The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3978, 24 November 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1875.

We recur to “The Address to the People of Otago. ” Mr Macandrew as Superintendent has taken the unusual step of addressing the people of the Province on the political position of the Colony. We do not know that there is anything wrong in this. Superintendents have political opinions as well as other men, and they go for what they are worth, just like those of ordinary individuals. In times past we have been accustomed to defer to the office held by his Honor, and, as far as possible to avoid commenting upon his utterances lest their authority should be weakened ; but just as he deems it his duty “to give expression

to a few thoughts as regards the present political situation,” we consider it ours to examine those “ thoughts,” and to ascertain whether his views should be adopted or rejected. Mr Macandrew desires that the “ people of Otago” should “calmly and deliberately consider for themselves the effect which the abolition of the Province is likely to have upon their interests,” He thinks it will be detrimental, and he says he bases that conclusion “ upon a somewhat intimate acquaintance with the past and present position of the Colony.” In support of this theory, it might have been expected that indisputable facts would have been adduced, verifed by statistics that would have placed their reliability beyond doubt, but no such course has been adopted.

There are some figures presented with which we shall deal at a future time, but the main points on which he relies are abuse of the General and praise of Provincial Governments. This praise, like the blame, is both expressed and implied. It is throughout assumed that all our progress has been the result of Provincialism, and that it has taken place in spite of Centralism, which is the bugbear with which it has to contend. We are quite willing to believe there is much that can be altered for the better in the General Government -there always is, and ever will be, something that might be mended in every government, no matter how or by whom administered. Our objection to Provincialism is that it was no better than the General Government in any of the features of which Mr Macandrew complains ; and that, therefore, instead of one “ horse-leech,” if the term he uses is applicable to either government, the people of Otago were plagued with two. All the evils that Mr Macandreav complains of have grown up side by side with Provincial Governments, and some of them are directly traceable to their action. But without

at present pressing the latter point, to which we shall revert at a future time, it needs no conjuror to show that Provincialism is powerless to prevent or correct them. On the other hand, the ostensible reason alleged by the Ministry for the Abolition of Provincial Governments, was that their action was adverse to the general interest, and that they obstructed rather than forwarded the progress of the Colony. When Mr Macandrew points to the past progress of Otago as “perfectly marvellous” he desires it to be understood that it was

Provincialism that fostered and helped the forward movement. Now, apart from the history of the past six years proving directly the contrary, so far as this Province is concerned, in order to render such a reason valid in support of his theory, that system of Government should have proved Equally efficacious in every other instance. This, evidently struck Mr Macandrew, for he afterwards tries to show that it would have done so, but for General Government obstructiveness. He does not by any means clearly show how this mischance happened. It is always easy to supply a reason that satisfies somebody—savages fancy droughts or floods are due to the malice of rainmakers, or that missionaries bring measles, and they sacrifice to the one or eat the other, according to their notions of remedial agencies. Some people account for whirlpools because there are rocks, without taking into their consideration that without motion of the water the rocks would do no harm. It is an old logical joke to piove that Tenterdeu Steeple must have caused the Goodwin Sands because they face each other. And just on a par with all this sophistry is the con-

elusion Mr Macanbrew draws as to the cause of the breakdown of Pro vincialism in six or seven cases out of nine. We confess our disappointment with the address—the more we read it. the less we like it. It falls far short of what might have been expected from one whose whole Colonial life has. been devoted to politics.. It reveals nothing that was not known before ; it places many facts in a distorted light; it presents no really new aspects of the question, and propounds no new theories, excepting thatof the impossible isolation of Otago from the rest of New Zealand, and making it an independent Colony —a point with which we dealt the

other evening. The whole of Mr Macandrew’s address is characterised by inconclusiveness. There is nothing it it that can be said to be new, while we are sorry to say there are some statements in it that must be pronounced not strictly true. We shall from time to time examine each of the principal points in detail. When it was understood that his Honor would issue a programme of Opposition views, we expected to learn what the party ! had agreed to support; but it is plain that the theories Mr Macanbrew proposes cannot be accepted by the Opposition, and that so far from strength- • i • O enmg the cause, it has only shown its : inherent weakness.