THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL AND ITS PROCEEDINGS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue III, 26 May 1870, Page 5

THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL AND ITS PROCEEDINGS.

(To the Editor of the Tvapehc Times.)

Sir, — I have been so much struck bythe rocent proceedings of our Provincial' Legislative body that I am constrained to. draw public attention to some of the (in my opinion) heretofore unheard-of vagaries which have been practised by the Council. It appears to me, sir, that, with few. exceptions, we have managed to collect together, not the wisdom of the province, but all the utter ignorance, arrogance, conceit, and, what is worse, vulgarity of Otago. Some six-and-thirty- • men (I wish I qoxild say gentlemen) mcci; night after night for the. ostensible purpose of legislating for the good of their constituents, and instead of putting their wits to work to accomplish that object, they play at parliament and talk nonsense, — and fearfully bad English, too, — by the hour. Then they abf.se each other, quarrel, bring themselves, and also, be it remembered, those who sent them, into contempt, and finally, they signally fail to transact the business of the province in anything like a satisfactory manner. During the session now happily nearly at a close, I think I am right in stating that absolutely no business of any real importance has been transacted — no business that the province could not have done well enough without 1 and further, T am satisfied that a very large majority of the thinking public will agree with me th.it three or four earnest, sober-minded, business-like men could and would have done all and a great deal more than the Provincial Council has done — and done it far better too in a tenth of the time, and at a tenth of the cost. I see that from the salaries of certaiu hard-worked clerks, " in the true spirit of the very smallest tryanny," the Council has deducted a sum of LSO for the next year ; and, with singular inconsistency, the Council has voted for itself the sum of LI3OO out of the public funds for its precious labours ! I should like indeed for some prophet to, arise who could inform us how long this state of things is to last. The province is financially in a wretched condition, and, yet its income is being scattered by a parcel of ignorant men whose work is absolutely valueless. An entire change in the Constitution is the only remedy which I can see for this crying evil. The sweeping away of Provincial Councils and all the absurd machinery for wasting money with which they are surrounded, and the vesting oE the governing power in the hands of a respectable General Assembly for each Island. It is a wonder, to, me that public interest on this oueciios, is not aroused. People grumble, about-, bad roads, the waut of bridges, and so, on, while they submit to the money, which would pay £or these \sorka beingfrittered away for tho self-amusement of a parcel of ignorant baboons. In thu&, writing let me not be misunderstood. I do not in these remarks include all the members of the Provincial Council. There are a few good, educated, gentlemanly men connected with it, but their number is so small as to be of little avail ; it woul I, in fact, be better by far if they were not there, for their absence would assist iv bringing down the rotten fabric. - I am, &c, AiriTA,, Blue Spur, May 22, 1870.