The Westport Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1869.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 485, 1 April 1869, Page 2

The Westport Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1869.

Is referring, in our last number, to the proposed Bill for the reduction of the number of members of the Kelson Provincial Council, we took it for granted that we were wrong in the assumption upon which we had invariably gone, viz.: that the total number of members was twenty-six j and we accepted, as correct, the statement of the Nelson Examiner that the number was twenty-nine. As the proposal of the Bill is to make the number nineteen, it would thus appear, from the Examiner's figures, as if a reduction to the extent of ten members is proposed to be made. Looking to past Ordinances bearing on the subject we find, however, that the number, when the subject seems to have been last legislated upon, was fixed at Iwenty-six; and in the absence of any other more correct information, we must continue to assume that it is upon that number that a reduction is to be made. The " considerations of economy " are, therefore, of less moment than even at first sight might appear, and—although we by no means find fault with it—it is no less apparent_than before, that the proposed Bill is a sop to the Separationists. -There is " precious little " economy in the proposal—at the very outside, a saving of not more than £6O or £7O ; but there is policy, and we hopeg it is policy with its best feature—honesty of purpose.