THE Bay of Plenty Times. Saturday, December 25, 1875.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 344, 25 December 1875, Page 3

THE Bay of Plenty Times.

Saturday, December 25, 1875.

"THE SPIRIT OF THEWS SKAU TOSH ME SKID." KING JOHN, ACT IV.

It is a matter of no'great? surprise to us to occasionally find that our opinions are bettor understood; by those at a distance than, they are by those with, whom we hold, daily intercourse. A. very high authority is related to > have said that “ No man is asprophet in his own country,” a saying which we have long since admitted as* a- truism. Nevertheless we must confess to a.very

natural feeling: of regret, fioiretimes amounting to discouragement, that accusations of political, literary, and journalistic misdemeanours have been laid to' our charge by many who should. Have known us better, and by a few who, blinded, by party feeling, can see no* good thing in Galilee. We have endeavoured on all occasions todake a broad view of the political and social questions which have during the last three or four months engrossed public attention,, and elicited such divers opinions * r we have candidly, and without fear, expressed our convictions, and while at times regretting that our views differed from those entertained by many for whose opinion we have a high respect, yet we have never suffered personal feeling, or the accusations above referred to, to deter us from giving expression to them. We may conscientiously say that all questions on which we have written have been carefully studied by us, and looked at impartially, and the imputations of friends or foes, have never once deterred us from pursuing that course which, in our opinion, was best calculated to benefit New Zealand as a whole, and the district, which it is our very great privilege to journalistically represent, in particular. Believing, as we do, that Separation means ruination, we have strenuously opposed it, and shall continue to oppose it, and believing that the abolishment of petty Provincial Governments is a proper course to adopt, we have always been found strongly urging it. The Abolition Act is on the Statute Book of New Zealand, and though, as a matter of expediency, its operation is suspended until after the first session of the new Parliament, the Abo- , Mtion of Provinces is, in our opinion, BOyost undoubtedly m fait accompli. As regards Separation, we have already so fully entered on the question, that further remarks are uncalled for; indeed, as wo stated in a leading article on Separation in our issue of the 27th ultimo, it seems to us almost superfluous to argue upon such a topic as disintegration versus unity; suffice it, therefore, here to state that we have the keenest apprehension of calamity should the unity of the Colony of New Zealand be destroyed. On the question of Separation as on that of the Abolition ‘of the Provinces, we are pleased to find that the gentlemen now soliciting the suffrages of this electorate are en accord ; it would be premature to conjecture how far their opinions on other important questions may agree, seeing that Mr W. Kelly has not yet given expression to his views, and that no full statement of Mr W. W. Wilson’s has as yet reached us. We have said sufficient now on the reasons which have actuated us in coming to the conclusions we have on the leading questions of the day. However much some may disagree with our views, we do hope that the majority of our subscribers will give us credit for sincerity—and by sincerity mean speaking as we think, and doing as w© pretend and profess to perform. We shall continue to pursue a course having for its goal the welfare of the district with which we are identified, and though, while treading this path we may happen on occasions to further objects, possibly inimical to some of our neighbours, our sole ambition is, and will ever be, to assist to the utmost, all such measures as will tend to the greatest good of the greatest number, untrammelled by personal feelings- or considerations whatsoever.

Christmas roast beef, turkeys, geese, plum-puddings, mince pies, snap draggons, &q. } &c., are once more to the fore, and once more we cordially wish our many friends and many foes a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and especially so to our new neighbours at KTatikati. We cannot welcome them with the snow and ico of their last Christmas, with Christmas Waits-, or with many other old associations which they must hold dear; but we can, and do, welcome them with our warmest hopes and wishes for their- prosperity and enjoyment of this Chistmas-tidej. and those of many, many, future years. While this is passing through the press Christmas Day is dawning: may it dawn-bright to those who are hopeful, and hopeful to those who are cast down I