NEW PLYMOUTH

NEW ZEALAND

GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

Published by Authority.

Vol. V.] NEW PLYMOUTH, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1857. [No. 6.

Provincial Secretary\'s Office,
20th February, 1857.

THE following Despatch from the Colonial Secretary is published for general information.

I. N. WATT.

Colonial Secretary\'s Office,
Auckland, February 9th, 1856.

Sir,—With reference to writs for the election of Members of the Provincial Council of New Plymouth which have been returned by the Returning Officer of that Province, I have the honor to direct your attention to the circumstance that the 30th Section of the Constitution Act provides that no Bill passed by the Provincial Council of any Province, and reserved for the Governor\'s assent, shall have any force until the Superintendent shall sig nify to the Provincial Council or by Proclamation in the Government Gazette, that such Bill has been laid before, and assented to, by the Governor.

The Ordinance to establish an Executive Government of the Province of New Plymouth and to enlarge the Provincial Council being a bill so reserved and assented to, it is necessary that it should be notified in the manner prescribed and having hitherto been unable to discover that your Honor\'s predecessor had in this respect complied with the provisions of the Constitution Act I cannot without further information, authorised the persons returned in the respective Writs to be Gazetted as duly elected, as in the event of the Governor\'s Assent not having been notified in one or other of the prescribed forms the recent election of members for the Provincial Council cannot be considered as valid, the number of members returned for each Electoral District being in excess of that specified in Sir George Grey\'s proclamation under the Constitution Act and only authorised under the provisions of an Ordinance which does not become law until proclaimed by the Superintendent.

Should therefore the assent of the Governor to that Ordinance not have been notified previous to the late election of members for the Provincial Council I have to request that your honor will cause it to be proclaimed in the Government Gazette and transmit to me a copy of such proclamation in order that new writs may be issued for the election of members for the Provincial Council in accordance with the provisions of the above mentioned Ordinance.

I have the honor to be, Sir,
Your Honor\'s most obedient servant,
E. W. STAFFORD.

His Honor the Superintendent,
New Plymouth.

P.S.—Your Honor will also perceive the necessity under the above mentioned clause of the Constitution Act, of delivering a duplicate of the Ordinance and of the notification of the Governor\'s assent thereto, duly attested, to the Registrar of the Supreme Court or other proper officer, to be kept among the records of the Province.

E. W. S.

NEW ZEALAND STEAM POSTAL SERVICE.

Saperintendent\'s Office,
New Plymouth, Feb, 19, 1857.

THE subject of Steam Postal Communication between Australia and the various Provinces of New Zealand having been referred by His Excellency\'s Government to the Provinces for the purpose of obtaining an expression of opinion on the most preferable line to be adopted, I, George Cutfield, Esquire, Superintendent of the Province of New Plymouth, hereby appoint a Public Meeting to be held at the Masonic Hotel, New Plymouth, on Saturday, the 28th day of February instant, at 6 o\'clock in the afternoon, for the object stated.

A copy of the New Zealand Government Gazette, containing documents referring to the establishment of the steam service, is deposited at the Post Office for general reference and information.

GEORGE CUTFIELD,
Superintendent.