The Southland Times. TUESDAY NOV. 29, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 78, 29 November 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY NOV. 29, 1864.

,0;*, Thursday next the Provincial (jpuncil ,Wili decide: the: late of Southland' tor weal or woe, by, tiie.election of a Superintend: cut. We; 1 "' do not anticipate tnat'. the present Provincial system of ixovernmfenL .will ue prolonged at most beyond two; ojtaree. years; yet niucii.. ailectiiig 't'ii^. interest of every inhabitant of tne lJro--"vmee can be accomplished in that time.. It is a long period in the. history 7 of a coiony in tne niueteentn century. Two' years ago every tnniij in. ooutuiu.ud >rurc' a, rose-colored aspect. There was a wed-[ grounded nope of lasting prosperity; and\ yet how miserably does the present remind us oi the past. How dilferent is the t'uiaiment to tue anticipation Much of ihis^ •disappointment is the result of gross mis^ management, ull eiieeted by tna defcer-§ mined " oustmacy ,of one individual.;, Southland has nad its chuiice, and a bet^ = ter one tnan the most sanguine separatiouist could nave anticipated, and . ncr enhance has been wantonly thrown away; ,All is not, however, lose. There is ,a silver lining to the cloud, lt'ia potjsiule yet to retrieve much of ..the. ivpv. grouud. The moderate anticipate >iict lounded on the geogru,paical position pi the Province, and puuiic. woriis Dorderuig on completion, may- ue relied on. Too> much importance cannot, however,- be attached lo the election of a (Superintendent, and tnis cuoice tne (Jouucilwiii pocalled upon , to uiake nexi Tuurdti^y. l'nere are certain qualities Wxiiea ' di'? almost indispensaole in tne holder of the oiiice," more particularly with tne present Council. Aitdough tue number of members is greater . Jtiiau / ill any Council, we question -if, for tae practical worKing out or tne coiititicution, it la uoc inferior to its predecessor. It will 00 dtuioult.to hnd a sunicient number of its memuers possessing the tinie and ability to form a reuily.._ enicient Executive. ,it will be:weii, taerelore, lor tne Superintendent to oe a man of .auility and/ uusi-'; ness aptitude. To taese must' be conjoined a pretty intimate acquaintance Wiln the polities of- -t>e\v Zm^laud, and such a reputation wifch-tne brenerai lirbvernuienc, as to inspire its conh'dencel Tne Province is in ssucu a state al present tnac it is alaioat powerless to help itseit.. The choice ol a ouj,erintehueiit 3 as laras we Ciiu see at present, lies uetween two" men, i)r Menzi'j-is a-iid Mr. . Hexle. (tfthe former we know a good' d.al, aud although Mr. -Hea.le has not been so pro-' , minently before, the public, we are suthV cieutly conversant with his past career to be able to judge of his merits. -Tne, discovery of gold, in Otago v t made Dr. Menzies' {Siipennteuid'eacy 'a Web more important position than could have been anticipated at the time of the Reparation from that Province^. An -utterly new combination of circumstances was presented, -requiring ability and discretion, and, above_ all things,_j!>rqmpti-* tude of action. Kow the duties of the oifice were fulfilled we will* eiiuuire. Prior to "his* first election Dr. 'Menzie^i was if . possible more unpopular s than he is at present. He had the reputafcioii'of'being an obstiuate man — one not' ' to take advice. ,He. jpubljtihed his idea of jwl^at, the Land Kegulafcions should be, and it did t not suit "the public mind. Yor some time after his election, matters went pretty smoothly. \ • His J first exhibition of ufcter disregard fco the wishes ?-oi':the public, was in his eudgavpr to have the name of I/ivereargill ' changed without consulting the people. Xt is true

that ojg&he gep|artu|sgfor A« ;laucl hipprod&Ojbld thj^Execu^ge rii'is l^^br cH^giriSfb^ n^^ cutffl ,'driedHxnay, %|»n np>intedtf^fCnd 't^>se ; gentlemen, if weXare correctly informed. I while deprecating the idea as useless and ;iWpblitlcT rv '6fte i ifed f? :-n i o-"'Herious W! -objectioii.: : i prbbablyifieyjsawj.it would rbe|of m ; avaur" ° Th^ 'acfion is^l^evdrr-ch^ra^ ' ■■fe'inseic-of^the nianri^'Buring-that-Session of fche Assembly,; cP;r. 4 ,^DENzrES tried to !get the boundary of the : Proyince 'extended, claiming the J east bank of the TMataura. The^ ..majority', of the 'G-enera] JAsWmbly"; .^4re,;. willi^.^tp '^miarge l -tlie 1 j Province, and it was suggested' that the ;di tviction- Should be ; up ;^ the^Matauraj^to :tho toot of the-^Wihakatipu Lake, and thonee,to,the, W.e^t Qpast. Dr. M^vz/es, , w i th characteristic pb'stinancy,' -would v no^ compromise. ; It m ust^ either, be the eait ! bap kof "the tMataura, X>i nothing.' 1 r &p we got nothing,- and lost the cpmmaiid of the ; Lake diggings.; ■in:ury^ HC::mti ieted- ori Southland ] was in delay ing -jto rtend up jbhe escort, and here heacted^in 1 direct defiance •of his ■ 'Executive." ■'■-• We then find him encouraging an,d stimulating fche : Council to an^ excessive 1 - expenditure in defiance of an overdraft of £40,000, for which no provision was made. ; v An absurd Appropriation Ordinance, carrying insolvency on the face of -it, was -passed and accepted.^ Dr.' ; Mbnzies' was. in Auckland at the. time.it . \v as. presented ;fpr, the as'sent-of the Governor.. That assent-Was refused, and, instead of ascertaining frPui the Ministry what they were inclined to <lo ; for us,.l3r. Men'zies, choosing ; t6 'be indignant ; that an 'Ordinance of his' should be reiiised, left Auckland iri a " huff," and the opportunity of obtaining some definite information/ wherewith Vtb instruct the Council, was lost; and we ■have been ever since passing Acts which have' been disallowed. Dr. Menzi : es succeeded^ in maintaining his dignity at the expense of Southland, which is satisfactory. , O reat anxiety was felt tofiuish the Northern Railway. VVe had one more chance, for the G-eneral G-overnment, \vhilst reliu«ing.its assent to any other -loans, granted one for £40,000, for railway purposes. ■ Mr, Heale iadVfsed Dr. lMj2jszz.es of away by which- it could be set apart !or the eompleti6n rr of tile railway, arid saved from the; . general wreck: Dr. MiSNzfES preferred acting tor .himself,' aridentered into a negotiation tor the sale of the debentures with baeof the banks, by which he obtained some ■£ WjjOOO^cfuir'of the r^ forty^ thousand-ißthe rest gpiug to pay ott\ the Town Board : ; debt to the Bank of New Zealand, arid ik&ine othe^iitlennaiieT^: ; ifbr-; which- th.eyi lmiW,\]ery glad to get- the debentures. bad enough, but to-i make|it ivybrde'/ on the folly- of such a negotiation %icing pointed out to Dr....MBNZiES, he |.c- - otheV ""gentiea'fe'n:"' ftf'make a atesii arrangement, forgetting .to .iiilorm :fcbeai that the one he had 'already entered into was detiuttely coriduded.> : Of course 'the manager of tne Bank held to the first and came .to the natural k-ouclusion thatpev)ple iv Southland yvsre iupt over scrujjulous— an opinion which ■ we believe has been disseminated through ? cheieiigfch and breadth of New* Zealand. .So in ucii -for Dr.MENZiEs' ability, and so much for iiis eonseieiitioiißness. Tile former has been more conspicuous ill his endeavors to extricate the Province from i thosb embarrassments which his rashness uas plunged it into, and reached its climax an $&ii s e(iie'dva,ted shxn-plasters; We will cnoVsky iniich of his' accepting the contract tor tne Mokouioko efetty, wnich, to use -tne .words of his own Treasurer, has "plunged the Province into 'the lowest depths of humiliation;" of his acceding to tne rise in' tne price of land ; of the total loss of 'confidence in him by the Grenerttl Grovernment ; and the utter cpri^ tempt with which his financial propositions are treated by the banks. Taking evei-ytniiig into coiisideration, we are coucoHv'iricea tnat a change is urgently v&'quired. : ; . ■i Tlie principal, objection that has been urged against Mr. .ii£A.LE is that he, is an ." enthusiitst " and a "theorist." J'udg-ir-g" i'roin his past" career, we carinot see tiiat' tiiis is 'boriie out. 'Had his i advice ueeh- taiteri, the Province would not now be in difficulties, for ■: he was the first to ■ruise 'a warning voice. :; In, Auckland we tiud Mr. Hea.le cqinpatjng the ev.il which Dr. ..ylenzijes had inflicted. The latter griutlemaii lost the chance of getting the Province enlitrged. Mr. Hbalje would have acupnvplislied it, had he not had the obstin.icy of Dr. MENZiEs.tb contend against. VVneu the new Land •liegulktiond were proposed Mr. HeaLe a,dvised ;Dr.-MENziEs to accept the Otago Land Bill by introducing the words " and -Southland " into the title ; to wait till he had consulted the people and Provincial Council ; and at tiie snccßßdiug sesSioii'of the Assembly he could, with good grace, , have;brought ibrward a,.- ; w.ell-uiatiir,ed, iand law — one acceptable lo tne people, ; , and, beneficial to tae Province. Tnis," 'oi" course, Dr. i MENziES"retused to" 'do". < "In *t he r 3tnatter 61' tae--^40,0U0 worth s of irailwayideb^en,tures Mr.. : JiEALE : gave 'SQUiid and judic: ,io.us; advice, which, ; if.. .taken, ... w : puld;.liave senayled .the;. Province -to 'coinpletej ftbe .jO.retiiJ^aiiway..^.^ .,.,.,.. . vi \,_ ? t _ .' v , , ti^ ,. \. '.'..' Itfr. Helle has been blamed fbr'desert-; ; ing lihe Pro vince' in its 'dinicurtiesv butfwhat : are'-the facts of the ; case r*-"; He A 'terid6reti his resignation long before. -,-thej 4 affairs „qf; the. ..Provincejw .ere. mueh ;< einbarrassed, Hisrea-sbn for so Hoi n g3T a^ u^ at!tn€ reckless ' manner iii Avinßh : public affairs I were.conducted, ' coupled 1 with it natural :ir■ritiAvon'at his -advice ' !; not -beirigritiaken, aTthdugh irequeritly. as ked.<lHe!wast|yic€ induced to withdraw his resignation./ Thai • he v ii.nally left ciinttpfc, be a n matter.^ of Isurprise^/ionsidering','ltnatk he knew 1 "he fwas ; bemg / Blanjeli if by'^n'e ibf^cts^i' ih| Superintendent diametrically 'op posed _tp >his ! advicei and^opinipnsvh- ;Mr: t! HEALE>ie any able,:- : thprpugh ly ;J -r conscientipus | and .w.qni&effuilyrejUergetic man ; and^ we^know lie '" possesses "the * cprifiderice ' "bf | the m'emberg of |b|||A^3gcil)lyypf upthparjtiwj ,Vo that with him as' SuperinfendeJit; t&€ uiightjopk ±br n assistauce:at: the !p^ss! : f of 5 " in at^6owKa^ i Mmistry^ere^ny oflice J The fact is that ftt the present moment

troints tp Mj?^3jeale as th^&pst*\na3j&^or