, 1893-04-12

neous citation by Government The letter
goes on to say, that this want Of oomprehen n
sio / then is owing to the fact that the Council
has over looked. that the Colonial Law as q
condition for the Councils exercise OF the
Power by its vote to alter expenses that have
been once granted and entered on the Sp'
proved Budgets and thereby obtaining an
influence on the administrative organisation.
prrsupposes that the Government and Colo
NAL Council are agreed on suoh alteration, but
if such agreement 10 wanting and if the alter
alton nevertheless be adopted against the
Governments Protest then S62 Of the Colonial
Law has to bs applied" Now what is tn"
meaning Of approved Budgets. 1t must
mean Budgets sanctioned by the King but if
this be the meaning then it is certain that
the Colonial Council never has tried to make
any alterations in approved Budgets and III
flct it could never b we the occasion for so
doing, az the Budget 10 not brOugt before the
Council after it 10 sanctioned by His Majesty.
Ii however, he meaning with an approved
Budget be this. that when Budget has ones
been passed the items posted theI con must be
considered ~ binding for all future Budgets,
and can be placed under the heading of Laws.
Ordinances or other binding rules which re-
main in force until rspe Iied. then there
would be no occasion for the Council every
year to pass it's vote on TIE Budget. If
this were so, why bring in the Budgets at eall,
why ask the Council to vote on them or on the
Money Bills. why every year put up the
same items as the foregoing years, andstaks
the Councils vote on them all If they
cannot be altered unless the Council gsts the
consent Of Government, why ask for the
Councils vote on them? Moreover. be must
confess. he did not find much logic in this
letter, if there be such agreement, what need
of 81 81? II the Governments Interpolation
were correct there would naturally be var
rant to defray all expenses entered on former
Budgets. But every time do we find those
items appearing every year for the Councils
vote. The letter closes with the remark
"For the rest Government finds no reason to
partake in thu discussions on the Committees
Report this is of course IN individual opinion;
the Council can but say it is to be regretted
that tho Governor is not in the Council to
give calculations and u good deal Of ela-
cidations are required on this letter. But
now, when We SEQ Government referring
to s So. we know that it can and will use It;
when the Government says it will enforce
the given expen liture, there can be NO use
for the Council 10 refuse it the Colonial
Law with it's provisions on the Councils
grant and vote, oan not be considered as being
any longer IN existence the Government has
advanced the rgunen that the condition
for the exercise Of the Councils vote is
absent, because the Colonial Treasury can-
not defray it's expenses but to him it
appears certain that a law when once given
must remain in force to the letter, until
repealed but because the presuppositions
for a law failed, the law does not cease to
exist. If the Colonial Council had voted
increased expen diture, then he could under
stand the stand taken by the Administration,
but it is the Colonial Council who asks for
aud who votes for and seeks for retreach-
ments Of the public expenditure, and the
Government holds back. From all these
views aud colSd ,%rations. he could not
otherwise than deem it right that the Colonial
Council abstains from voting OF this Budget.
Whenever on previous OCCASION" this step
had been proposed by other Members, he had
to prevent it and tried other means
but as now every means else have failed
there ia nothing else to do than to withhold
the Councils vote the fate of which is decid-
ed before it rsaehes the Councils Hall.
Tbs Chairman resumed hs seal.
ard MAmhAv far FraderikstadIa Counfrv