Page 2 Advertisements Column 3

Dunstan Times, Issue 234, 19 October 1866, Page 2

TO THE ELE3TOE3 OF THE GOLD to FIELDS. '• '"/—' - S P

VI coma, I shall "Lave* to deny myself the \ pleasure of addressing you personally, I take \ this early opportunity of explaining to you in r I writing the course I adopted during the ties- j sion. I The leading object I kept in view, was the j endeavour to sscure for the Middle Island a \ ralief from the indefinite 1 ability which han-js ( over it, on account of Native affairs. Whatever , led up to that end had my cordial support. , Thus I was one of the minority which endea- , voured to piva effect to the combined resolutions . of Mr Whittaker and Mr Dick, the purpos i oi which may bo briefly stated to be—lscr The se- , curing the Northern Provinces from vexatious interference with their internal affaire. 2nd. The making it imperative on each Province to preserve law and order within its own limits. ■ | These and all other proposals calculated to relieve the Provinces from the pressure created by the expense and the absorbing nature of Native affaire, inet with strenuous opposition at the hands of members who called themselves the Anti-Pro rincial, or Colooial party. They maintained on all occasions the policy of break- ! ing down the power of the Province.*, and oi vesting the same in the Colony. As ah the advintages in the shape of Government which the ' Middle Island enjoys, proeeed frem the Provinces ; whilst from the Colonial Government comes only heavy taxation, and as no substitute whatever was proposed for the Provincial machinery it was desirous to destroy, 1 could not see upon what possible pretence I could support the Colonial party. To me their object seemed to be neither mora nor le3s than to lay the Provinces more completely atthe mercy of the Central Government, for the purpose of drawing from.them larger supplies for N itive purposes. It is hardly necessary 10 s.iy thut neither directly nor indirectly would I lend myself to anything savoring of repudiation. But to oppose the designs f.f the s>c 1 el Colonial party-was not to depart fro.n the mo it delicate consideration for contracted and implied obligations. Apart from the fact that in the expenditure of the Three Million Loan the Middle Island has more than . fulfilled its ntm( st promi-e, there is not the slightest room:') doubi that the interest of the ' Northern Island im >eratively demands that there should "oe an e.id of the bungling interfer- ' ence with its affaira on the part of the General , Government. The management of Native affairs by the General Governnrrit means a frightful waste of expenditure, and a chronic condition of war. The management of their own affairs by the Provinces means pee.ee and little cost. In the hands of men like Dr Featherston., 'Mr M'Lcan, and Mr Whictaker, a thousand pou;ds for Native affairs will go further than a hu idred thousand pounds in tiie hands of the General Government. Unaided, I?r Featherston and Mr M'Lean preserved peace in Wellington and Hawke'b Bay, whilst the General Governm mt was ravishing Auckland with fire and sword ; j and Auckland has resumed a peaceful condition only in proportion as the General Government has had its baneful interference attracted elsewhere. A system which keeps from the ablest; hands the management of these affair.?, and which involves a useless and profitless waste of j wealth, seems to mo a disastrous or e. 1 have, ! devoted some part of, n?" subject, j IbsscaieAc I"w6ala uv,i..,« it interred iu; Li coi- • suiting the interest of this Island I am willing t) saerifice that of the North Island. Beyond: what I have already said on this head, I may ' ald that I sh u!d eon iier a policy which really '. went to-Tarda injuring the North Island, a; ■ miserab'.v shroid, r.nd unstatesmanliko cr.o for 1 j the Middle Island. They have large joint liaIbilitie3, and the good of cue is the good of; ! both. It is widoiy for ths advantage of the j Middle Island (hit tho resources of the North should be develop" d ; and wore there a iinanc:al adjustment ind a clear apportionment of liability, the mi idle Island would be able to assist the Northern Island Provinces substantially. I see no limit to the cred't which might ' profitably be given to the North Id rid Proai 10 s so long as the money was expended on r-po dmtive and colonising works. If Ift t> 1 themselvos, I am con vine d the Ni rt j Island Provinces would soon fully equal in their powers of contributing to the annual c >st of the General Government the Provinces oi the Mi'.dle . Island. Unfortunately, the views I have explained were not in the majority, and as a consequence 1 almost everything proposed that coukl injure e. the Provinces was successful. Thus there is p ! a large addition to the previous oppressively • high tariff. Thus a new system of taxation has been added, the proceeds of which arc to be frittered away upon the so-called Colonial objects. The Provinces are to derive no benefit from , i the tax. They have been brought heavily into I debt to the General Government, a transparent I absurdity ; and their three-eighths share of the revenue from the Customs is only secured to the j Provinces until the end of June next. Now the 3 j revenues of New Zealand are enormous, and if , ■ a financial adjustment were determined on, the 51 Loans consolidated, and wasteful war expendi- . i turc for the future forbidden, the taxation \ might be decreased instead of increased, and J ; deliberately express the conviction that one of ', the mischicvious results of the so-called Colonial party's policy is the imposition of unnecessary taxation. The Goldfields, most unwisely in my opinion, were dragged into the Provincial and Colonial question. Some members who assumed torepresent the Goldfields did not hesitate to declare, 21 that the residents desired the management should be handed over to the General Government. That suffering from neglect from the Provincial Government, the cry of appeal tc the General Government may occasionally be raised, is not to bo wondered at ; but that there is any real desire for so unprofitable a change 1, by any sensible men who have not personal objects to gain, I Clunotfor a moment credit. The goldfields have little, very little, real power in the Assembly, for they only represent a portion of the various interests of two or three Provinces. Ido not, of course, allude to that bastard power which any three or four niemt.bers may appear to secure by undertaking tc ,J support anything a Government may ask theni - to do. By that they gain power for themselves,- ;. not for those they represent. It seems to me an undeniable fact that since the Goldfields exist in only a few Provinces, their influence in their • own Provinces must be greater than the influence they can bring to bear on the whole of the Provinces conjoined. It is easy to see, and impossible to deny, that they have a better cha-icc of enjoying their own revenues through the influence they are able to exert in their Province r than through that they could bring to ben ', against th<> Colo-v. Take Orago, IJ; instance. The Goldfields would com nan 1 , great influence in the Provincial Council, ■• if their representatives were as one and some of them did not use the Goldfields rather than serve them. The mining interest will certainly exercise a powerful, if not a po- ■ tential voice in the next Superintendents election, and that power is on the inereasf, It is simply impossible that thoOfeagn GoId:i v : Is could gain by being governed from Wol'.ln ;i in, eould derive advantage from being constitirci i'i an appanage of aoraa Minister of Mines. Do the 1. mining community desire to be governed by f system of mingled despotism and favoritsm ? foi such government from Wellington would be. admit they may have much to complain of fron the Provincial Government, bat there arc at leas a dozen of ways of making their complaint board ta 1 o f pr jiar'.og witcSi From Welling