SIR JULIUS VOGEL'S REPLY TO MR MACANDREW.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 99, 2 June 1876, Page 3

SIR JULIUS VOGEL'S REPLY TO MR MACANDREW.

j The^follpwinp* reply has been sent by ;Sir Julius Yogel to Mr. Mabandrew i—

WfiLLISTGtfON, May 25.-

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of loth May, in reply .to mine- of the 3rd inst. Whilst I desire to bring this correspondence to a conclusion, I feel it necessary to explicitly explain certain points on which you clearly misunderstood me. I did not say, or desire to say, that there were never any able engineers in Otago. I meant no more than the words I used implied, that the Province has suffered— which does not mean always suffered— from inexperienced engineers. .If the Goyernment are correctly informed, some of the branch railways in Otago amply corroborate this statement. The memory of the past engineering talent is no sub"stitute for present inexperience. You still fail ! to Bee the views of the Government about the land sales. They have not expressed any opinion as to whether or .not it was desirable to 'set! the particular pieces of land. Their objection has. been to the manner of tbe proposed sale— using a power delegated by the Governor. ; It was contrived to give certain persons an exclusive privilege of purchase. To this the Governor objected, and seeing thnt your Honor and Executive were acting under a delegated authority, the Government has clearly tho right to object. They did not, however, attempt, as you suppose, to coerce or guide tho Board : they obtained information, which was pateut in Dunedin, as to the supposed feelings of members of the Board, and they were glad to bo ahle to think that there was no ne^ cessity for interference. If your Honor will only give proper notic% the Government havo no objection to the lands in question being sold; indeed, they are quite at a loss to understand why the lands have heen given back to the runholders, instead of tho latter being compensated and the . land properly submitted for sale. The estimates for the six months now current were prepared by your Honor before tha land sale was stopped, and you havo represented that tho very, largo laud revenue there set down was because of the expected sales in Hundreds, not because of "the sales of mountain tops. I havo not objected to branch railways ; the objection I stated was that you constructed them without the means to pay for them. The logicaVpositiori is this : You incur expenditure ; to meet it, you propose land sales. On one occasion you tell us you look to tho sales of land in Hundreds for the necessary means, on another occasion (vide memo, to Waste Lands Board) such sales aro condemned, and you state that you rely for expenditure on the sale of mountain tops, and that works will have to be suspended in consequence bf the sales having beon stopped. Subsequently you write that you still consider your estimate of revonuo reasonable, and rely upon obtaining the amount, whilst at the same time you send, as in the copy of your memo, to tho Waste Lands Board, what convoys an opposite impression. Amidst this labyrinth, the Government can find no path excepting that of upholding the law and deprecating > its violations. I subjoin, extracts from the correspondence, showiria; the contradictions to which I refer. Notwithstanding your Honor's ejaculatory remarks, I am unable to discover any breach of faith from which Otago will suffer. At the time the Colony, under the public works policy, beean to perform Provincial works, 1 it was stated that if the Provinces proved to be inconsistent with that policy they must give way. That policy has don&for "Otago what Provincialism failed to do, and could not havo done in a much longer period. I have already expressed tho opinion thavlhe idoa.sf tmalnng Otago a separate Colony is purely chimeilbnl^^uch a step is altogether opposed to the receivecspolicy of tho day — to make af miniature Yjctoria and New, South Wales out of Otago ancU, Canterbury, .with a border duty question on the Waitaki, would be as injudicious as it is impossible. The notion of a separate Colony* for one Island is how;equally chimerical, and, letrno say, exceptine to Otago, would be distasteful to tho rest of the Middle island. Apart from the wholly chimerical ture of your Honor's views as to isolating Otago, I am constrained to point out that such isolation would" not benefit Otago, nor be in accordance with the largo business- connections which havo grown into existence between it and other Provinces. If Otago has made wonderful progress, so has the rest of New Zealand,- and the people of Otago have just as much reason to be proud of tho advancement of the whole Colony as of their particular portion of it. lam of opinion that there exists ia Otago, together with a desiro to manage locally local affairs, "a much larger Colonial pride and spirit than your Honor appears to recognise. 1 thank your Honor' for the courtesy you havo displayed throughout this correspondence, and I reiterate- •■my- feelings of personal regret at the wa-nt of agreement between us on the points which have been raised. I hope, however, as the proposed measures assume shape and form, that your Honor's objections will yield to your convictions of. thoir suitability to the wants and wishes of the country. lam also indebted to your Honor for the use this correspondence has been to the Government in enabling them to place before the people much information it was desirable they should, possess, even before Parliament meets, in order to coun-, teract the effects bf misconception which previously existed. .It has freed from the prejudices those misconceptions which existed. Thousands of thoughtful people in Otago will form theiri own opinions,-arid. regret their previous hasty reliance on tho statements of those ,in opposition to the Government. Julius Yodel.

ENCLOSURES.

Extract from telegram, Colonial Secretary to Mr Macandrew, 24th April :— I shall therefore be obliged if your Honor will furnish mo with full information upon the following points, j 2nd. The data upon which the very large estimates of land revenue have been formed.^ Extract from telegram, Mr Macandrew to Colonial Secretary, 3rd May, re Provincial esti- ; mates :— The data on which such land revenue is founded is the large extent of new Hundreds coining into the market. ' ! „, i , Colonial Secretary. to Mr Macandrew-fTele-gram (10th May re estimates) :-- The position your \ Honor takes up is inexplicable. You telfcsrapti Government that in proposing estimates you'calculated on sale of i. land in. Hundreds, a^d that the receipts for tho half-year will: equal amount estimated. On' tho other hand, you rewrite to Government calling urgont attention to | your memo, to tha Waste Lands Board, in which I you inform that body, that its action in stopping the sale of pastoral lands upsets your calculations, deprives you of expected revenue has compelled > you to refuse tenders for necessary works, and

that probably you will have to abandon existing contracts. '--The estimatessent up were . before the Board refused the sale. The -position tßeii is this': You;tell jthe_Go vernment the estimates were prepared iii reliance TcTrysale of "land in Hundreds, and that you 'still 'expect tho'revenue. On the other hand, yovt tall the Waste Lands Board (and call our attention to your m eraix ) that all your calculations are upset, ami that you cannot get therevenue as anticipated, and that you must, stop tho very works yod ask us to approve. We now desire to put it distinctly to your Honor, whether, under existing circumstances, you have good grounds for adhering to your original estimates of receipts from land sales. for Colonial Secretary.

Mr Macandrew to the Colonial Secretary, (telegram), llth May, Provincial Estimates :— ln reply to last part of your telegram, yesterday. , Provincial Government put the alternative to your Government, reduce the revenue, i educe also tho expenditure, specifying the items. The other portion of your telegram raises the waste lands question, which is being discussed between myself and. the , Premier in another correspondence.

Colonial Secretary to Mr Macandrew, May 12, ' re Estimates :—- We, leave it distinctly to your Honor, whether, under existing circumstances, you have good grounds for adhering to your original estimate of receipts from land sales. To this you reply yeri, and therefore the Govern- ■ ment will advise the Governor to approve your < estimates. The responsibility of providing the > money required will still r< a '; with your Honor. .

. Extract from letter, Mr Macandrew to the Colonial Secretary.— l must regret, while you neither admit nor deny the rumor alluded to, you express your approval of the action of the Waste Lands Board in declining to grant, and, as ,a necessary- inference, your approval of the serious consequences which tho action involves. 1 The consequences aro concisely set forth, in a memo, addressed by mo to the Board, a copy of which is forwarded herewith. I need scarcely say that tho result of tho Board's aotion will have a most ""injurious : effect upon the labor market during; '{Tie ensuing winter, if indeed, it does hot throw thousands out of employment.

Extract from memo, from Superintendent to the Board.-— ln tho face of the Board's decision; tho Government lias" very reluctantly been compelled to abstain from accopting tenders for various works which aro absolutely necessary, and which otherwise would have been gone on with at pnce, and it is probable that steps may have to he taken to suspond or abandon existing contracts.