The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2954, 7 August 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1872.

Tiie election of a member to represent Gaversham in the Provincial Council seems likely to be warmly contested. Three candidates are in the field, each of whom is well known. Mr Stout has taken the lead, and last night gave an exposition of his claims to the suffrages of the electors. It is significant of the state of politics in the Province that ho seemed to be on the defensive throughout. Indeed it is trying enough to the genius of any one to find subject for an election speech, in the absence of local matters for discussion. The great theme for hustings speeches, the land, unfortunately has slipped for the present out of the field of debate, and consequently there is little chance of creating an impression on that point. There are, however, still matters remaining unsettled, such as the comparative merits of Provincialism and Centralism, and what the Provinces should do and what they should not be allowed to do ; and to these Mr Stout addressed himself lust evening. We cannot help thinking he was not very happy in the expression of his opinions on that point. If weyvanted arguments against Provincialism we should be able to cull them from illustrations supplied by MiStout’s speech of last evening. We do not see, in fact, that the position of the Provinces differs very materially from what Mr Stout would have it. He says he would not have “ nine or ten law-making bodies in Now Zealand.” Now in this we think there is some confusion of ideas, which probably in bis next address ho will be able to clear up. This term “ law-making” requires a much stricter definition than any we have yet heard, before we can accept his doctrine as correct. If Mr Stout means that there are general laws applicable to the whole Colony with which the General Assembly alone should have the right to deal, he is perfectly right: that is just the Constitution under which we live. But it is the very essence of British freedom that there should be local administration of those laws, and therefore, under their authority, every municipality and every division of a country makes rules, regulations, bye-laws, or Ordinances, call them what we will, applicable to the wants and necessities of the district. When Mr Stout would allow the making of “ necessary bye-laws,” it is only a change of name from “ Ordinance ” to “ bye-law,” and the thing is done. If any of the Ordinances of a Province clash 'with the general law of the country, they are disallowed ; and if we were to do away with the Provinces to-morrow and substitute the county system of Mr Stafford, we should be only weakening the influence of provinces by division and multiplying the number of law-making bodies. We do not think the fact of the clumsy drawing up of an Ordinance any argument against Provincial legislation, although it may reflect upon the competence of the Provincial Solicitor. Mr Stout made some remarks on the Immigration and Public Works policy of the General Government, intending to convey the idea that both would be better conducted by the Provinces. Mr Waterhouse’s speech was the text of his Public Works tirade. On this point we cannot pronounce a judgment until we hear the other side. Mr Waterhouse seems to find it necessary for his argument to include in the cost of making a railway, the plant for working it ; which is just as wise as

to include the salary of a parson and the price of his pi.lpit bible in the cost ’of building a church. With regard to immigration, we are quite prepared to think that the General Government have not appointed the right man as Colonial Agent; but this is altogether apart from the scheme itself. We consider immigration essentially a Colonial' work and not a Provincial, although so far as Otago is concerned, the Province certainly did the little work it has done better than Dr Featiierston. But this is a question of detail, not of principle. Had the Provinces fulfilled their duty in this respect, there would have been no need for the General Government to have stepped in. So i in public works. It is quite possible that Mr Brogden’s contract may be much for Mr Brogden’s advantage. We were never favorable to the system, for we always considered the method of settling the prices a weak point in it. Perhaps one recommendation of it is that Mr Brogden never was very well satisfied with it. But it must not bo forgotten that through it our railways will be made much cheaper than we could by any possibility have had them otherwise constructed ; the working men will have their wages assured ; the Clutha line will cost less by tens of thousands than the Provincial Government were prepared to pay for it—it will be done under the engineer’s estimate ; and all the lines will be formed in far less time than under our old slow coach system, so that we shall sooner reap benefit from them. They will be opened in far less time than the Provincial Council would have occupied in discussing the proposal for making them, and what is of equal consequence, they will not disturb the market for either labor or capital. On the whole, Mi Stout’s speech was wonderfully free from claptrap ; but he must know that had we been confined to our present supply of labor for the construction of railways, not only could they not have been made and other industries followed, but one great element of their success, increase of population, would have been wanting.