The Southland Times. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1866.

Southland Times, Issue 557, 10 September 1866, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1866.

T3y t^ie overland mail we m*" in reoei^t of N"nrtWn n"\v* to the sth. SeptemW. Politically, it ia interosHn? to all wV* tak* 1 a colonial view, whil<* not immpdiit°lv connoted with Q nnthl:ind. Thf nolifv of the new Ministry does no* •innoar to find much more favor thnn thnt of its predecessor — in fact the d^terminat'on to opntrnlise thnt hns tnkpn •wsession of the mind of the (TP.np.rnl (rovernment is more conspicuous thnn pvor. PomnpHcd to abandon the id°a o r immodi^t« i lv or'snincr thp provincinl rmrf '^n of the C'is+oms Upvptwp. to thn fullest extent, Mr Stafford still firmly aims at tfe one obieH — the destruction of provincialism. TTnvintr hppn che'-lt-rm'ed in h's first effects to do it hy l'old stroke, he l^as changed his t.T-h'fs, not eiven n» the one che^hpd iden. !Te tiow seeks to <ripple rmnicinaliHes, to de^'ivp every form of seK-<7overnmPnt of 'ts leiritimi^e revenue, and rprfu«-e the 4 nrovincps to the lowest s+nge. of dpgrfirla . f ion. The nressurp that w.ts broujrht to nnon *he la f e Ministry, and which comnellpd i 4" to retire, hrs certoinlv hnd the effect of compelling- Mr StafyoT?n to modify his schome. hut it his no*" J shaken hi«* detprrnina*ion to ohtain his ohject. Thp a^femnt to deprive th° nro 'incps of the benefits of a proportion of •nstoms inonev failed and new t:iet?rsho<] to ho a ! o : t?<\, n^l convpr in* to the sam^ Moinf. The information before us opem un suhie -t of too great importance to he f rpated of hurredlv. and the pressure on our columns, from^nnmerous correspon dents, induces us to do no mnrp thin give tfip folio win? sum r nirv of """he debates whii-h immediatHv effect every nro\ in^p in the colony, whi'-h, we think, will be fnrly by the su^'oined extracts fr^m the report of *he Wellington corrpsporiden of the LyftePnn Tim en, under date ls^ September. We give .* condensed resume of the week. — " One of the last acts on Tuesday evening: was to throw out the T,e islative Council Limitation Bill. The Council is at present unlimited in numbers, and thfrnfire any Government mrv *wamp it by fresh appointments for ihp •>-ake of carrying snme obnoxious measure. The Council want to have tlHr indenpn ■l^nce secured, and they passed a hill t" fix a limit to their number. Tn the Lower House this measure created much discussi or, and raised a variety" of important ••onstihitionnl questions anouc the com narative merits of one form, and anoflvr of a second Legislative Chamber. A set wis made against the b'll, in the hope that •in elective Upper House miijhtbe substituted, and it got no further than committee. On Wednesday, a very sujjges- ; ve remark was made by the Minister for Defence, in the answer to fm incidental •Hiestion. He condemned the spirit in which ny ny of the military settlers rangers <-:nd of hers sought to carry on I their bargain with theGrovernment. Then was not much said, but the little sp >ke volumes as to the miserable object — the settlement of these men on the lands — for which the colony is still paying out £15,000 a month. Mr Vog-al's " threeeighths" resolution had been fixed for to■lav, but he postponed their consideration them in an amended shape abouf Wednesday next, after the Treasurer'sfinan -ial statement. The Gollfield's Committee has a1 li-iith closed its di-liberstions, completed its report ;\nl brought in its new bill. The Postal Committee has also brought up its report. Postal Committees are al ways injurious : but this one offers more ■"irpri-ung novelties than any of its predecessors. A threepenny postage rate on letters is proposed b-twe^n the Provinces, and a penny rate within any Province. Newspapers fire <o be taxed one penm always, and threepence often. Time is t«i say, to send one by Pana-na or Marseilles will cost 3d And the system of frankiii" is to be abolished. With these turns of the s-rew a sum of £15,000 a year is ex pected to be squeezed out. On Wedne-d y rvning the Estimates were opened for the first time. .and the Customs expenditure was vote I for the year, with a great deal of talking, I>u; r-»\f re iU'-t'ons on the. printetl figures. f n Thursd.iy and Friday the Esima'es were gone on with, and the Ju : i -ia! an . Post I departments were finally disposed >f. An interesting discussion ,-irose when the telegraph items were under consideration jesterday. There were sums amounting to £12,000 put down for the construction of lines, p.irt being for the submarine c ble, and part for an extension to Napier which is promised to be done this year. The Ot.igo members talk on all subTec: s. and more so on those which concern Ut go. They have a Municipal Bill and a Waste Land Bill just now in progress, and it seems to the casual visitor in the gallery that the representatives are always wrangling over one or the other. Mr Hall got into serious hot water un Tnursday night, while watching the former bill on behalf' of the Government. He found that the former Municipal Act declared he fees and fines of the Mayor's Court to be Municipal revenues. The Court is an ordinary Resident Magist 1 tt-.'s Court, and iis fees and fines would oiiierwise be revenue of the colony. On a suiJuen, whin the Otago geuiL-nifn thought tiieir work nearly done, Mr Hall proposed a cLuse to repeal the one just iUfii.ioued. The breath was taken fairly »ut of Mr Vogel's body for an instant: the nexr, 1 c turned upon the Postmast rbrener..l and p .ured out the vials of h.« almo-t unutterable wrath. Mr Hall iv hid Momew. at defiant — I don't like to say : ;\-e«'cky '■■ — af.nnVer, pushed hid point,can\eu it to a division, and won it. But

'ho oihnr rrjPTn''> x rs of tW Govern r>ore discreet ivilod tVir polb>a v fOiMwls and forbade hi'" to onrrv on' his advanticp tn th<* u+-*prmo < 5t lf>st ncr idvpnhire the Ota-m * fyipn^licß ' mi<T^ he alipnnfed. through sympathy with +lv declared hostile natives of that district. On Friday. Supply besran the real bu«iness of the dav, and the d'S<uission aVm* fhn nee occurred during its nrosrress. Ay attemnt was niso made, but not su'"»norted. to exit dnwn the cost of subsidize •u^ein^pra hv a larcre sum. The manw mpnt of the Telp^ra^h wn° lso talked oypr. and Mr TTa.t,l mpnh"one J th-it one of his first instrivt'ons or> "o-nincj into o^ri^*. hid heen to tpWmnh from nort to r»ort the depar f nre of ever*•^ubsiflizpd n^ail stpnm°r, and to post all sw'h tplpsram^ nnbliclv. Pn'vilpjres- "Bill whi -h is i»tpnrle ( l nrotect members and officers of A^Rmhlv from being summoned to Civil Courh ) cithnr as witnesses or def-ndmts durinir session, was ron'l i s^^ond tlrnp J The O'jioro "WastpLan-'s' Bill n^nnip. l thp rpst of thp evening till • a-^t midni'TJit Th« bone of contention was, whether land which had been open for s-ile and no f sold for some venrs, shonlH or should no< b^ offered at the reduced nrW °f TOs art a^rp, the ppn^rnl price boin<r 20s Tfc wa.•affirmed that this should be rlnnp. an^ 1 >nd thpn the oup^t'nn of the numhpr o^ vpnrs arose. The Bill said " thrP" " vpar«. f hi>s wns nlterpd to " se'Pn." but no< w : t^^nt a vns* d^al of hi lepriner ta,lk. The desp itches from the o r y tate, to uhiVfi M»" Sta^fobt* alludp-^ when hp snoVe of rptnming the one rom. m Q nt of soldiers on Pri^-'yla^t:. were l^'d tiro'i the tablp. Mr Piltov "Rrlt. oallrd attention to the terms on wh'ch the re^n ment mio;ht be kept, mmcly, that th" felony must pay £50.000 a veir fo"N"ativ? purposes, ex^lnsive of war. He "«kfd whothpr thf Govprnm fi nt wns pr«narpd to pay such an amount. Mr rented that he not jrninjr to forestall the Treasurer's budget,"