The Evening Star FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3915, 10 September 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1875.

There is a wide difference between retaining an institution that has been found necessary and lias worked well for years, and the creation of a new one, the utility of which is by no means apparent. This is the difference between the two Bills proposed by Mr Macandrew. The Education Bill is intended to give stability to present arrangements, to provide means by which they may be improved, and to confirm the endowments already conferred ; but the Otago Board of Works Bill proposes to bring into existence an organisation, the utility of which as an administrative corporation is extremely doubtful. It is, in fact, a covert attempt to petpetuate aggravated Provincial Councilism under another name. Provincial Councils, as

they now exist, are deliberative. They' mast canvass every motion that is brought under their notice, and, ns far as their intellect will enable them to understand, give reasons for their assent or dissent. They thus lay themselves open to correction, and theoretically, if seldom practically, to conviction of error. The Province at any rate is informed beforehand of any impending misdemeanor on the part of the Council, and if it is of sufficiently general importance may use the prescribed constitutional cheeks for its preservation. But the powers with which Mr Macandrew proposes to invest the Board are absolute. Although in the first instance it is proposed to constitute it of the members for Otago of the House of Representatives, who may or may not work harmoniously with the General Government, the very chance of such cordial co-operation is reduced to a minimum, by providing that when the Province is divided into shires or counties each is to send up its representative, elected for five years. Disunion is especially likely to be the case should the Bill unwisely become lasv, through its being provided that the Board " shall do and perform all such public works in the Province of Otago as the said Board shall consider for the public advantage and convenience of the people of the Provincial District of Otago, and shall dispose of the surplus land revenue granted or paid to them," and "of all other sums paid to them for constructing and maintaining public works." If Provincial Councils have scourged the Province with thongs, Mr Macandrew's Board of Works is proposed to have power to whip it with scorpions. One of the great objections to Provincialism is its obstructiveness to works of general utility, and the log-rolling that tends to fritter away available revenue in petty schemes to forward the interests of the few rather than on plans of general utility. It is the want of breadth in their proceedings that has rendered the public works scheme a necessity, in which the Colony beingtreated as a whole, general prosperity is induced; and, consequently, the mass of the population derives benefits that would never have been secured by the mere patchwork of spending money in trying to convert some hole or corner of the wilderness into a paradise. But it is just this hole-and-corner work, of which there has been far too much, that is sought to be perpetuated by this Bill. Holding the highest of opinion of Mr Macandrew's statesmanlike ability, and knowing well his sincere desire for the advancement of Otago, we are yet of opinion that he does not sufficien'tly estimate the necessity for Colonial prosperity as the main element of our progress as a Province. Otago must be regarded as a toading firm having different departments of industry, dependent for its success upon die cheapness of its wares, with plenty of well-to-do customers capable of being supplied by our merchants, farmers, squatters, coalminers, and manufacturers in the most economical manner. Isolation would be ruin to us, but, judging from past experience, this would be the tendency of a Board of Works irresponsible to the General Government. One pressing necessity for the Abolition of Provincialism is the prevalence of that territorial jealousy which, to use a ready illustration, occasionally manifests itself, by exclusion of stock from consumption fed on the opposite slope of a mountain or bank of a river. As we do not think that Provincial -revenues have been laid out to the best advantage in time past, we see no reason to believe Mr Macandrew's proposed Board of Works would do better in time to come. Although the Bill does not go so far as to preclude the General Government from prosecuting public works, it proposes to constitute expensive machinery in addition to the sufficient and efficient staff at present in existence—to create, in fact, an administration in petto. It is really intended as a mere move to checkmate, by anticipation, the General Government proposal of Local Government. Should Mr Macandrew carry it, no one will be more surprised than himself, for it is evidently a Stout factious measure, by no means in accordance with our Superintendent's usual breadth of views