The Southland Times. MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1867.

Southland Times, Issue 618, 14 January 1867, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1867.

The session of the Provincial Council that will be inaugurated to-day is the most important one that has ever taken place in Southland. The Province, through a variety of circumstances has drifted into a whirlpool of difficulties from which she must be extricated. How is this to be accomplished ? This is a question that every representative of the T>eople should ask himself, and s*udy to find a deliberative and impartial answer. It is a self-evident fact that the work of the session will be difficult to perform, and that unless every member of the Council enters upon the task before him with enlightened views, no pood can possibly result. The whole of New Zealand is * governmentally , disjointed. The General Government is steadily clipping the wings of Provincial power, and reducing local Government to a name — a thing without influence or authority. This is not applied to Southland alone, but it applies more immediately to this Province, inasmuch as the power of independent action is more crippled here than in any other Province in the colony. The liabilities Southland has incurred do not exceed those of other Prnvinces, and her capability of meeting them is equal, if not superior to all, still the terms of mortgage she has made places her in a more dependent position than any other. In fact Southland is bound hand and foot to the General Government, which appears determined to make her feel it. Notwithstanding this, there are the elements of prosperity existing, that if wisely cultivated, will realise all the most sangauine \ have predicted. The tone and temper, the wisdom or folly, that may be displayed by the Council during the approaching session will have a powerful influence in determining the position Southland is hereafter to occupy. It is therefore to be hoped that the members of the Council will meet with a determination to abandon local bickerings and work with deliberative calmness. It is an understood fact that the cost of governing the province is too great. There is a necessity for retrenchment, and this subject demands serious attention. The system of clipping off twenty pounds a year from this official, and sixpence a day from the pay of a policeman is childish in the extreme. It would not be a difficult task, however, to reduce the number of officials, to amalgamate offices, and lessen the Government staff, by the establishment of district local self-govern-ment — Eoad Boards, or District Councils. In stitutions that could be efficiently worked at a very moderate cost and relieve the government of much work and inconvenience. What necessity is there for an expensive stuff of New Eiver Harbor officials. In the present circumstances of the province, to have duplicate Harbor Masters, and their assistants, is prodigal and useless. "We have simply cited this as one instance, but let the Council deliberately consider the best mode to be adopted to decrease the large expense that now appertains to the government of this impoverished province, and it will deserve the lasting gratitude of the people. Much has to be done. Are the members of the Council prepared to enter upon their duties in the spirit of genuine promoters of the public weal ? ¥c hope they are. Among the many subjects that should command the attention of the Council, perhaps a definite understanding of its relationship to the General Government is the most important. The Provincial Government have been blamed for many things that they have done, and many that they were urged to do, but did not. In most instances outside assertions have been devoid of truth, and displayed a very imperfect knowledge of the powers and position of those condemned. Whatever the short-comings of the Provincial Government may be, their censors have not displayed that amount of political knowledge that censors should possess. We think that the Government have been at fault in not making public documents of a public nature. The people have a rij§ht to be informed upon all matters of general importance as speedily as possible, and any disposition shown, by the Government to secrecy invariably breeds suspicion and discontent. Much of the censure that has been heaped upon the existing Executive has doubtless arisen from this cause. If the Council was called together more frequently, and during the recess the public more fully informed of what was really being done, the Province would hold a much higher position in the estimation of the colony than she does at the present time. It is therefore to be hoped that the Government will throughout this season be. frank and open with the Council, that not even the semblance of mystery will be permitted to creep out ; and that the members of the Council will enter upon their labors with a determination not to allow personal feeling or outside clamor to wharp their judgment or influence their action. The questions to be debated will beseriouß ones, denianding Berioua consideration. The most im-

po-i-ant of all ia the relationship bp^ween the Provincal and the General Government ; upon this most depends, and it should be calmly but searchingly ventilated. When the Council last met intimation was given that the General Government would sanction the appropriation of the pastoral revenue to Provincial purposes ; this it is now understood will not be carried out. The puplie works that were in contemplation cannot be undertaken, and it is now imperative for the Council to take notion and at once elicit from the J General Government what it deems the | conditions of partnership. Then the question of what is to be done with our railways — an important one — will have to be discussed and answered. Tn short it will be the most eventful session since the hirth of the pTOvince. If it is to be a profitable one, the members must fling from them provincial proclivities and strive to work in unison for the public erood. Previous sessions hnve been disflffured by personalities, valueless questions, and much extraneous matter bein? imported into nlmost. every important debate. T>t n* hope that the members of the Council will apply themselves to the task Vflvre +he^ with a determination to act dflihpraHv, wiaelv. and earnestly • nnd t^nt the Snpftfcer, whoever he m-vv y>(*. will more shirKonsly adhere to his oflßt-inl duties than has previously been displayed. "From the "Northern Journals wo l'-arn that Mr fitzporaM hns received the pprmiuifnt anpoint men* of the nor. pclitfpnl office of the romp troll er of pnh]i> revenues. Fe has consequent repirn p rl his seat in the General \ "spemr.lv. The emokment nttaoWd to the office is stated to £Q(K> a-year. Th* Lyttetton Tim's, 4th January, in spealcin? upon this subject says :— -TSToman connected with Canterbury, we might s>av with Kew Zealand, has been more prominently before the public eve, or exercised a wider influence on public affairs. -And assuredly no one has maintained a higher character for all that is upright honorable and chivalrous than Mr Fitzgerald. He has sometimes stood alone in his opinions, and has perhaps more frequently stood on the side of the minority <han of the majority in political strife. But his speeches were always listener! to with interest, both from the weight"of his authority, and the brilliancy of his eloquence. Often spoken of, both in jest and earnest, as " the first orator of Lew Zealand," he seldom, if ever j disappointed the expectations of his friends, or of the strangers who were attracted by curiosity to hear him. The private character of Mr FitzGerald ia beyond the limit of our remarks. But it is permissable to Bay that it presents no grounds for secret reproaches, and requires the exercise of no reticence in public. We have often had occasion to oppose him both in matters of provincial and colonial politics, hut we can heartily apply to him, on the limited field of "New Zealand partizanship, the expression once user! by Sir Robert Peel in regard to Lord Palmerston. We have usually differed from him in opinion, and have often regarded his policy with suspicion, but we can join wifh our fellow-colonist? in saying, "We are all proud of him." After all, Mr FitzGerald will not be wholly lost to Canterbury by his removal. He only goes to Wellington." * The announcement that the Theatre Royal will he opened 'or a short summer season on Wednesday, the 16th Jan. for dramatic performances, — will, no doubt, be a matter for surprise. This splendid little theatre, which does credit to the taste and enterprise of the owner, Mr Puettelkow. has been so long closed, except for occasions of political meetings, amature performances, and Drawing Boom Entertainments, that we almost dfcpaired of having, again a theatrical company amonest us. Such, however, there is ; and Mr Puettelkow is deserving of public recognition of the enterprise he has shown in the past, and is still displaying. Tn the days of Tnvercargill's prosperity, when both labor and materials were most costly, he erected a building which, for design and strength, is unsurpa«ed in New Zealand. He has done more. Instead of doing, a« too ninny have done, abandoning the Province when it fell into difficulties, he has kept to hi* post, still displaying indomitable perseverance energy, and enterprise The Theatre during th* time that no dramatic company could be supported, has not been allowed to fall into decay, and has been liberally given for any public, purposes ; and now he has again boldly entered upon a speculation which it is to be hoped will prove remunerative. The dramatic company that are announced to appear during the season are talented. The performance on Wednesday night will embrace the comedy of, the " Four Sisters," songs, and the musical afterpiece of the " Bonny Fishwife." Miss Eloise Juno takes the chief characters, and if the statements of the Hew Zealand press are correct, she will be ably supported. Our opinions as to the talent of this lady cannot be more feelingly expressed than by republxsbing a paragraph that appeared in this journal some three yeara ago, as follows : — " A great treat was afforded to those of our citizens who patronised ' the Theatre Royal last night, and ne were glad j to find that it was so largely taken advantage of. The performances on the occasion were for the benefit of Miss Eloise Juno, and commenced with the famous historical drama of ." Mary Queen of Scots," introducing the Loch Leven episode of that unfortunate Queen's history. The beneficiaire assumed the part of Mary Stuart, and charmed the audience, not only with a careful and truthful delineation of the character, but by her queenly and most appropriate attire, which of itself was really quite a study. The afterpiece was the "Bonny Fishwife." In this amusing piece, Mibs Juno's acting is extremely rich, especially when she transforms herself from the romantic South of England belle into the Newhaven fishwife. The change is not less complete than strikingly truthful t every action and accent of the Scotch lassie being what might he termed a fac-simile or correct photographic portrait from the life. In comedy, the character of i Maggie Macfarlane is decidedly the masterpiece of Miss Juno, and whatever may be her versatility of talent, so long as she chooses to appear in Scottish characters her success on the hoards will be not less certain than it is well merited." The Howell v. Raymond case is not yet settled. From the reports of the Supreme Court (in Banco) sittings in Dunedin, on the 7th January. We learn

that in the case, Howell and Another ▼. Kaymond, in which the plaintiffs hud claimed for loss alleged to have been sustained through diseased sheep, the property of the defendant, being allowed to stray upon their run, and had recovered one farthing damages, Mr Smith moved that a rule for a new trial be granted on similar grounds to a previous case be made absolute. The Court took time to consider. The Lyttelton Times states that in Christchurch, as in Invercargill, inconvenience has been caused by the very short supply of stamps sent from Wellington. Purchasers at the Eegistrar's office yesterday could not in any case get more than six penny stamps a piece. The other sorts were not to be had at all. This defect in the supply of stamps' postponed many business transactions of importance.