TELEGRAMS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 796, 18 November 1882, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] A Mercantile Man Horsewhipped. Auckland, To-day. C. K. M'Millan, nephew of Sir if illiam McArthur, and managing partner in the firm of McArthur and Co., here, was severely horsewhipped in Queen street to-day, by a man named Cornwell, who has been engaged in the island trade, and who, it is stated, the firm sold. up. Tender Accepted. Wellington, To-day. The tender of Messrs Murdoch and Rose for alterations to the Parliament buildings has been accepted at L9s6o. Mr Macandrew on the Coat of Government. , Dunedin, To-day. Mr Macandrew, in the course of hi* speech at Port Chalmers last night, saidat present they were paying L 120,000 *■ year for Government purposes at-[Welling-ton, a very large proportion of } which; might be saved under a simpler and more suitable system. Even in - the days of Provincialism the annual cost of the whole was under L 35,000. The Provincial Legislature of Otago, which was denounced as most extravagant, was 'just as capable of managing the whole a&ira of New Zealand as was the General Assembly, if, indeed, not more so. The same thing might be said of some other larger provinces. The total cost of Legislative Executive was aome.ls,ooo a year. He did not adduce this 8a any argument in favor of going back to Provincialism as it was ; although that would be infinitely preferable to the, present system. “ But I wish to show,” Mr Maoandrew said, “ that the mere question of expense would be no argument against our having more local legislatures in each island, which would relieve the Colonial Parliament of the greater portion of those functions which it has now assumed, and is in the nature of things unfitted to deal with, and which would thereby secure far greater efficiency and economy: ip the government of New Zealand. 'Depend upon it this question of local government is that to which above all others the> people of the colony should have theur thoughts and attention specially directed, and which they should set their minds seriously to consider. (Applause.) Tour Road Construction Bills, your County Amendment Acts et hoc genua-, ontne t introduced and dangled before .com time to time by the continuous. jty&Taatty, are but mere tinkering with the r jU bject. The leaning of the Ministry is e central, and under the present system it cannot well be otherwise. - T Nothing but the absolute renunciation by Colonial Parliament of any interference ‘j n the purely local affairs can meet th a circumstances of the case. '*T u# / c fancy V the high Court of Par ii ame nt Higgling for days over a fencing Bill. Of course there will.be j oca i jealousies, let the system of Go t /eminent > be ~whst it may, but our duty ; s to limit thelspbere of such jealouav ja> so t h a t they shall be least hurtful to the interests of the colony a/ } a whole. Why,Lifor example, should Otago and Canterbury be deprived the benofit of direct steam communicati on with fi Ingland, if they are willing and, able to pay for *it % and it should b e for tl: ieir interest so to do benefits which would undoubtedly extend tliemselves to all New Zealand. Why should they be deprived of such benefits; simply because the people of Auckland object? Yefcjthis is one result of the system which w« desire to see altered. > m