The Evening Star. FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3575, 7 August 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 1874

The feud between the Premier and Mr Fitzherbert has culminated in an open political rupture not likely to be easily tided over. Whatever effect it may have on the position |of the Ministry cannot bo predicated with certainty t probably none whatever, as from the statements made by Mr Vogel it is evident the Province of Wellington has received more than justifiable outlay at Colonial expense, compared with the revenue contributed by it to the common fund. The Superintendent of Wellington, backed by Mr Bunny, will not meet with much sympathy in other parts of the Colony. We are told by some who seem to think the art of trimming very useful in politics, that the Premier was <c injudicious ” in his statements regarding what had been don’e for Wellington and hbw h‘e

prefer dealing with the North Island Provinces were such repeated and heavy drains upon the general revenue in their behalf continued. If by “injudicious ” is meant that he risked losing the support of the Wellington representatives, we may remark he has never had it cordially, and evidently could not have it, excepting on such terms as it would have been dishonorable to accept. We scarcely know a stronger condemnation of Provincialism, as it exists in the North Island, than the argument put forward by Mr Fitzherbert last evening. When he said he condemned “ making fish of one Province and flesh of another,” he meant it to be inferred that Wellington had not received equal advantages from the general revenue to those conferred upon other Provinces. We know of no Province, excepting Auckland, that has had so much done for it as Wellington. This quarrel amongst the North Island Provinces has had, at least, one good result : it has shewn us in the Middle Island the true state of the case, and opened up once more the question of why Middle Island revenues should be squandered for the sake of feeding the “ gum tree”—to use Mr Yogel's figure—the North Island, planted alongside of us. From the report we received of what Mr Yogel said, we consider a good deal of unjustifiable excitement has been evoked. It does not appear to us in the least degree probable that such a proposition as forming the North Island into one Province will be made this session. It is too serious a question to be raised when a session is supposed to be nearly ht its close. Whatever shape the idea may assume in future, it formed no part of the programme of proceedings as marked out by the Governor’s speech. It is not, however, a new proposal, and a few years ago, when the Middle Island was impoverished to pay for North Island wars, it would have found warm support in the South. We do not know that the case is very materially altered. It appears from the continually-increasing demands of the Provinces that “localisation of expenditure” is as much needed now as it was six years ago. If the money is not wasted on powder and shot, it is spent in adding to the value of private property ; and no matter how much is given, the propped-up Provinces ask for more. The passage-at-arms between Mr Yogel and Mr Fitzherbert served to show the terms on which the Superintendent of Wellington is willing to support a Ministry. “ Give to our Province and you shall have our votes j refuse, and we will oppose you is the price of the Wellington phalanx. Only a strong Ministry can afford to make a stand against such gum-sucking. Nor do we think the cry of “ Provincialism in danger” will prove sufficiently powerful to organise opposition against a Minister who has resisted such insatiable craving. It seems to us a good opportunity for making a stand against the injustice of spending the revenues of one Province for the aggrandisement of others. Our interest now, as it has been for years, is to insist on localisation of expenditure, in which case we should stand a chance of spending our own money on improvements, instead of adorning the Empire City.