MR STOUT ON ABOLITION OF PROVINCES.

Evening Star, Issue 3611, 18 September 1874, Page 2

MR STOUT ON ABOLITION OF PROVINCES.

Mr Stout, M.P.C. for Caversbam, addressed the Mornington section of his consti tuency last evening, and in the course of hU address thus referred to the above subject: He had never been an ultra-Provincialist ; and when this Province was half mad on the’ subject in 1867, he was one who, not by speaking but by writing, said that they were carrying the thing too far ; that no man had a right to say that Provincial institutions were perfect. When there was a contest in that district between Mr Lriver and Mr , he took U P position, which he still held, that it was possible that a large number of these Acts might be consolidated and made applicable to the whole Colony, instead of having different Ordinances for the various Provinces—in fact, central legislation to a great extent. He stM believed it w?s quite possible that a great deal of the leg station of the Provincial Council could be done away with, but that was not the question that was raised now. Taking the question on the lowest ground—the pounds, shillings, and pence ground—he held that the abolition of the North Island Provinces would be no gain to the Colony. It would be no gain to the North I aland, except that a certain end was obtained—to which he would hereafter refer—and without the slightest doubt it could be no gain to the Middle Island. The total cost of pure Provmcialism in the North Island-leaving out of sight education, gaols, and sume other things—was only Ll3 000 a year. When the Provinces were abolished the work at present done by the present Provincial Governments must be done in some other way. The local legislation must be done by the General Assembly or by local bodies of some sort; and in either case there would be a certain amount of expense. The resident Ministers or ageuts would cost something, and the staff of the General Government would have to be in creased, in order to perform tbs additional Tfo a’ 80 tkat not hing would be left of the Ll3 000 a-year. To those who said that thny must believe in Mr Vogel’s sincerity when he said he would not touch the Midd e island Land Fund or abolish the Middle Island Provinces, he would merely ask them to remember Mr Vogel’s action in reference to the capitation allowance, whch showed whac political exigencies compelled Mr Vogel to do. Mr Vogel’s proposals for tha abolition of the North Island Provinces must end in there being a common purse for the whole Colony ; the whole of the lands will be administered from Wellington, and the proceeds of the lands will be taken to pay the Colonial debt. To anyone who would meet him in fair debate he would undertake to prove that assertion j not from what had been said by anyone opposed to Mr Vogel, but from Mr Vogel’s own words. It was all nonsense to disguise the fact: the beginning of the end of the resolutions was simply to obtain the Middle Island land fund as well as that of the North. j