The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA : FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1876.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 139, 9 March 1877, Page 4

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA : FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1876.

On tbe 21st ult, Mr Sevens, M,H U.,9 bored for nboiit two hours a very similljl' meeting of his constituents in Christ-^ church. A year ago bis allusions i<J| . the abolition oft.be Provincial system nf|| Government would havo been cbeeivilf'f by an ignorant underrnrio audience, \vho|i ever straining- after some new thinAlf apparently imagine fhnt nil cbijnyel-J means amendment, and tlw every? 1 ! novelty ii"iK"t necessarily be an improve-A ment. At Mr Stevens' meeting, bow. A ever, such' allusions were met by a,| sullen and significant silence. Ap. AIL parently the people of Canterbury areA too late awakening ro the fact that tiAf the wretched delusion of Vogclism aniAf Centralism we are" indebted for a shaiiA'; local government :ind g-ener.-d taxational instead of modified provincial institu-; A tions, and the sulistnntial advantugesA formerly conterred by tbe Land Fond, 7 Mr Stevens in' criticising- the Grey andl ? Macandrew separation proposals trulyA; said that for every g-afner there is A a corresponding- loser, but he did not I say, as he. might huve done, that tht 1| Government policy of encouraging- tho* impecunious and extravagant squamf 7 enng- of money raised by Treasury Bills 7 (called land revenu*-), would increase ." the debt,' over the whole Colony, which A] the richer Provinces will have to pay, ;' because the j)oor Provinces cannot. IU A. did not point, out tbat instead of tliij 7 having- the effect of raising; the poom Y s Provinces to the prosperous position ot Otago and Canterbury, the tendency was to-drag the latter down to the posi- • tion of those less progressive and enterprising. He did not mention that be encouraging the unthrifty and indolent in the demoralising- habit of looking- to tho spoilation of the wealthy, provident, and industrious to supply not only their wants but also their . luxuries, we destroy the highest incentives to exertion, tlie most powerful influences to self-reliance, and tlie chief natural stimulus to progress, without which neither nations nor individuals can surely advance to substantial prosperity and improvement, either in moral 01 material worth. Such a train of thought apparently has never found a place iii Mr .Stevens' mind, and we commend t\\> subject for bis careful study, and as ;i text from which he might, with profit spend another couple of hours in aildressing his constituent-* in Canterbury,

Mr Steven's meeting- had nearly broken up ; the Mitynr had left th-: chair, and no vote of confidence, or even thanks, had been passed to the spanker. This was too bad, seeing ha was the 'Canterbury champion of antiprovincialism, and of the pre tort boons u[ the Canterbury squatters, -and zcaion-iv aided \heiu in their efforts to serure lor themselves, or their creditor.*" the !•>•* t companies, the heritage ut the people, of New Zealand. Such Ivinilei-s ingratitude and neglect could never have been anticipated by Mr Stevens, ami therefore was not provided against by him.. But Mr Montgomery en me to the rescue Willing- to save even h bitter political antagonist from such n painful and humiliating- position, he came forward amidst a g-eneral anl genuine burst of enthusiastic cheers, and by virtue of his own great popularity generously proposed, and got carried, the vote of thanks and confidence in Mr Stevens, tor which we have no doubt the latter gentleman will ever feel truly thankful.