PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 24, 17 June 1867, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

EXECUTIVE ACT. Mr Renall, in moving that this Council is of opinion that the present Executive Act does not meet the requirements of the Council, and that it should be repealed forthwith; and for the better Government of the province, the Executive Government should in itself more fully represent the outlying districts, said the House would remember that at a late sitting he went into this matter pretty fully. He thought a general feeling had been exhibited that the present form of Executive did not meet the requirements of the country districts. No doubt the hon Treasurer could gain some information by visiting the country districts; but he could not possibly obtain the same information as members who resided there. At present the Executive was really a town Executive. If they repealed the Executive Act, such alterations could be made that two of the members of the Executive might be gentlemen residing in the country, who could occasionally attend .Executive meetings in town. It might be said that the present Executive Act did not prevent members of the Executive residing in the country. It did not do so theoretically, but it did so practically. He therefore proposed to repeal the Executive Act, so that they might get an Executive having one of its members residing in the eastern, and the other in the western district of the country. He thought that by this

means many able men might be induced to take part in the practical business of the Government, who would not do so if called upon to make the sacrifice of residing in town. He did not think the present Executive would object to the alteration, as they must know the feeling of the country districts in the matter. So disappointed would the people of the district he represented be with the results of this session that he believed they would petition the General Assembly to be made into a municipality. Mr Renall argued at length on the necessity for the country districts being better represented in the Executive than they were at present. Had the Executive, since the Executive Act had been brought into operation, contained gentlemen who were practically acquainted with the state of the country, a great deal of money which had been wasted on useless works would have been saved. He hoped the Council would take the matter into consideration, and remedy these evils. It must not be supposed, from the wording of the first part of the resolution that he meant the Executive Act should be repealed “in toto; ” the repealing of one or two clauses might be sufficient to effect the object he aimed at.

The Provincial Solicitor felt obliged to the hon member for having brought forward the motion. But he had opened up a veiy wide question and that at a period of the session when the Council was doing its utmost to wind up the business. He would suggest that he should now withdraw his motion till next session in order to give the public an opportunity to discuss it. Hon members and the Government also needed time to consider it. If a resolution of this kind were passed it could have no practical effect until next session. If it were postponed, the whole country and the members of the Council could discuss it before next session, and it might then be brought forward at the very beginning of the session.

Mr Bunny would suggest to the hon. member that after some discussion had taken place, he should adopt the Provincial Solicitor’s suggestion. This was a question which volved the working together, and holding as one, of the province of AVellington. It was the same feeling of utter neglect which was now felt by the settlers in the out districts that led the people of Hawke’s Bay to seek separation. When they knew what the at least three of the members of the Government on this motion were, he thought the country people might faily expect that the question would receive full consideration and {lead them to bring down a measure next session to remedy the evil. They would not require to make a radical change in the Executive Government, but they would be simply adopting the improvement made by other provinces. Mr Dkansfield did not see any great objection to this alteration, but he thought the Executive should be allowed to consult with the Superintendent on the matter, and see if they could frame any measure to meet the views of the country members. Mr Wallace thought the hon member, Mr Eenall, had taken a practical view of things and that the proposed alteration was a very desirable one. As, however, it was a very late period of the session to bring forward such a motion, he would move as an amendment that the word “ forthwith ” be struck out and the words “ next session ” inserted. Without some measure of this kind were taken it was evident there w'ould be a split up of the province, and it would tend to cement a better feeling {between the different districts. It would moreover, save the hon. Treasurer much fighting over the Estimates. Mr Halcombe said recent events in the Council showed that so long as the Executive Act was read in the way it was at at present the action supposed to be taken under that Act required alteration. Mr Peaece agreed with the last speaker that it was unnecessary to repeal the Act to effect the object aimed at. He should suggest the advisability of the hon member withdrawing his motion, as there was nothing in the Executive Act to prevent his wishes being carried into effect.

Mr. Phaeazyn said, when he had suggested to the hon. member the other night that he should make his amendment to a substantive motion, he was Under the impression that the legal adviser of the Government must be a member of the Council, but after the explanation that had been given, he saw that the repeal of the Act was unnecessary. He agreed that it would be desirable to pospone the resolution till next session. The reason he had suggested to the hon. member the other night to bring forward his amendment as a substantive motion, was because a certain hon. gentleman (Mr. Brandon) who professed the same views as himself (Mr. Pharazyn) was absent from his place while the vote of want of confidence was being discussed, and he did not think that an hon. gentleman who acted in that way was fit to be placed at the head of the Executive. He had done so on a supposition that the legal adviser of the Government must necessarily be a member of the Council.

Mr. Hunter thought the motion should be withdrawn, but would certainly vote against the amendment, because it would pledge the Council to repeal the Act. One provision of the Act would, in some measure, strengthen the position of Mr. Renall —it was, that the Superintendent could only appoint a limited number of gentlemen as an Executive. He thought the last speaker had shown very bad taste in commenting upon the conduct of an hon. member when the latter was absent, and could not answer for himself.

Mr. Johnston said if the question came to a vote, he should vote against it, on the ground that it was too late a period of thesession to give the question that full consideration which it required. With regard to the latter part of the motion, he did not understand what the hon. member meant by “ outlying districts,” as the different parts of the province would soon be connected by the electric telegraph. It would be an inconvenient tljing to insist that the Executive should consist partly of country members.

Mr. Renall, in reply, said, that unless his constituents were better represented in the Executive, they would petition the Assembly to be made a muncipality, and he would not himself come down to the Council year after year when so little was accomplished. The country districts looked upon the Executive merely as a Town Board. They were so much engaged in the Patent Slip, Wharf and other matters, that there was no room in their brains for anything else. After, however, what had fallen from bon members, he would ask leave to withdraw his motion, which he would bring down next session.