The Westport Times. TUESDAY MARCH 7 1874

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1159, 17 March 1874, Page 2

The Westport Times. TUESDAY MARCH 7 1874

Westland Provincial Councillors arc not free from the frailties of their kind in older provinces. They are much given to talk. They delight in holding a caucus. They bring forward motious that are at the best inconsequent, and may be often classed as foolish and unnecessary. The order paper is incommoded with notices " full of sound and fury signifying nothing," and, familiarly illustrated, they do with their duties as boarding school proprietors do with butter, spread it thinly. Late news from Hokitika told of a new idea in the ethics of provincial councildom. The Speaker was to be permitted to take part in debates. The latest news is that the Chairman of Committees has resigned abruptly, just as important committee ItuMinuux ■'•..iiio ou. for consideration, and no other member has yet consented to accept office. The local press, as represented by the llegister, says : The singular disinclination of bon. members to accept this position is easily explained. Mr Guinness' amendment in favor of an Executive was lost in Committee by one vote, Mr Lahman may be in favor of an Executive, but, being Chairman of Committees, could not vote. Mr Guinness attempted to get a nonexecutive member appointed Chairman, so that be might have a chance of eventually getting his hereditary amendment in favor of an executive re-considered and carried. But the non-executive members are proof against his blandishments, and the matter still remains in statu quo. The only lure we know of to catch on<s of these shy birds is to place on the estimates the sum of £IOO for a Chairman of Committees, when we shall hear no more of duties to constituencies." Just so, " nothing for nothing " is evidently the order of the day in the Westiand Provincial Council, and the idea is more particularly borne out by remarks made in the Greymouth Star on a debate occurring on the Provincial Administration Bill. The Star says: —"Judging from the fact that Mr. A. K. G-uinness has tabled a motion for bringing forward an Executive Ordinance too, and as a caucus meeting of Provincial Council members last week resolved that there should be a Westland Executive, there can be little doubt in a short time we shall be blessed with a Provincial Secretary and Treasurer. If Westland can find the money, well and good to have two extra administrators; but what necessity, unJer the most favorable circumstances, there can be for a Provincial Solicitor, as proposed, would puzzle a Philadelphia lawyer, said to be the cutest of his kind, to discover. The Ordinance proposed by Mr G-uinness is a new friend with an old face. It is identical in all respects with the measure that Mr Prank Guinness lately so unsuccessfully introduced into the Provincial Council of Nelson. It is now doing duty in a new sphere, but we hardly think that it will find much greater favor than in its old location. Bills of the kind cannot be fairly considered hereditary heir-looms, and if used as such cannot expect to be welcomed for their freshness any more than their utility. It is well, however, to let those chiefly interested know that a piece of old furniture is being furbished up for new, and that the Executive Ordinance proposed in the Westland Provincial Council by Mr Guinness, Juu., is the same that was rejected only a few weeks ago by its Nelson congener." The issue of such matters will be simply this;— The members of the

Wcstland Provincial Council cannot spare limo from tbeicordinary business avocations to render gratuitous services anil the revenues of tlio now province—present and prospective—will hardly allow of payment for such services. Unless the province can borrow abundance of money to meet all demands in excess of revonuo, its last condition will be worse than the first. Provincial rule will bo no improvement upon county administration. In fact it has already become wor.se and by reason of other failings which even payment to members will not diminish) judging by the comments of the West Coast Times. Our contemporary says:— "We have no hesitation in spying that the limit was passed on Wednesday evening, when the proceedings assumed such a farcical form as to throw positive discredit upon the whole body. Every reasonable allowance has been made on the score of iuexperieuce, and it was very naturally presumed that members would get better accustomed to the ordinary business every diy, and that after a short time things would be carried on with tolerable smoothness, but that hope is now utterly abandoned by those who nightly listen to the miserable squabbles and personalities which aro indulged in by certain members."