✨ Provincial Council Prorogation Address
NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.
FOR THE
PROVINCE OF NEW PLYMOUTH.
Published by Authority.
VOL. II.] NEW PLYMOUTH, SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 1854. [No. 8.
Superintendent's Office;
New Plymouth, April 15th, 1854.
I HEREBY notify that the Provincial Council was prorogued on Saturday, the 8th instant, when I delivered the following address, which is published for general information.
CHARLES BROWN,
SUPERINTENDENT.
MR. SPEAKER AND GENTLEMEN,
When I addressed you at the opening of this Session, I did so with the hope that the General Assembly would soon be sitting—had that hope been realized our legislation would have been more extensive. Feeling the delicacy of our position with regard to that body—a feeling in which you have shewn your lively participation—our legislation has been addressed to meet the immediate necessities of the Province, with the guiding principle that we should not assume for ourselves anything which ought to be granted by the General Assembly.
A recent Ordinance of this Province, to authorise the raising of a loan for the purchase of native lands, has been disallowed by his Excellency on the ground that, "as the General Assembly have absolute power over the Revenues of the Colony, any charge made upon the Revenues of a Province by the Provincial Council, can offer no security." I regret that our legislation should have given cause for this remark, as my intention in recommending the Ordinance to you, and I think I may say yours in passing it, was, that the faith of the Province should be pledged, to make good by local means any deficiency in the General Revenue of the Province to meet the loan.
I have not submitted any permanent system of Audit to your consideration, as I consider it a subject best dealt with by the General Assembly, and that body will, I hope, pass a law which will place the Audit Department beyond the control of the Provincial Government, and secure it from the tendency to corruption and decay incident to Corporations and Governments, where public expenditure is unchecked.
The Despatch of the Secretary of State, which accompanied the Constitution Act, suggested that the Executive powers of the Superintendents should be delegated to him by the Governor, or defined by the General Assembly—concurring in that view, I have acted on the delegated authority conveyed by his Excellency in the transfer of Departments, and left the further definition of the Executive functions of my office to the General Assembly.
I have not recommended to your consideration
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Taranaki Provincial Gazette 1854, No 8
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🏘️ Prorogation of the Provincial Council and Superintendent's Address
🏘️ Provincial & Local Government15 April 1854
Provincial Council, Prorogation, Superintendent, New Plymouth, Legislation, Native lands loan, Audit system
- Charles Brown, Superintendent