The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi.` WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1917, 24 February 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi.` WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1875.

The Auckland Star attaches a special significance to the fact that the Governor has delegated his powers under the Goldfields Act, 1866, to tie Hon. Dr Pollen, and insinuates that this has been done out of personal animosity to Mr O'Rorkc, who now occupies the position of Superintendent by virtue of his office as Speaker of the. Provincial Council. The ease of Otago is instanced to show that the,delegation of powers under the Goldfields Acts to any but the Superintendent was resented as am insult by the people. There is no similarity in the circumstances of the two Provinces. In O tagb, when the Government delegated the Governor's powers to a member of the House of Representatives who was personally unpopular except in the district for which he was returned,Mr Macandrew; had just been elected Superintendent of the Province by a very large majority, and the act of withholding the usual powers from him and granting them to another was resented as a personal insult to the Superintendent and a censure on the people for exercising the franchise as they chose., The late Superintendent of Auckland held.all the powers usually delegated to Superintendendents at the time of his death, and no one supposes for a minmtc that any part of such delegation would have been revoked had the Superintendent lived. Nevertheless the Government found themselves in a delicate position. They have secured certain rights at Ohinemuri, after infinite trouble; they have a ticklish- lot of aboriginals to deal with, and it is not surprising that they*Hraticipating trouble' at thef prbß*

pect of the affairs of the goldfield being administered from Auckland — delegated the Governor's power* to a Minister of the Crown, who will be able to derode more of his time to»the business than the Superintendent of the Province could. It must also be borne in mind that when the Governor's powers were withheld from the Superintendent of Otago, the Government had not any fear of ,that::bugbear,;;the native - difficulty; • Complications might arise at any time at Ohinemuri, to unravel which the Superintendent would be perhaps powerlessi As it is, we Relieve Mr James Mackay will remain on the spot to act as the delegate's delegate. He occupied a similar position" at the opening of this field, and did the real work for which the holder of the delegated powers got the credit. It does not appear-to us that in granting; the Governor's* powers Vto < Dr Pollen any slight to Mr r O'Eorke has been intended. If it should be found that everything goes on -, smoothly at ; Ohine-' muri, and the powers granted to Superintendents are withheld when a Superintendent has; been elected by the people, it will then be time enough to set up a cry that such a course has been adopted from motives of personal animosity against the man, or from a desire to heap contumely upon the Province of Auckland. There is another phase of the question which our - Auckland contemporary might in his wisdom and his amazing sense of right consider—that is J; the wishes of the people most affected by ; the administration -,qf ihg gqldfields; r If the opinion of the goldfields residents were obtained we ardpretty confident that It would be in favor of the General Governmeiit-' assuming } contr'6i r of the Thames as well as Ohinemuri j, and such a course would relieve the Province of what is frequently represented as an 1 incubus, draining the people of their resources and absorbing more than a fair share of jtJh'e Provincijal revenue. The Thames people would be agreeable to risk! the change.