PROVINCIAL COUNCIL NOTES

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 147, 1 December 1870, Page 5

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL NOTES

Dunedin, Nov. 28th,

The Council was occupied during the whole of last week, to the exclusion of almost every other subject, with the debate upon Mr. Reid's resolution with regard to the General Government scheme for public works and immigration. Eventually, at a very late hour on Thursday, or rather early on Friday morning, Mr. C 'alder's amendment was, with the consent of the Government, adopted in Committee, and affirmed by the House upon a division. Mr. Turnbull moved a long amendment, not very intelligible in itself and as might have been expected from the author, not supported by any striking eloquence or powerful argument. Several members did not vote, considering probably that the whole discussion had been irrelevant and useless, and the decisions arrived at not likely to have any practical result. Mr. Macandrew was very angry at the action of the Council, and lost no time in fulminating one of his very characteristic messages, which is no doubt before your readers by this time, and which "out-Herods Herod" in the way of arbitrary dictation and frothy declamation. The Superintendent expresses his " deep disappointment at the action of the Provincial Council" — action which, he is pleased to say will "prove highly detre mental to the interests of the Province;" which, being; interpreted, means that the rejection of Mr. Vogel's scheme by Otago, will not suit the litble game in progress of being' played out by the rump of the ultra-pro-vincial party. For a specimen of "high faluting," the eighth paragraph of this remarkable message especially commends itself. It is too good to be lost by any one who may have neglected to read the entire document. His Honour in a rhapsody of patriotic feeling thus delivers himself :—": — " If Provincial Government is to stand in the way of peopling the Province, developing its mineral resources, and intersecting it with railways, then perish Provincial Government !! ! " Does Mr. Macandrew ever consider that the policy of his squatter friends, as developed and carried out by himself, has succeeded in leaving the greater area of the Province a pastoral wilderness, and in effectually preventing its being "peopled," except in the proportion of one human being to three thousand sheep. When his Honour talks of developing our mineral resources, does he consider how grudgingly a portion of the special revenue contributed by the miners has been dealt out for their special needs ; no encouragement given to enterprise ; no assistance worth recounting in overcoming natural obstacles, beyond the means of the local popiilation ; while thousands of pounds annually, have been pitched into Dunedin harbour in insane attempts to cut channels in liquid mud, and in maintaining at a cost of £300 a month as comfortable provision for men of the right stamp '(at election times) a steam dredge, now happily sunk, and it is to be hoped never to be revived as medium of wasteful expenditure. Whatever the country.

districts may think of Mr. Yogel and his schemed of finauance ; of Mr ( Roid afid his stubborn »• an<l not always intelligible action, tu»re can Ijj no doub'u that the bnn measure^- Will be

taken ofj^the profossi m, promtSe'3, and practice of Mr. James Macandrew;. A vory remark ible fact w«s noticeable during the debate referred to, what as yet does not seam in any way to be accounted for, i.e., the ardent determination of what we may call the Opposition party, to prolong the discussion and postpone the decision of the Council as long as possible. No sootier was there a pause, and a chance of the question being put, than up rose M'lndoe of Caversham, Millar, F.S. A., or the great orator of Blueskin, and proceeded to talk, talk, talk, until the Council was wearied into an adjournment. The object of these tactics is still, as has been said, a mystery. To outsiders silting it oui-. in the stranger's gallery, it was a terrible infliction, and induced one to form l>y no means charitable wishes with regard to the "honourable" bores in question. No doubt they had their cue, and played up well to their astute leader behind the scenes.

'Hie Order Paper affords a cheap method of advertising election addresses, which i 3 unscrupulously resorted to by some of our wouid be "popular" members, more especially those two eminent brothera-in-arms, Millar, F.S.A , and Shepherd, M.P.C., as he delight* to style himself. The latter has tilled the paper for some days with a series of resolutions on the land question, wuich nobodj r seems inclined to seriously consider, bufe which camo on in due course almost daily, and are as often postponed for another clay. It seems a pity that Mr. Keid, who sli-uild lead the ilouse, his allowed these and other desultory discussions on mere abstract propositions, whilst there i^ much necessary work to ba done, essential from the annexation of Southland. The land question, no doubt, is of great, nay, of the very utmost importance ; but, considering that the new Provincial Council will meet lief ore the General Assembly, it will clearly devolve upon that boJv to make such recommendations to the Parliinr nt of the colony as may be in aouot'duuuw with the expressed views of the co ihtituoncies, with whom, no doubt, the seiMement of the people, and the encouragement of immigration will be one of the questions of the forthcoming election. Rumour has it that a ministerial (!) crisis is imminent, and that the action to be proposed by Mr. Reid, in consequence of the Superintendent's late message, will hardly command a majority in the Council. No doubt the Macandrew faction will do their best to secure office if only for a few months — especially as the control of the departments, during a general election, is considered a point in hand. Probably in some hands it means much ; and for the benefit of the province, it is to be hoped there will be no change in the Executive.

The Tuapeka petition has been referred to a committee, not, it is to be hoped, with the view of shelving it, as is too frequently the object of consigning matters to "select" treatment. It would, however, seem that the Government might have accepted the responsibility of dealing with the petition themselves. One or two cantankerous members in a committee may easily shelve the matter referred, or entangle it so hopelessly as to render an intelligent report impossible. Mr. Brown and Mr. Ilaughton, however, are in this case members of the committee, and the interests of the up-country, so deeply involved, may be considered safe in their hands.

November 29.

The Tuapeka Petition was presented on Monday afternoon by Mr. Reid, the Provincial Secretary, who spoke most warmly on the matter, and expressed the intention of the Government to do everything in their power to give practical effect to the wishes of the petitioners. Notorious for his brazen advocacy of the " squatter's rights," and for his humble servitude to Alack., the great Mr. M'lndoe, of Caversham, his always been, and he very fitly put the finishing stone upon his parliamentary career by raising an unseasonable and happily futile opposition to Mr. Heid's resolution for referring the petition to a committee. Not being able to assail the facts stated, or impugn the arguments adduced, Mr. M'lndoe unblushingly asserted that the petition itself was a forgery, or something like it ; that the signatures were not genuine, and that in fact it was cooked up in Dunedin by the Government and their friends — presented simply for party purposes. It is difficult to make black pai:it show upon a Nigger, and we may safely leave the elect of Caversham to the admiration of his constituents. Mr. Driver followed much in the same strain. He is pretty well-known at Tuapeka, so no one will be astonished at his taking a course inimical to the interest of the settlers. He rather on this occasion seemed to excel himself in audacious statement and reckless imputation of unwholesome motives to thoso who happened to differ with him. The committee, however, is granted. Mr. Haughton is chairman, and already steps have been taken to collect evidence and summons witnesses.

Mr. Shepherd's Land Resolutions havo at length been happily disposed of. The urst, as presented in the Urder Paper, was anally adopted upon a division. The proposer, uddly enough, vmi.ij j.i.viiis* it. The second and third were rujt-ou-.1. We iw«ty hope, therefore, that; the '■ gentle one" is satisfied fur the session, having caused a great waste of valuable time, and succeeded in making himself rather more obnoxious than usual. The estimates — chiefly referring, of course to SoutliLuid — are promised for to-morrow ; so unless the Government get into lint water over their proposed reply to the S.ipariiitendent's Message IS'o. 3, the session shall not extend over another week. To-m >rrow is St. Andrew's Day, and the Uid Identity are very aaxious for a holiday. There have been two or three small debates upon the subject, in one of which, Mr. Mosley, by no means a humourous individual, distinguished himself by a veritable bon mob. "Sir," said the Member for Matau, addressing the Speaker, ''I do not see the u?e of no holidays, and I a 1 .* quite sure if St. Andrew knew anything a't.mfc it, hi* would think we should do much better in .-attending to our business."