors had ..dpne^ theirs.. When! Mr. jp»borne . had finished ' spealang^MrV Mr. Tarlton attempted to vindicate Ms conduct by saying he had. been fold during --the day that Mr; Ofeborne had retired from the contest, otherwise he should have kept hisrpromise. peared to swallow this explanation of the man of candour. ;■-■■<. The! adjourned meeting of, the Exhibition Committeoi will take place to-day'm "the office of His Honor the Superintendent, at four o'clock p.m.: The business to be brought- for ward , is important, and we trust there will be a full attendance. I The; , complimentary .; benefit ; tq r . Miss Hetta/ Fleming came off in the Theatre Koyal qnL the,, evening of Friday last. The attendance was. not.what might have been expected, but the, entire, performances went off very satisfactorily.. ; ." ,/" From the letter of our Nokomai correspondent, . it will jbe aeon that Sergeant Morton, of Winton,,, exaggerated the success of the miners on : that when he stated their daily findings aye-V raged from £6 to £9. Our correspondent, st»te»J that theee ; . figures more closely represent tnenv weekly earnings. The news generally, is yery-" encouraging..,/ ' \_ r " .... .Thoiwant of a, clergyman appears to be felt at the Ndkomai. Our correspondent not only Mates that a [warm reception would await him, but that I a building sufficiently commodious could at once < I be had for a place of meeting. ; The 1 Wakatip Mail of the 12th has the follow- ' ing on the railway system of Southland : — "Another matter that is- likely, at no distant date,"' to affect our markets,- and promote a greater reciprocity of feeling and frequency of communication' with ; the more distant portions of the COlOliy and the Australias, is the opening of the Southland Kailway. It must nob be supposed that ' there is any desire to cultivate a more intricate connection with the Southland people than that of a neighborly feeling, as they have so vicious "a land • system in the shape of' £2 per aero for a fee simple; that if . no other causes intervened,, this would be of itselPquite sufficient to refute the' plandey propagated by a jealous, down-country contemporary— that this portion of Otago desired annexation with the plucky JHtlo railroad Pro-vinco-of Southland, But the opening of this railroad )0 ft step iu u direction to increase the

faculties of reaching the sea coast ; and the Bluff is inow generaUyNecognwed as an^ important kqr,^j j •^"sttamers to all 'parts of* the neighboring^ Pro- "*^tl vinces and Australia daily arrive *ncl.depart from Any system that gives us more rapid intercourse with, other places is a benefit, and at such, wo hail the opening of a portion^ of the Oreti Hallway with "pleasure and cordiality. present ' A " the journßy^can he'made by steamer on the' Lak«, and by Messrs. Cobb and Co.'s coach from Kingston, slightly under two daysjJmkMessrs. f Cobb and Co , upon the line to Wmton ~Buth being completed, promise to do the~journey in a single ~ day." Zlfl ,O^J/T; We are, informed that the Lyster Opera jTroupa have been engaged to l give a series of performances in Invercargill about the beginning of the year. ! The f ull company will appear, and the operas will be put on the stage here as in T)unedin Tho Theatre Eoyal will be specially fitted up for these performances, and >w« doubt not our fellow-citizens will largely support this enterprising endeavor to provide them with the best musical and operatic > talent m the southern hemisphere. A bush fire of a serious character was observed paging in the Town Belt yesterday afternoon and evening, and travelling in the direction of Clinton. The gale blowing made the'fire travel very rapidly, and the gravest fears were^ beginning to be_felt for th'e safety of the houses in'its course The pohce .-were on, the_ spot to render any assistance that might have been necessary, but up to a late hour nothing serious had occurred., ,