OTAGO.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 280, 26 June 1860, Page 3

OTAGO.

(From the Colonist.) THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

The present aspect of political affairs in New Zealand is one calculated to excite the most seriousapprehensions. War is generally an obstruction to progress, and we fear the Taranaki contest is to be no exception. But that our Governor and his advisers are engaged in pacifying the natives of the northern island, onr Assembly would have met ere this, to attend to the important business which should be brought before it. It is suspected indeed that the Stafford ministry have no great desire to meet the representatives of the people from all the provinces. They have rather too much to answer for; the Assembly havo rather too many of their blunders to rectify, and too many questions to ask which are far" more easily asked than satisfactorily answered.

For instance, the Coleman contract requires special investigation.; and the New Provinces Act is a serious blunder which must be amended. That last ie such a piece of legislation as might even make our blundering administrators blush for its crudities and defects.

In fact the present ministry know, or may well know, that the country is pretty well tired of their services, and desires a change, which change Mr. Stafford and his friends may endeavour to aveM for a time by postponing the meeting of Assembly till it is necessary to issue writs for anew general election, or by only calling it a few days before the termination of its existence, and then trying simply to hurry through the Estimates, leaving all other, business to be taken up by a new Assembly. It is asserted however that the Assembly will meet in time to attend to general business, and that several most important measures will be brought forward by the Government; the great principle; of those measures being to overthrow provincialism, and to establish a centralising policy upoa its ruins. This, in the present state of our affairs, would be most injurious. The time will come, and possibly it is not far distant, when a central government will manage the affairs of the whole colony better than the provinces independently could do; or rather two central governments, one for the Northern and one for the Middle Island might do it, but that time is not yet arrived. It is quite evident that it would be most unjust that the waste lands of Canterbury and Otago should be employed for the benefit of the other provinces which have anticipated this revenue, as would be done if this centralising policy were adopted. -We are glad to believe that the Stafford administration, however anxious they may be, are at present unable to carry out such a plan; and we feel coMvinced that if they attempt it they will split upon that rock, and be turned out of office as a fit reward for their past, present, and prospective tins, both of omission and commission. There are some matters most essential to the interests of the colony which we trust the Assembly will take up at its next meeting, and which affect all the provinces alike.' One of the most important of these is the present Banking arrangements. Now the whole of the banking business of the colony is done by two banks which have their head office in London. The shareholders are mostly there also; and the immense profits which are derived from us, by the high rates of discount and premium' charged, go to fill the pockets of strangers. It is high time that this were altered. Why should we not have a New Zealand Bank, with all its branches and its shareholders in all the different towns and districts of this colony ? Why should not the depositors get interest on their deposits, and the shareholders of such a bank receive the dividends to expend in the colony, instead of letting them be speut in England? Surely the gold of.a New Zealand shareholder is just as good as that of a Lpndon one,- arid the paper money of a New Zealand Bank would just be as good, be as readily taken, and go as far as the notes of the Oriental Bank or of the Union Bank of Australia. \ .We need very much, also, some\improyement in the present system of the transfer of land. In this matter we are much behind many of the other British Colonies. It is absurd to have to call in the services of a lawyer whenever a piece of land changes hands. The present cumbrous, expensive and dilatory method of having a long deed drawn oat oa eveiy such occasion savours too much of

red'tapism to be satisfactory. It would be far more simple, and quite as complete a method of selling land, to keep a registry of land sales, where for the fee of ls. Pr 2s, any such sale could be notified, and a simple bill of "sale given to the purchaser.: We trust the Assembly will see lit to take up this subject, which is of great importance to a colony where the sale of land from one person to another is as common as the sale ofthe ordinary necessaries of life.

Another matter of importance which requires early attention is the readjustment ofthe electoral districts of the colony. This we have heard is likely to be introduced into tha Assembly at its next session. Otago has increased muclrfaster, in proportion to its population, than any other province, within the last few years, nnd therefore it will be entitled to a larger addition to its present number of representatives. The great difficulty with us will be to find the right men to send: even at present it is difficult to get three throughly qualified gentlemen who can leave their business for months at a time to go to Auckland or Wellington ; but should the number be increosed to six or seven our difficulty will be greatly augmented. It would only be fair that the Assembly should meet at the capital of the different provinces in turn. Dunedin is as much a central spot as Auckland. The Province of Otago is larger, and will shortly be much move important than the province of Auckland, but we would not on that account, be so selfish as to require that the Assembly should always meet here; we would be satisfied to take our turn with the other provinces ; but we protect that it is most unjust to us, and increases our difficulty in finding representatives, that it should meet at Auckland, Varied only very rarely by a meeting at Wellington.

Death op Jacky Whiter—Karetai, better known as Jacky White, one of the oldest Maori chiefs in Otago, died on the 30th ultimo of dysentry. He was interred iv a cemetery which lie had himself set apart, and in which three of his grandchildren have been buried within the last month.

A melancholy and awful case of sudden death occurred on Tuesday last, to a man named Dewar, residing in StafFurd-street. It appears that the deceasttd had on the previous day removed into his residence, and had held what is termed a " house warming,'' on which occasion hejdrank very freely. Feeling unfit for work on the following day, he laid himself on the bed in the afternoon, but on an attempt being made to arouse him at tea time, it waa discovered that he was a corpse.

Views op Dukedin.—We draw the attention of the public of Otago to some very excellent Photographic Views of the Town of Dunedin and the Harbor, taken by Mr. Meluish, who arrived here some few months since. He has also taken some views of remarkably pretty spots on the Water of Leith, and in the Bush around Dunedin, which are prepared for the stereoscope. . We do not know of any more agreeable present which persons in Otago could make to their friends at home than these views, the prices of which are moderate and it is not possible to convey by any description so accurate an idea of the country. Mr. Meluish will take views which any person may select, so that we may send home actual copies of the houses we live in. A view of the residence of Captain Cargill is excellent, and is a fair sample of what may be obtained. A panoramic view of Dunedin is in preparation^ and we think it would be well for the Government, or for a given number of spirited individuals to have some views of the choicest and most picturesque spots taken for the purpose of transmitting them to the home country and the emigration agents.— Witness.