THE COST OF PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 239, 23 November 1866, Page 3

THE COST OF PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS.

The following ably written letter on this monstrously expensive system cf Government appears in the 'Southland Times.' Sir, —At the present,time, amidst ths conflicting interests of political parties in New Zealand, but very few persons have thought it worth their while to go into particulars respecting the cost of Provincialism—indeed, beyond . the well-known fact that Provincialism "is a nuisance, and very expensive, scarcely any in- ', formation has been vouchsafed by those advocates of separation, except in vague generalities. ' 1 will, however, with your permission lay ' before tlie readers of your widely circulated journal some valuable suggestions recently obtained from papers laid on the table of the House of Representatives, and published in the ' Auckland Press.' It will speak more forcibly ; than all the little quibbles which are brought to bear against the Southland Provincial Government. It bears the impress of truth on its face—indeed, in the case of Southland it is under-rated. I allude "to the cost of government. The following is the article in question:— "A return laid before the House of Representatives, furnishes us with some very useful information as to the cost of Provincial Government in the colony of New Zealand, and it may perhaps afford us a clue to the reason why this form of government is so popular with a certain class of persons. We have so frequently stated our opinion that Provincial Government is a clumsy and rotten system that wo shall not go over that ground at present. What we should rather nropose to ourselves to do is, 'to show that a large class of persons in the various provinces are something like the'active vestry men'of the London parishes—They make a very handsome yearly subsistence by talking provincialism to the general public. Altogether there are 200,000 souls supposed to be in New Zealand. Taking the usual estimate out of this 200,000, there are 50,000 adults, and taxpayers in the general sense. To govern these 200,000 persons there are ton separate and independent governments. For our present purpose we must leave, out the tenth or General Government, and assume that it does not exist. So then we have nine separate and independent governments. , Those governments are in the northern island four, employing 276 persons, at a cost of L47,f)00 in round numbers. In the southern island five, employing 252 persons, at a cost of L 77,200 ill round numbers. Or giving the gross tnta's of 454 persons, dividing among them L 125,000 of the taxation of the country. This, it. will be remembered, is not strictly the cost of the provincial government, for we know that it costs somewhere about double the amount, leaving out of the question what it costs indirectly by the withdrawal from their legitimate pursuits of something like 1000 persons for mere official and legislative duties of no possible value to the public. The Province of Taranaki is a notable instance of how the public is hoodwinked and humbugged by this stupid and rotten system of provincialism. A province not containing so many persons as Westward No. 4 of the city of Auckland, emp'ovs no less than 22 individuals, at a cost of L 4722 annually, to administer its affairs. The equally extensive province of Hawke's Bay employs 2f> persons, at a total annual cost of L 5118; while Wellington, under that impersonation of provincialism, Dr Featherston, caps the lot by employing 70 persons at n cost of L 15,017 9s annually. The province of Southland, having a population numbering about 7600, requires 31 persons, at an annual j cost of L 6460 to keep its people in order. Wc need not multiply these instances of scandalous extravagance To men who take the trouble of, reflecting at all upon the matter, it must be evident that these officers and offices are not required, then we do not require a General Government. But as we have now disposed of the petty malversators of tho'public money, we will proceed to take the greater [delinquents. Those who come nearest to each other arc Auckland. Canterbury and Otago. Auckland has one hundred and fifty-three persons engaged in her Provincial Government, who divide among tl cm L2?,'il)2 14?. 9d ; Canterbury has seventy-four at L 21,833; Otago one hundred ami tveutvthree at L 35,535. Thus Auc) land pajs ler officials an average of Ll4l ?s7dea:h jear'y. Canterbury L 295 0s 9il, and Otago not bss L313,5s l()i. Who will not go in for provincialism after this? Any man who gets put into a provincial otlico in the N< rthem Island, is sure of a yearly average of L 173 2s iljd. Wc prefer the Southern Island, however, where the average rises to L 263 15s Ud. The average on the whole Colony being L 223 2s s|d. If here is not a strong argument against provincialism we should like to find one. Nino governments and nine legislatures—these legislatures passing in live years some two thousand five hundred laws, many of those laws being different in each of the nine provinces. Never was there any legislation like this. It beats the patent egg-hatching machine, where they put in fresh laid eggs at one end, and bring out trussed chickens ready dressed for table at the other." Such, Sir, is the state to which New Zealand has been brought by the provincial system. Now, Would it not be a much wiser plan to seek the abolition of such a costly state of misgovernment by agitating its total annihilation, and joining with other Provinces towards this end, than continually abusing in a most senseless manner the present head government. They are not to blame, because as long as the provincial system is perpetuated, it. matters little to the general public, whether Mr A, or Mr B is Superintendent, or who compose the Executive Government. The same expense would have to be maintained, the same or similar officers would have to sit on the red tanc benches, and the public at large would still be called upon to pay towards maintaining so costly a Government. Let our members in the General Assembly bo called upon to support a sound scheme of 'Separation with enlarged Municipalities, and let our energies be devoted to agitate against the present General Government, where the real power is lodged rather than against the Provincial Govornmcnt, who possess no power, and who are utterly helpless to make either roads or bridges, or any other useful work of colonisation. ■ Yours &c, - . Observer.