POLITICAL GENERAL.

Southland Times, Issue 698, 19 July 1867, Page 4

POLITICAL GENERAL.

, Tixe.jGiTeneral Assembly has met for the jipnsactibn^ ton. ] '^ : Th€^^^feurer wai^ngaggjL .for Wme d^ys "^qiattersof routine^ but when < t](io.''.tjme'^!(^ie!' i for r; .bushießß/ v one of the ;*■ fir^t* motions 'in ..the notice paper was, from Mr Yogel, J t)ie Provincial Treasurer of 'Otago, whpmqyed thatthe management of this goldfields "should be entrusted to the Superintendent of Otago. It will be remembered by our readers that the administration of the Otago Goldfields was taken out of the hands of the Government of that province as soon as Mr Macandrew was elected Superintendent. In, consequence of Mr Vogel's motion, all business, was suspended and after a couple of days hard fighting, in which most of the members, took part, the Government obtained a majority of . 4, amongst which three were representatives of ■ Southland. It is understood that the general business of 'the session will now be proceeded with— measures will be introduced, to abolish the small provinces, to festablish shire councils, which would expend the local revenue within the district in which it is raised, arid the endowment of municipalities, - the conversion of all General and Provincial Loans into Colonial Stock, the . amendment of the Bankruptcy Laws,' and several other important measures; It is stated officially that' • His ' Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh will shortly pay New Zealand a visit. He may expect a right - cordial and loyal welcome. There can be no doubt as to a radical Change being required in the system of Government now in operation. The events of, the last few years— the rapid' increase of population, and the settlement of new and unex- , plored country^— has created wants which. ■ necessitated an expenditure in excess of the colony's receipts. Thus Colonial and : Provincial loans have increased year after ,year, until they have reached the .enormous amount of £8,000,000, and still ! there is scarcely one out of the nine : Provinces^ that does not require to borrow |at -preseilt 'as i much' , or more than has i already ibeen obtained. Cohere is nothing that T has shciwii. so . plainly the evils, arising from Provincialism than .the difficulty that has been experienced inne-" igotiating Pr6yM6ialLoans,andit lias long ibeentne desire of bur statesmen to devise •a plan whereby "all New Zealand loans ■shouici bear _the f one security 'and conse- ; quently-''maintain a corresponjding , value. \ Numerous suggestions 7 to . this en<i have ibeen made by. suce'essiveGrovernrQents, but" !I up to thie present; time: none were bold leh'ough' to grapple with' this difficulty,■and the pth'^r changes' in the. Q-overnmen- • tal system that were universally; acknowledged'to be urgently required.' The ;Stapfoed Ministry has done, this.' |Whajtever' may be the: verdict of thepublic when the ministerial programme " |is ; fully exhibited, it must be.conceeded jthat during the repess, the Government has iiot been sluggish in. the labor; of preparing r Measures that they" believe^ ickicuiatied' td remove' the evils/ arising from a . system pi 1 divided responsibility,^ 'of 'which the varied, sections of the cojo-" nists h'aye "so 'long complained. It is b.ow certkin" ihat at least two measure's, will be intrdduced by the 'Grovernment of the very highest. import — the Consoli- 1 datipn of Loans and the Municipalities :3iH_i_ wn ich, if carried, wiil materially' alter the present system of Government^' In another column i we publish the correspondence between Mr Stappoed and His Honor the- Stjp^biktbnpe^. of Canterbury, on the. Corisolidatioh of Loans. From it can.be gleaned the nature of the proposed measure. By it . the whole of the revenues , 6t New Zealand, territorial and ordinary, will be taken by the General Government as ;. security for existing and future loans.' Of such importance does^ the Ministry consider this measure, that Mr STAirpsDintimates an intention of making it a ministerial question. Without attempting to pronounce judgment upon a;: measure, the object of which is but dimly shadowed forth, it may be asked' what will be the effect of its on the existing state of i Provincial' affairs? It is plain that all Provincial Lands, and Customs revenues, by the proposed Consolidation, will cease to be solely Provincial property. The Middle Island -will suffer far more than the North, by this' arrangement. Pew of the Northern , provinces have any Land, and but smail Customs revenue, to offer as security for the large debts they have contracted on account of the Maori war, while the Southern provinces have large tracts of valuable land, and an increasing Customs revenue. Thus, Consolidation will at "; first sight bear heavily on the Middle , Island. Southland is "deeply interested in this matter. Unless His Honor the Stoebintestdent, by earnest and energetic action, has succeeded in averting the , evil likely to arise fjconx tb,e clever tactac^

of an interested class, and- the vanity of fledging politicians, and exercised his in-! fluenee with__Mr .STAFZOiu ta. .consider ■ the mongi'el amendment that was carried; in the Council onl the- railway question,; as an acceptance of the offer made, and in- j duced him to set apart t>the land reqinred; for the works, the chance: of obtaining it; will have been lost. ■:'"" How j-will this! ProAance.. be, positioned ?- v The repro-| ductive wqiks -rwill. becom© assets ofj the colony— -there will be-Jio certain! revenue for public works, and :; we shallj have to depend upon a moiety of thej amount received from all sources during! the financial year. If we cannot get the j three-eighths of the Customs^, we may; give up all hope of carrying "on useful j undertakings, and unless our representa- 1 lives in the General Assembly unite to <; obtain this, our prospects are dark indeed..' Southland would severely feel the'taking j out of circulation in the Province of ■ about £15,000 per annum. It "is more! than probable that Mr Stafpoed^ and ' his colleagues — in their offer of land "for ' railways — the yielding up of over | ■200,000 acres of land for that purpose ; before consolidation — considered it would in a measure compensate for the withdrawal, of the Customs revenue. The opportunity presented by the General Government of aiding the construction of important works, the carrying out of which ♦ would have caused the circulation of an amount of capital that .vould relieve the pressure likely to arise from the withdrawal of the customs revenue, has been jeopardised, if not lost, though the action of the obstructors of progress, and the foolish ambition, of pretenders to political position. " The only hope that, now remains is in the united and determined action of Southland's members of the Assembly. If they are true to the people they represent, the looming cloud of depression may be dissipated, and progress secured ; if" recreant to their trust the Province will become a gigantic sheepwalk. The Municipalities Bill is scarcely less important than that of Loan Consolidation. We have not sufficient information before ua to pronounce an opinion upon its character. If we take the utterance of the Hois'.W. C. RichMO3vD for our. guide, and he, it is to be presumed, speaks, with authority, it is a scheme that, in some of the smaller Provinces, will be received.: with favor; ' As he shadowed forth the. . character- of the measure, it., is, liberal in principle and would be equitable.in working: >ii Though his expressions have been sometimes ambiguous, yet-in reply to a question put to him at a meeting held in Queenatpwn, he stated with reference to the stamp dutyj that by the proposed Bill every district would receive a full share. ; of. the amount realised within its bounds.: Erom this it would appear that it is not the intention to swallow up theProvin--cial revenue for General Government purposes, but by substituting endowed municipalities for Provincial Govern-, ments, to lessen departmental expenses, while affording full scope for the exercise of local self-government. Erom what we can learn from other sources as to the" character of the Bill in question, it has been drawn up by the Attorney- General, with the assistance of Messrs Statpoigd : , Eichmoistd, and other legal gentlemen: The provisions of the Bill are said t6 J be : permissive, not obligatory. Any' of the smaller Provinces that by petition ex- ' presses a desire, by a majority of the^ electors, to abandon Provincialism and be placed under the control of the General Government, will be. permitted to do so.