The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-16 00:00:00

THE SUN,

FUTURE GOVERNMENT OF JAMAICA.

(Front the Morning Chi onicle.)

The views which the Duke of Newcastle so ably
and perspicuously stated, towards the close of last
session, with reference to the future government
of Jamaica, and which received the unanimous
approval of both Houses of Parliament, have, it
appears, likewise met with the concurrence of the
Assembly of that island. The intentions then ex-
pressed by the Colonial Secretary have been em-
bodied in a bill, " for the better government of
the island, and for raising a revenue in support
thereof ;" and that measure now awaits only the
decision of the Legislative Council to become law.
There can be little doubt that, in nearly all its
most important provisions, it will obtain the as-
sent of that body ; and, in order to facilitate this
result, the Assembly has passed a resolution to
the effect that it will not, in this instance, insist
on its right of refusing to entertain amendments,
on the part of the Council, in the money clauses of
bills which it has sanctioned.

The main object of the measure is to transfer
the executive functions hitherto exercised by
the House of Assembly, and by various boards,
to a committee of four salaried officers, to be
nominated by the Governor—three of whom are
to be selected from the House of Assembly, and one
from the Legislative Council. This committee "shall,
together with the Governor, constitute and form a
body, to be called ' The Board of Executive Com-
mittee,' of whom three shall be a quorum ;" and
this board shall performall the duties, and be clothed
with all the powers and authorities previously im-
posed on, or vested in, the Commissioners of Pub-
lic Accounts, under the local Act of 15 Geo. 111.,
and other measures of the Colonial Legislature.
By the 17th clause of the bill, " The right now ex-
isting in every member of the House of Assembly
to propose a vote of money shall, from and after
the appointment of the Executive Committee, un-
der certain limitations, " cease and determine ; "
and it shall not be lawful for the House of As-
sembly "to originate or pass any vote, resolution, or
bill for the imposition or appropriation of any tax
or impost, to or for any purpose, which shall not
have been first recommended by a message of the
Governor to the said House of Assembly, or by
the Executive Committee for the tiie being."
And further, " the sole and exclusive power of
proposing or originating any vote of money shall
vest in, and be exercised by, the Governor, by
message to the said House of Assembly, or through
the Executive Committee for the time being, as
such organs of Government, or by one of them,
under the authority and direction, and upon the
sole responsibility, of the Government."
The 21st clause of the measure, defining the
duties of the Executive Committee, and the limits
of their authority, is as follows .—" The duties of
such Executive Committee shall be to assist the
Governor in preparing the annual estimates, in
levying and disbursing the public moneys, and in
the general administration of the finances of the
country ; and it shall be the duty of the said
Executive Committee, when they shall be required
so to do, collectively and individually to advise and
assist the Governor in the general administration
of the affairs of this island. And, in like
manner, when so required by a minute, in
writing, under the hand of the Governor, to give
their opinions and views in writing, and at large,
on all matters submitted to them ; and, in like
manner, it shall be the duty of the said Execu-
tive Committee, and of every member thereof, when
so required, in writing, as aforesaid, to advise on,
prepare, and perfect all estimates, ways and means,
papers, messages, answers, bills, and other proceed-
ings which the Governor shall deem advisable to
he submitted or communicated to either branch of
the Legislature, or to any person or persons whom-
soever ; and it shall be lawful for the Governor, by
a minute in writing under his hand, which minute
shall be published in the Gazette, by authority, and
also transcribed in the books of the said Executive
Committee, to direct and appoint that the service
of any particular part or parts of the general ad-
ministration of the island be performed by any par-
ticular member of the said Executive Committee,
and, by a like minute, to be published and tran-
scribed as aforesaid, from time to time, to vary
or alter the particular service of any such member
of the Executive Committee. And it shall be the 1
duty of each member of the Executive Committee,
to whom, from time to time, such particular
service shall be appointed, to executive and per-
form the same accordingly. Provided neverthe-
less, that, notwithstanding anything herein con-
tained, the Executive Government of this island
shall continue to be discharged by the Governor,
and on his responsibility, in the same manner as
heretofore it has been, either when the Governor
has heretofore acted alone or by and with the
advice of his Privy Council. And provided also,
that nothing herein contained shall vest, or be
construed to vest, in the said Executive Committee,
any right or power of appointing to any office ;
but the whole patronage and right of making all
such appointments shall continue in the Governor
as heretofore."

The 22d clause, setting forth the Ministerial
agency of the Executive Committee, declares that
one or more of that body "shall, in their respective
Houses of Parliament, be the official organs of
the Governor for all intercommunication between
the Governor and such Houses respectively, and
for the authoritative disclosure of the po-
licy of the Government on all questions,
political, financial, and administrative, which
from time to time may therein respectively be-
come the subject of consideration and discus-
sion." A proviso is added, to the effect that it
shall not be imperative on the Government, or on
their official organs, to make any disclosure of such
policy .
_ .

The present bill proposes no change in the consti-
tution of the House of Assembly. But it enacts
that the Legislative Council shall, in future, be
composed of seventeen members, five of whom—in-
cluding one member of the proposed executive com-
mittee—may be holders of offices of emolument ;
and the nomination of the members of the Council
is vested in the governor—subject, however, to the
paramount authority of the Imperial Government
to appoint or remove as it may think proper. This
Council shall " use, exercise, and enjoy the same
powers, privileges, rights, and immunities, as the
present Council of the island, when sitting as a legis-
lative council," have hitherto exercised and en-
joyed, together with such other rights, privileges,
and immunities," as are conferred upon them by
the new act. They are deprived, by the 14th clause,
of their functions and privileges as a privy or ad-
ministrative council, or as a judicial body ; but, by
clause 4, they are enabled to " use, exercise, and
enjoy the like political powers and authorities of
initiating or originating any legislative measures
(provided such measures shall not involve the im-
position of taxes, or the appropriation of the public
money) as are used, exercised, or enjoyed by the
House of Lords in Great Britain." The qualifica-
tions of the members of the Executive Council are
thus defined :—"No person, except the five holders
of offices of emolument, as aforesaid, shall be sum-
moned to the Legislative Council, unless he shall
be possessed, in his own right or in that of his wife,
of a freehold estate in this island of the annual
assessed value of 3001., or upwards, or shall pay
taxes, public and parochial, to the extent of 301.
on real property in this island, held by him in hi s
own right, or in the right of his wife, or to the
extent of 501. upon property, real and personal, in
this island."

We have said that there are to be only five
salaried members of the Legislative Council ; but
this is a prospective arrangement, which is not
intended to affect that body as at present consti-
tuted. At this moment, six of its members hold
offices of emolument—viz., the President, the
Major-General Commanding the Forces, the Bishop
of the Diocese, the Chief Justice, the Attorney-
General, and ie Hon. Mr. Turner. The bill does
not propose to deprive these functionaries of the
seats which they now hold, but merely suspends
the power conferred upon the Council of originat-
ing legislative measures, so long as there shall be
more than five members of the body holding offices
of emolument.

The rest of the measure has reference to the
manner in which it is proposed to raise a sum of
27,5001., which is to be paid annually by the
island, for a period of thirty-three years, in liquida-
tion of the principal and interest of a loan of
500,0001., to be advanced by the Mother-country,
at the rate of 34 per cent. ; and provision is also
made for obtaining a further sum of 25,0001. annu-
ally, " towards defraying certain expenses of the
Government of this island." These payments are
to be secured by a duty of 51., upon every 1001. of
the value of all " live and dead stock, goods, wares,
and merchandise," imported into the island of
Jamaica—which duty is to be levied so long as the
respective sums of 27,0001. and 25,0001. shall be
payable ; but, after the annual payment of the
former shall have ceased, the duties on the above-
mentioned articles are to be reduced to 21. per cent.
on their value.
It was to ensure the introduction of a measure
for the establishment of responsible Government,
and also to release the colony from the " dead lock"
which had supervened from the want of harmony
between the House of Assembly and the Legisla-
tive Council, that the Colonial Secretary proposed
the above-mentioned loan of 500,0001. on the part
of the Imperial Government. The final clause of
the present bill specifies the conditions on which
the contemplated change in the Constitution of the
colony is based. It is as follows :—" This act shall
not come into operation until an act shall have
passed the Imperial Parliament of Great Britain,
pledging the guarantee of the United Kingdom for