The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1890. THE PETITION TO THE GOVERNOR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1273, 29 December 1890, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1890. THE PETITION TO THE GOVERNOR.

Some days ago our Christchurch •ontemporaries printed the text of a petition, copies of which have been cirv cu]ated for signature, praying His Excellency the Governor to refuse to make any calls to the Legislative Council at the present juncture, or until the number of members has fallen below 35. As a copy has reached Ash burton, and signatures are we understand being 1 collected under the auspices of the People's Political Association, and as few persons waited upon have time to peruse it from beginning to end, we propose shortly to explain here what it contains. It respectfully sets forth for His Excellency's consideration (1) That an increase of the membei ship of the Council as at present constituted is contrary to the wish of the people as expressed at the recent general election, (2) That the present Ministry are m a minority, and therefore not entitled to advise the Governor on a matter of such importance, (3) That no further life appointments should be made till the new House has had an opportunity of considering the question, (4) That the present Ministry themselves proposed to reduce the number of Legislative Councillors to 35, and that as th« Council's membership is \n excess of that number further appointments cannot be justfied, and (5) That even if Ministers claim the privilege of making appointments as a defeated Ministry they have barred themselves against exercising such privilege because they refuse to adrait their defeat. These contentions are absolutely unanswerable, and for ourselves we doubt very much whether the Governor will be put to the trouble of having to intimate a refusal as there are already indications that Ministers will forbear to press so unpopular a thing as the creation of a batch of additional Council fc lors. Already it has been hinted through inspired channels that the tender of advice for the calling of newCouncillors will be deferred, and we suspect that it will be deferred till after the Council has fallen below the number of 35. Whether or not, we opine that His Excellency is himself opposed to the creation of more lifeCouncillors at present, and that it is not unlikely that one of the reasons of his going away from Wellington to spend his Christmas holidays was a desire to be out of the way of any importunities on the part of his Advisers.