GUBERNATORIAL PREROGATIVES.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 120, 28 February 1880, Page 2

GUBERNATORIAL PREROGATIVES.

Thb congtituti|nal position of a Colonial Goveriopris: a' question which .has. bjfee^ hotly eanVassfedi both' inyt^lsr^d^ther ■Colonies. One portion of thfe disputants hare jmaintainedthat^the O.overnoiv ■of a Coloiiy belonging to the; British Empire was.- a kin d of Viceroy^ singe analogous fun'otiohs to those '~dnjoyed by Head of the "Empire — although, njayhap, m a lesser dejjree. The other side have maintained that all the actions of a Grovernop ; oonrieeted ' with the administration of publicfaffairsr should be regulated by precedeijt and instruction," Vth;ng depriving _' hjm> «as it were, of the. )powei* :of volitioq to act beyond the limits of his commission, or the instructions; given unto him^by the Crown for his" guidance.' ' The i 'different views thus held may have arisen from d|ffer«ht;sch«blsi6f r ,p6iitical;7 thought ;. and there is ho reason for aflsrnuqg thafc either side of. the questioix h^s-beeii insinjerely maintained. Haying had "no clear authority u.htb which to appeal to obtain a qf this; de.bate, - the., parties holding conflicting ppinibnSH^Ve' nithjerfco cpn?e to no agieement^ neither have they arrived at 'a^y cQmp T r,o^ise: The dispute uiight have gone ;on"fQ| aY indefinite period, had not" the, cqn^ti-;; tutiohal position 'of Colonial oovefnors'' been recjaritly defined by phi) Committee. |r£ the ! •Pri'fy lpou.ncilr-an-authority to which most of -'bur readers- 1 wilj pay def CTehfie. ' The' cape submitted ! to tlieir Lordships- arose m 'Jamaica^-a j colony where Oubernatoriai troubles are | riot alone of a recent date. It appears that m 187^, afship palled" the Florence, '^ ; bound from Columbia to St; Ttipiq|iS, ! put into the part of Ein^stqn,, Jatnaica, m distress andfoY "repairs'." ■• When she was ♦•eadyio* sea tb,e G-oyempr her for an^onth/ oh th.c" gfo,i|nds Vtjj.fet the proclamation' was m for'g?; v Tsland, prohibiting the' ekporjt o^spVh things a . s . ? an P9Tj e r! W 6^ 01 ? 8^ 1 ? s°>P^% arms, or amniijni tibn of war, - and ' thatsuch articlfsiwere found sjore.4 Qn; board " the Florence;" 'THe' charterer of the:, vessel, Senor Josb Ignaoio Bdlido - his Excellency the Governor in"the Supreme; ; Court Jamaica for the, recovery, of £14,0QQ. dainiges m ? tre'BpaßS' for th'e"'slleged unlawful detention by the Governor, or his agents^ .^o.f- the vessel, h^ had charterered ;.-] and the Court gave the SeuQr the. a^ou^i; of :the damages he claimed to r^jpup hj m. for, the expense he had incurred^n propurin^r the release oiE the^^vessel. " This 3 udgn^ent, f ; given jby the Chief -Sir, J.;iL. S^it^,, was appealed agaihst by. the G^vernorji; and was decided hy.. the Privy ; Council m December last. The ..Council Ajp^eld the decisjipn .pf , fche Lowe.^ GJou^t, . a,nd the, appeal jfas riefijsea, ;.w"ith costs. '.Vifc ; w.as allegedi'i^'.-tte^j^ttpremej^^^j.;^';' ; behalf of the Govertior^, tliat '£&?.' a^pf,. d/?tenti<?n^ w,as ,dpne,^in his.;of|cial capV- v ' city nßGbyerWpr, and' m .'the' bort&jtile :4isi'h,arge of His 'duty, a? 3 such, without! any persona^ 'jiitere'st pf^iiis p^ri |:'t^f; ' h.e. was entitled to )t|\,e priviiege's'ahd' exemptions . ■gppertAipjng to' tlie office and itsKblder , th^sit tHe. question were done mfthe, exercise of 'his reasonable disc>et|6n^ *a^d as acts- of "State. The Crown < befwe^er,, ruled 'Ith at there was no perspnalsplHvil^geAappie'Rt^impK to the officeofv the Governor, r which, cx r . empt^.d %\va, frjbni 1 .beings sSHeatiii; the courts of the, Colony of. vwihich , Kb ,wai the -Gpvernoi?.; :that the. Goyerbpr of a colony did ijpj really represent the' Soye.re.ißfn* generally, b^thad only tlnie Eunctibns delegateti to him by the terras of his co n^missiqn''-r i -in. other words the Goverjior of- a colony was not a Vice- , toy; b^t sinipiy anjbffi;cer wltl^'H routed aufchbyiEy. '^c; C-rbWri^-JiA-nd: 'm lite, ni^nn'ir/ithe; - Brivy sobu 4 heit- : h^eld .-'• that the. GoT.ernor, of 8 colony S'cpuTd not bo re£arde,d a;s and,- -did not ppsseW geiierai 1 ' Sovereign-^powers, but fhat-his actions wierei limited tbithe scope of his_ commission, within the limijts. of rvif.hie^ he ;was iprptecte/i. Qther acts 1 iteyp^d his i^ttiqpity. -would* riot be protected^ though" abts^of State, ipolicy; d.one under the Grown were not cognisable m municipal 'courts;' f i: It be thus. • 'seejh that the fmaxira that \ V the Eingc^n dp?iwrpng," Tc^nnot be held to apply? •"^.^enttemeri who* represent the Crown' in. our, Colonial possessions. That the^^lidoifs'M'aGbterhor's^powers can befoiind m. his commission, andjfeh.e instructions therein, annexed ; that prinayk= i^qted}jf, against nim a.t law aob.HldjAM?y potion be\ppposed to his. instructions. The plea of privjlege;a;s,4toi good jj^teritipfts is riot allowed. As brdtna,ry. njen are ■ liable, 'to'iluriishmeulj Jprr li^eacu- of>; cbjijaion ; laVj ' l a Gbve'r^ioA is I^l e> to pena^t^; -for exceeding his instructipßfs.iilriihis £&%e.,, :■ aß\iii those ■o£bthe(,r*^ei!i^leg4 i i re.med,y can be for proved m^ries inflicted : by.'l;Biß'*uriautiipmedf (action. The London Daily ' J^t-ws, commenting upoa;thi,s<;gr.ej[t. ! qeßtipii, very; truly re- : 1 manks-—^This^eoision established; a.; vfhplesQme checj^, <mj. .the arbitrary ; powers of Governors ';■ 1$ small dplorifes.' ' \ . Sir Kb.bculSS 'lTtdßxMdfts: the Gpvetrnor j : of- New Zealaiii,^bldsi may be i termed for a a better, pbiaseij a. dUia.Vpositipri^i^e.iis npt. ; only; t^e^Tte- ! preseiifcatiye §f l&xe Crowiii abu^a;cpristituent of the G;eY*ral' Assembly,. The Constitution Act declares that* there shall b,e within th^ cplpny "bfwe^r Zea^ Isijiid a Geqei^^^nibly/tb^pnsist of the Governor, a'^S|i'Blab>e "Cbuucil.' and a Houserof -Ee^^entatiyes. Governor is the Crown's representative, an 4 iv tliat position he.J^? to be guided by -h^' instructioriff -from the Imperial authorities. Our 'reason for directing attention tQX tbis ; important subject — one very often misunderstood —is to remove the" opinion which" is widely disseminated;^tjiat the Governor is only respbrisibte to the Imperial authorities, or the_.Coloaial Omee, for his^ actions ; :^herea.B, it 4? now plain; that he is amenable to the- law," which; is ojer'Ur,".'an'd"whidh tbje: humblest of Hee MAJ,?B.ir'B subjects rn^ay set m motioni This^u^r^macy^oflaw, usidisi. turbed by thftt caprice bf^ : tKe'.p.pwer- v Jul, prlthbse-fti^uffio^l^ir- Hs.. without ; dbubt 6v& moji vfeWabTe^ ippljtwaT'pos'v session. TJbSIf ■ de^ia^for&s -a ; wise check on self-will.' -It i« : a further eoufirma'tiottj 'if needed,' that the Sojyereignty of the Empire -is vested^ m the people. It teachetf the kitfd les«ou that men m remote depeiidenciesipf the Empire- need' : np>-flit-dpwn-'whjn)6uffer|i; ing injustice, and, eat. one's, heart but m sullen silence, bu"^ that there is a court where their plaints will receive careful hearing, arid, wkere the vindication of

hay© been seeo through our telegrspliic uevys that the counsel' for iuteud testing :th^.. ; 'jgbw^3,o*! the Governor of ; this colony ? as to Twheth^r hq^itt^J^^ (sonfpjnjitj;- with his 'm 'a^sentm^^to the Maori' iPrij|pnei'B' Trial "BUli The case pbj;ai^a TP^de/ %blicity' witbtoufc doubt yni^iibi9^Btahts^qi thW Gdvernor^ : will be clearly shown iih thevpourse^pf ■"■of thefprpctedings; BK|ls'*t»pugiiant to the law of England, hi_s- is prohibjted.from assenting tQ. The de'cjsiojfJjfi'tljfr PriTyGoutroii.-^hicV -we-: h* aye dptailed at some length, will -dpubtless-.^prqye.- a .precedent whic^ couiiseV Will rpfy, and possibly the son of t^lfoQ. t^i Fahattt will cause a writ to be served on his Ex"belleney for fal^e imprisonment.