The Puapeka Times. THURSDAY, MAY 26, 1870. "Measures, not Men."

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue III, 26 May 1870, Page 4

The Puapeka Times. THURSDAY, MAY 26, 1870. "Measures, not Men."

Up to the present time Mr. Bastings has not received any reply to the communication which he forwarded to the Honourable Mr. Fox, relative to the urgent necessitjr for the District Coiu't in Lawrence being empowered to deal with suits extending at least to the sum of £200. We are glad to observe the same subject strongly advocated by the " Oamaru Times," in an article which we have reprinted elsewhere, and which completely represents the position of the Tuapeka district. Several cases have recently been brought before Mr. Wilson Grey in which the plaintiffs were obliged to reduce their legitimate claims by a considerable amount to bring them within the jurisdiction of the Court. Lately we have had a great deal of litigation in Tuapeka, and from tHe nature of our principal Tuapeka goldfield, an increase in that unpleasantly necessary evil is almost inevitable. A circuit sitting of the Supreme Court in several centres of the province would meet the difficulty, and eventually be a great saving of money, not only to the various districts, but also to the Government. We believe the necessity for a more extended jurisdiction of both the Kesident Magistrate's Court a.nd the District Court also exists in the Dunstan, Queenstown, and Mount Ida districts. The " Wakatip Mail " has already spoken in a very audible voice on the advisability of extending the jurisdiction of the District Court ; and we should like to see some expressions of opinion upon the subject by the local press of the r>unstan and Mount Ida, with a view to united action. In the meantime, as the matter has been mooted and some action taken by Oamaru, Queenstown, and Tuapeka, we hope it will not be allowed to fag until some good practical result is attained.

The other week we had occasion to comment with more than usual severity on the conduct of one of our Goldfields members in the Provincial Council. This week we would say a word or two in his praise. Mr. Shepherd has done good service in bringing forward the resolution, "That the Council does not approve of loans beingobtained for any purpose whatever on the special security of the pastoral rents of the province." It will be remembered that last session of the Assembly, when some of our members were desirous of obtaining a loan for Otago, Mr. Yogel hinted that a loan might be raised on the security of the pastoral rents of the province. We are glad Mr. Shepherd has taken advantage of the opportunity of obtaining so decided a protest — 21 against B—from8 — from the Council of its disapproval of the adoption of any such course. The division list on the motion somewhat surprised us. We find voting for it the hon. member for Lawrence, and against it, the hon. member for Wakatipu. Had Mr. Hughes' name been amongst the noes, it would, have been no more than might have been expected, that gentleman being such an ardent admirer and blind follower of Mr. Yogel ; but to find Mr. Hay's name in that place more than astonishes us. Mr. Hay must have voted against Mr. Shepherd's timely motion under some misapprehension ; — at all events the vote is quite contrary to his oft-repeated ' political programme, and he owes his constituents an explanation of his conduct in the matter, which we fear it will be difficult for him to give. Now, what would be the result of a loan on the security of the pastoral rents ? It would simply be adding another ward to the lock which already debars the people from their just inheritance — the waste lands' of the province ; it would be entering into a covenant which would prove far more binding than the one which already exists. Once borrow upon the security of these rents, and generations yet unborn will live and die before the lands are thrown open for settlement. All the Waste Land Acts the Assembly might pass for the opening of the country would prove unavailing so long as an incubus of ..debt lay upon those lands. Surely

there are sufficient barriers to settlement already in existence, without adding any more, especially such an \ iniquitous one as that would be to which we have referred.

Mr. Fox in his speech in Dunedin made a very weak and unsuccessful attempt to caricature Mr. Stafford's county scheme. Because the grand- , father of the scheme — whoever lie may be — was sick of it, therefore it must be a failure, Mr. Fox instanced the working of the county system as shown by Westland as a proof of his assertion. But, we would ask, is it the fact of Westland being under the County Act that is the cause of the apparent failure of the system ? We think not. The cause is to be found altogether apart from the system of local selfgovernment -which that important district enjoys. When Westland was separated from Canterbury its annual revenue was £100,000, but that revenue has now dwindled down to about £60.000 ; and here it is we find the real cause of Westland's present difficulties. Never did statesman convict himself by his OAvn arguments more forcibly than Mr. Fox did in his Dunedin speech. He said that so long as a province was prosperous Provincialism was popular ; so we say with regard to Westland : so long as the county was prosperous people were satisfied. But here the argument tells against Mr. Fox still further ; for although Westland County is in difficulties, we do not find the inhabitants dissatisfied with their system of government. They consider the debt which was laid upon their shoulders at the time of their separation from Canterbury more than their portion ; and all they want is a loan of money by which some very important roads and public works may be executed. Their demand is reasonable, and it is not to be expected that, as a county, they can replenish the coffers of the General Government without some return for it. From the " West Coast Times " we learn that no less a saving than £10,000 has been effected in two years in four branches of the public service* ;• and this fact alone is sufficient to show that economy is exercised by the administrators of local affairs. It was unfortunate for the county system that the district in which the experiment was made should have shown symptoms of decline in its chief industry as soon as the system was inaugurated ; for, although that can never prove the failure of the system, it will undoubtedly hinder its extension to other districts perhaps more prepared for it, and which are every day becoming more and more anxious to manage their own affairs.