THE Bay of Plenty Times. "THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES SHALL TEACH ME SPEED." KING JOHN, ACT IV. Saturday, November 27, 1875.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 336, 27 November 1875, Page 2

THE Bay of Plenty Times. "THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES SHALL TEACH ME SPEED." KING JOHN, ACT IV. Saturday, November 27, 1875.

■ The defenders of the ambiguous speeches made by- ultra-provincialists at Southern banquets are very wrath with tho journals which.oomplain that the Opposition has not put forth its programme, and argue that there ia no necessity for an Opposition to announce the policy it is prepared to adopt since it has ousted its adversaries from tho Government Benches. In the present case it is quite evident that tire reticence arises, not so much from politic motives as from tho fact that there is nothing to reveal; tho Opposition have agreed upon noscheme to substitute instead of tho Government measures. Each leading spirit lias Ills own idea all cut ami dried, but the ideas are so much at divergence with each other that it b useless to think of. any amalgamation between them. For- instance. Sir George Grey, tho leader at present of the Opposition, wants a return to tho statu quo ante Abolition Bill; Hr Macandrew is eager for separation or for federation with only two Provinces ; Mr Stout calls for four or five Provinces Instead of nine; Mr I'dm herbert carefully conceals his desires ; and thus the only principle which all obey, the only bond of union among them, is hostility to the Government which has destroyed the Monarchy ot Now Zealand. As to Sir George Grey’s dream of resuscitating the Provinces, it is not worth while taking notice of, and may be simply looked upon as a pet hobby on the part of an amjaW 0 old gentleman who trios his homj after the fashion of quacks at country

taiis, to imbue libs audiences villi a belief lluil lie alniio possessor a nostvum 'warranted to euro all political ills. (Separation then,,or Federation, L to bo tiu* Avar shout, ami tlio query naturally arises, “ Under which kiny, lleznniau ? speak or tlio.” An entire St pa rat ion ol‘ tins two Islands into distinct slates, we look upon as an absolute impossibility, on whatever principle it mav be based) whether eacn Island is to'bave a separate Governor and Legislature, or whatever shape it ]iiav assume, in the first ’place, out of Amklaml, where the people have md Grey on the brain, not one sane iu;m out of a hundred is ready to give Ids vole in Favor of such a suicidal measure; and Auckland it sell’ lias talma up the cry, mainly from its old dal'Hisv about the removal of the seat of Government, and in the hopes that, were separation once decided upon, it would again bask in the sunshine of departmental expenditure. But Auckland is not the whole of the North Llaml, and there are other Provinces which would strongly object to being dependent upon the “Young Queen of the North,” how ever admirably she may he situated on the smiling waters of " the AVailemala. Taranaki, IlawkcF Lay, and Wellington would much prefer being ruled by an impartial Central Government than to UtiA to the tender mercies of a Legislature, where Auckland would have a largi; share of the seats. In the same wav, neither Canterbury nor Otago would like to play second fiddle in the concert in the Smith. But, oven granting that, by some unforsoou accident, s( paration bo carried next session, we are perfectly certain that the Imperial Government, in the interests of the Colony, would justly cvmvise its power of disallowal; and tluuv is another important personage, geuerieally known as the public civil!tor, who would have a good deal to say against a course which would event ualiy bring about repudiatioii'and disgrace. Ho that the vision of two nationalities, divided merely by Cook’s Ntrails, Fades away before the light of reason and common sense, just as the imago from a camera disappears when the broad sunshine is allowed to Fall upon it. “ But,” says another part of the Opposition, “ Wo do not want separation; nor to destroy the unity of the Colony ; wo merely wish to have two or four Provinces, with a Federal Government to meet every two years or so for matters of general policy-” Ns wo have before said, two 1 1 vivuius mein Si (uoigt Grey iuhu n tin jNuifh T 1 iml hum Auck--Iml m l Mr JM u mdi w hum Dunedin Old AU sli] \\dl\ suspiot that tun other Furnace woaid bit up its a hi i n oust such an uniigemont. Ih noli not ui am d n un dun into tun ihoAinus is smrpL i compromise so as to let Wellington and Cant oH >ury si iare with Aiickland'and Otago the honor of possessing Provincial Legislature, and is only a sop thrown to them. Indeed, if wo are to have two or four Provinces, with a Federal Government at ‘Wellington, wo might just us well have kepi to tho old system. and even belter, as, at all events, the power was so divided that no one Province could tyrannise over another. I Vo <*un imagine tho feelings with which Hawke’s Lay would contemplate the idea of once more falling into the clutches of a Wellington Provincial Council. No information is, of course, given as to what would bo !li*’ duties of a Federal Assembly, but avc Imagine the greater part of its lime would be taken up in settling; ijuanvls between North and South, an-1 between the constituent portions of each, and that it would bo utterly powerless for either good or evil. Willi such a Federation, wo should find a continuance of tho same potty jealousies which are now only too rife; aw should see tho public estate ndmiubtered with Hie usual improvident hand-to-mouth policy which has hitlierio characterised its management; and avc should still have to undergo die same inefficiency in iinanco which Isis ere now sent three of our Northern IWiuces as beggars at the Colonial Treasury doors. These are some of die evils of which the Abolition of bTuviiices vv ill relievo us : and wo do ff't feel inclined to see them perpohiuted under another name. Before leng wo shall hear loud praises of the ! edeval system of tho United States, a, G AVI- shall be told that it is equally sdupuibleto New Zealand : to this dicGin we will assent Avhen Noav Zealand, h* process of upheaval, has expanded to ilicsi/n uf the States; but not till dun. We shall also bo favored with after column of figures to that Federation will bo cheaper Jtaii a central Government; wo very laiK ‘k doubt Avhether this point will bo Loved, but even if it were our answer 'Ojuldlie that we decline to take a u | is iy thing merely because of its nuditlmt avg prefer paying Uiir prioo for a good article. But ’V iat. wo do not anticipate to I) 1 ' told is to be arrived at of the

Colonial and Provincial liabilities so as to be advantageous to the colony, satisfactory to the public creditor, and calculated^ to keep tho honour and credit of Noav Zealand up to the high standard it has reached. On such a question .Federalists and Proviucialists are found to break down helplessly. It seems almost superfluous to argue upon such a topic as disintegration versus unity; but silence on it might imply tacit assent to doctrines propagated by a few zealots who do not see that their policy would bring ruin upon our rapidly advancing country. Wo shall rot urn to this subject when the leaders of the movement condescend to give us some argument in the stead of frothy declamation.