POLITICAL.

West Coast Times, Issue 332, 16 October 1866, Page 5

POLITICAL.

The Provincial Council is summoned b» the proclamation of his Honor the Superintendent to meet for despatch of business at Christchurch, on Friday next, the 19th instant. "" Owing to the protracted session of the General Assembly; of the colony, at Wellington, requiring the attendance there of many of the members of the Council who also hold seats in the Assembly, this long-looked-forwai'd-to - event has- been deferred from tiiao to time, and the consequences have been most unsatisfactory to this district. Mr Moorhouse, th^ Superintendent,of the Province, is the representative of Westland in the colonial parliament ; and his long detention in the discharge of his parliamentary duties has operated to the serious disadvantage of this part of the province, so! far as its internal administration is concerned. Many much needed" reforms have been postponed; many questions of vital importance to the .district have be'en held over for consi- [ deration at a more convenient opportunity. The new Provincial Council has now been elected -for a period of more than three months, without any opportunity of assembling. To (he older districts of the province, where interests have become consolidated, and society has settled down into a concrete nia«s-; where the machinery of government is of old standing-, and may now to a great extent be left to do its work without interference, this is a matter of Compaq \-atively slight importance. But there is a very marked difference between such conditions of society, and those of a young community that is' "in the grizzle, not in' the bone ;" and especially a goldfields community suddenly developed, with a thousand wants to be suddenly met, each of them requiring to be dealt with by measures specially adapted to them. The system of government in the first instance impro- , vised for the West Canterbury goldfields, is now but ill adapted , for a statl' of society that has altogether outgrown it. The rapid development of great social and commercial interests, Ims long called, i'jv the institution of a settled form of- government, with local forces inherent in it of adapting itself to the novel conditions of the district. 'It is to some such change as this that the people have long been looking, as the fruit of the election of Mr Moorhouse — their own representative— as Superintendent, and of the return of a new Provincial Council. That the long delayhas occasioned dissatisfaction as well as inconvenience, is not to ' be doubted, but this feeling is, to a' great extent, subsiding, now that t the immediate .meeting of the Provincial Council, for despatch of business, is a fact officially announced. . ~ I

In the new Council, 'the interests of the district will be represented by five members, viz. : two for the town of Hokitika, one for the town of Greymouth, and wo for the Goldfields, or Westland

•'• district" — a term used to designate the whole of the West Canterbury territory outbide the 'boundaries ot the two towns we i:a>j named. If the whole five members take their seats, they will constitute a small band to del end such lcirg- interests against the undoubtedly unfriendly feeling towards the district, that prevails to a large extent die Hastland members. Much depends upon the judgment and discretion of the representatives from this side, to disarm the hostile feeling of the majority of the Council, by the adoption of. a moderate tone so far as it can be employed, without any sacrifice of firmness. The actual wrongs sustained by the district would justify a very determined attitude. xßutx But we have "a right 'to expect that a. new regime is about to be established. A fresh Superintendent is in office; a new Executive has been formed; and a new Council has*'becn elected. .Although, indeed, consisting very largely of the men who sat in the old Council, fresh elements have been introduced, and — what is perhaps of equal importance — fhe direction of the policy of the House has passed into new hands. The Westland members may weU hold themselves prepared for the necessity of opposition ; but it would be unjust to, the, Government, and impolitic, as far as the interests of the district arc concerned, to adopt any other course than to give his Honor's advisers a general support, until positive and material "causes of opposition develope themselves.

Ouo difficulty that threatened a p6ssible disfranchisement of Westland in the Council, notwithstanding tha i lection of five members to represent it, has been removed by the "action of the | Gencr.il Assembly, at the instance oi IMr Moorhouse. The Act creating J what is known as the " miners' {ranchise," whilst conferring the right oi voting upon all holders of Miners' Rights and of Bjfomess Licenses, omitted to e.viend to them the rHit of being elected and sitting as representatives ; so that the constituencies on the West Coast found- themselves, by an oversight, precluded from the privilege now enjoyed generally throughout the colonies, of choosing men from amonoyC Iheir own number to be their delegates and obligdd to fall back upon the old Electoral Roll for candidates— a necessity which amounted, in a newly settled community, to what we have described as virtual disfranchisement. In the case of the first election the question of qualification was waived by Iho Returning Officer, and the election took place ; the tw,o members returned Mr Pmsser and Mr Barff- being allowed to hold their seats, and take the -ordinary part of mqmbevs in the legislation of the session. Legally, the question of qualification (Gould only be raised by writ of quo warranlo in the Supreme Court. But although this course was advisedly never resorted to, there still remained a doubt as to the validity of the legislation of a Council of which two gentlemen were whos£ title was open to objection. The five members returned at the last election were most, if not all' of them,' subject to the same technical disqualification, owing to a blundering defect in the law. Mr Moorhouse has, therefore, brought in a measure which has passed the Assembly, iv the first place enacting that the Miners' Franchise shall confer the right of being elected, as well as of voting — and, in the second place, declaring ' all past elections in Westland to be valid elections. ' 'Of the fate of another bill, introduced b) his Honor, we are not equally well advised. Whilst having five members in the Provincial Council, Westland is allowed only 'one representative in the' General Assembly or Pailiament of the colo.iy. This anomaly will be to some extent appreciated when we say that .the House of Representatives consists of fiftyfive members ; that the population of the colony at the end of the

j r eav, when the West Coast was comparatively unpeopled was 172,158 ; that

the present population of Westland is estimated at not less -than 40,000, of which the ,great proportion are" adult males; that the representation of the colony is distributed amongst constituencies some of which are so small as to contain not more than 51, 101, arid 245 males only— each having its member in the House of Representatives ; whilst to the 40,000 people in this district one member only i~; allotted — and that grudgingly ! Mr Moorhouse — venturing as far as his experience of the temper of the House appeared to promise him any chance of success — introduced a Bill to confer two additional members, 'viz., one to the town of Hokitika,' the capital of Westland, and the other to the two towns of Grey-mouth and Cobden, situ* uted on the Canterbury and' Nelson banks of that river respectively. Meetinggreat opposition even at the primary stage — the motion for the first reading of the Bill— his Honor telegraphed to the Commissioner here, requesting aorrle demonstration of public feeling on the subject in the shape of a petition to the General Asscmblj'. A public meeting was accordingly held, and two petitions — one from Hokitika and the other from Grcymomh, were iv the course of two or three clays signed by more thau 3000 persons, and transmitted for presentation. They were duly received aud presented, and, in a House thinned by the departure of upwards of half the members to their homes, the second reading of the' Bill x was carried. There our information on the subject ends. There- is tile possibility that in thp anxiety to dispose of business - without unnecessary delay the rump of the Assembly may have allowed the Bill to x pass through its remaining stages. .We are not in a ppsitipn, however, to speak with any jertainty of the fact. Telegraphic^ con\munication is suspended through an accident to the , wire. *oceasioned'by the gales that have prevailed , during the last few days, and the heavy surf of tho bar has, also, for days prevented communication with the steamers in the roadstead, which later news from

the Noi\th is brought. If it be that so small an instalment of justice as was asked for us by our representative has been witheld by the Assembly, it may be expected that strenuous and'cletor milled efforts will be made to obtain from P*ar-

hament, during the next session, a , much more substantial reform than that embodied iv Air Moorhouse's modest bill. It is proper to' add an explanation of the seemingly inexplicable opposition given to this bill, th^t the -Northern a}id Southern parties in the' House are very evenly balanced, and that any additional members given to Westland would certainly go to strengthen the position of 'the Southern members. The Ministry, which is almost exclusively Northern and the whole body -of JNorthern members to a man united to oppose the bill. They concealed their real motives, however, under a; plausible, but most superficial argument, urging that the, goldfields' population were necessarily migratory, and that it was inadvisable to alter the balance of the representative system, to meet the claims of a district possessed of few of the elements of perraauqney that characterise the

other districts of the colony. The answer to this argument is very patent. The * West Coast has never asked for a representation proportionate to its population— of whom it is undoubtedly a fact that very many are miners who pass to and- fro between these and the Australian 'goldfields 1 . But there are permanent interests established, in the vast commerce developed here ; in

the immense sums of money that have been invested in various forms of enteiprise, that can onlyjook for returns to future and in many instances tq distant results ; and in the large amount of freehold property acquired ; to entitle Westland to a very muchlarger -share' in the representation than Mr Moorhouse's bill demanded, even on the principles on which' the electoral system for the rest of the colony is based

The Assembly has boen prorogued, lcaviug Mr Stafford and his colleagues in office. The former Ministry, under the same Premier, havingbcen defeated on their financial policy — one of the main features of which was, to lessen the proportion" of the general , revenue" hitherto recouped to the provinces for the purpose of local government — the sfatement of the new Treasurer, Mi* Fitzherbert, was looked forward to with considerable interest. When made, it was fouud not & differ very materially from that of the previous Treasurer, Mr Jollie, although it was devoid of its more features. The three-eighths of the customs revenues hitherto enjoyed by the provinces for, appropriation to local purposes, are iutended for the present to be continued to them. These amouirt to a sum o L 5 18,750, out of' a gross customs rcvehue of .L 850,000. No promise, however, id held out of. this proportion' o t f revenue being permanently secured. The Treasurer describes the Surplus Revenue Act as "a fertile source of injury to the colony," and holds out a werning that, although no .change in the> existing arrangements will be matle this year, some steps will be taken to put an end to " the partnership system." For the present year, however, the provinces are safe. The more general features of the financial scheme, are a change in the Customs- system, so as to spread the iacidence of. taxation over a larger area without increasing its actual burden ; the introduction of a new system of Stamp Duties; and an increase in the, present Postal taxation. Tho la.st is estimated to yield some L7OOO beyond the present revenue derived from this source. -New stamp duties arc expected to yield Li 50,000 ; a duty on bonded warehouses, L 450 0; mid duties on distillation, LI.OOU. Under all tlie circumstances these proposals are, perhaps, as satisfactory as could be expected. Mr Fitzherbert said he could not vary the facts set forth in Mr Jollies statement— could not materially alter that gentleman's estimate of the liabilities and necessities of the colony. He Holds out the prospect, however, of a more sound and permanent financial settlement, when the Government shall have had a longer opportunity allowed it, and promises that its future efforts shall be in -the direction of a reduction of those taxes which press on'the necessaries of life. The ne'eessity for a" larger measure of increased taxation is to be met by the" issue of Treasury bills, with a currency so as to extend their paymentjover three years. These bills are to be* issued to the extent of LI 50,000, and will suffice to cover the balance of L 136.500 requiring to be met on account of the three million loan. The amended tariff will be found in our other columns. The imposition of a postal Hax on newspapers is universally regarded throughout the Southei'n jh'ortnfcs, as a most oppressive, uneaßed for, and unwise measure. It niuy t to some slight extent, increase the postal revenue, but certainlmiot.in the degree anticipated ( by the ('oloniai Treasurpr, who appears to ha-Po made the present numueY of newspapers passing I' trough the post tho basis of his calculations. If he were justified in doing so, we confess that oui' objections to the impost would be somewliafr inodifled t but it i» impossible to shut one's eyes to the fact, tliat the wholn tendency of the measure is to restrict the circulation of newspapers, and occasion a very much smaller number than hitherto to be posted. The charges to be enforced after the. commencement of 'the new year are, one penny on new'spapeYß posted in one province for delivery in any other pf'oI vince ; one penny on all other newspapers posted within the colony " together ,with an approximate charge equal to the actual anioitnt ]iaid by the Government to any other Government oi : id any 'company for their transmission, which additional charge shall be fixed by Ouler in Council published in the ' New Zealand Gazette ;' " and threepence for every newspaper .posted within the colony for iransuiission via Marseilles or Panama. So long -;s a penny stamp was only required to be affixed \ to newspapers posted via Panama, no serious objection was raised ; but it. is felt that in a very large nnmber of instances the threepenny stamp 1 will operate as a prohibitive tax. Updu immigrant deeh'ous of sending the colonial papers to an ci- - tensive circle of friends at home, it is an unjust imposition. As tending very greatly to check the dissemination of information as to the actual life and resources of New Zealand amongst those who are or may become* the emigrant class, it cannot but act most injuriously upon the interests of the colony, to whose rapid advancement a large and cor.tinuous influx of population is of the most vital importance. It is to be hoped that the impolicy of the tax may soon be discovered, and that its repeal will follow. We have said nothing of the probability that the tax will be, largely evaded by the transmission of newspapers through other channels than the Post.

In passing these measures for the increased taxation of the people, the colonial Legislature has acted purely in the interest of the Northern Island. £f any necessityifor additional taxation exists (which many of our leading men deny), it is occasioned by the enormous and unnalimil chai'ges" beg-otten out of the Native War, with which unhappy episode of our -colonial history the Middle Island provinces have nothing whate-\ cr to' do, but upon whose great commercial interests and vast indastrial resources the new burdens will most heavily fall." The South Us the*chief

c6ntributor to the Customs revenue, and the commercial operations of the South will render it by far the largest contributor to ' the new revenue to be derived from stamps. The whole history of the session points more and more clearly to the expediency of a financial, if not a poetical separation, between the -two islands. The question of " Separatiori ." has been befc r j the General Assembly in various forms, but in each case the prevailing feeling of the House was adverse to the idea. ! Some of the southern members are opposed to Separation -on sentimental grounds', and probably tho views of these may be to some extent met by tlite maintenance of the pblitical unity of "Now Zealand under such a readjustment of the Constitution as would allow the finances of the two islands to be kept distinctly apart. ' At this point our notes of the proeerdings "of the General Assembly may close. The session has been a protracted and busy one, and in many respects its legislation is likely to be attended with important results: "But of course the great bulk of the' measures passed are of interest chiefly witliin the colony. ,On the whole, we may speak of the fruits of the session as disappointing the reasonable expectations of those who looked for many practical reforms which the Assembly has not leisure, or, perhaps, inclination, to entertain.

There is a probability of the nex session of the General Assembly being held in Christchurch. A resolution to that effect was carried by a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, although the upper or nominated House carried a motion in a contrary sense. In his address on proroguing Parliament, of which wo have nothing but a brief telegraphic summary, His Excellency Sir George Grey slid : — ■" I hope on an early ,daiy, in accordance with a wish long entertained by me, to have an opportunity of visiting the southern portion of the ('olouy, and of becoming personally acquainted with its many thriving and prosperous settlements." ,