THE GENERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS.

Evening Star, Issue 4141, 5 June 1876, Page 4

THE GENERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS.

The following is Mr. Macandrew’s latest contribution to the ihembfanditfin-miad: Superintendent's Office, _ ■ Dunedin, Slat May, 1876. Sir—l have the honor to acknowledge the reyour letter of 26th May, 1876. I.cannot say, lamvsnrprised'that you desire to bring this cpr-, respondence to a conclusion. Nothing but a painhd sense of duty and responsibility could have led me to engage in such a political controversy, noti ol my seeking, and I must regret that ydur last letter should have rendered it necessary for me to write again. It is, however, satisfactory to think that onr correspondence has afforded you an opportunity of placing before the people much information which it was desirable they ahould poßsess—information which hitherto has not been so explicitly stated, and which I am glad toSay has confirmed, in the grounds of their opposition to your present -policy, those who. like myself, dr sire to cheek the • growth in New Zealand of a despotic Centralism. At the same time I cannot hut regret that in the I heat of political eontroversy ydu should have been betrayed into attacking any Provincial Government officer. In your letter of 3rd-May you did not, as • Y OTV now do, confine your criticisms to engineers at present, or very lately; L the Provincial service. Tourwaid you thought. Otag> had suffered from «* the vbwiiSC engineering skill." I pointed out that this was a alto upon the competency of all en-gineers'-that had -been in the Provincial service. Tour last letter made matters worse. Ton are condemning nnheard men who have to rely upon their professional reputation for theii employment, and this on an e* poffrreport, unknown to them and unknown to their employers. Although the light hrauclrrailways now being constructed in this Province, chiefly- out of‘.revenue, nt a cost-not more that of metalled roads, u not find favor in the eyes of Colonial they will, I venture to predict, ,bn highly prized, by.those who have to pay for‘them, and will be hnf-ixhmense bnou to many important districts. They: will also add greatly to the'success of the inainlines. If the Colonial Government has been furnished by its officers with reports., .the Otngp v light branch railways, you word’* he' conferring, a favor on the Provincial Government were you to send me copies --of such reports; so tijat the engineers attacked might have an. t opportunity of defending ’ ” . ’ . . T . As to the ‘Waste Lands administration,; I observe v- that your only‘objection now to tl e proposed sale of which you disapproved', is that there was no competitidnallowed—an assumption which catmot be reconciled with'{ha fact that there was wore than one application for thejamo lp,nd. It would appear that your Government has no objection to tlie cretion of .vast, private estates. . The method of dealing with thb Native lan®, to which I must not pto< tlcularly allude, abundantly proves that. The real question is. Did the Provincial- Government take thebestmeaha'of gettingtW highest price for the land opehed-for sale ? I: assert that they did, and BhdWa : beiglaa-to. hear,on what Information yon express .» contrary opinion. That, the,y means adopted were not unusual my letters to the Hjon. the Colonial Secretary show, and when the provisions of thd-’Otago Waste Land Aet are remembered, I again assert that if the land had been offered at auction at 10s an acre, tlie Government would not have obtained 20s for the block opened. method of - dealing with the. Waste Land Board in the, exercise of their quasi judicial functions, L ain surprised: that the Colonial Government should .have adopted, to tnymind, the apparently* Unbecoming position of sending persons .. . to interview the members prior to their perform onOO bf such functions. . In fairness to tho members; it seems to mo that the telegrams you recoivec fromDunedlu in reference to their “supposed feelings", should be published, os I cannot but feel that they have been placed in a painful and pec i liarly embarrassing position. Ton hate sent, as ai appendix to your letter, certain extracts from t correspondence thathos passed between the hon the Couonial Secretary and myself.' I cannot see bdwever, what bearing this has upon the questior at issue. On 24th April you asked me to state tin data'oii which the estimated revenue of tho ourrenl half - year.wai mode up. I replied that the estimati was based Upon the extent of new hundreds wl id were being placed in the inarko - . Had I used th< words •* largely based,” I'should have been mon correct, and the horns of a dilemma, which yov attempt’toimpalei me on, would have been abseinf It is perhaps to be regretted that all the c><rres nondtnee which has passed between the Genera and Provincial Governments during : the past twelvi months has not been published. Were this dom it would serve to enlighten the people of Otago ai to the great difficulties which the Provincial Go venunent has labored under in administering th affairs of. thq Province, In reference to the Estimates forwarded to th Colonial Government under the-provisions Of th Provincial Appropriations Extension Act, let th treatment which, -the Provincial Government ha met with be .an : illua< ration. In' this matter th Colonial Government insisted upon a position whjc ultimately .{hey had to abandon—a position, as in. pinlnfirvn pflaw. They ftttemntci ■ to assume the functions of 'the ProvinciaTCOnHc: —a body which, in consequence of their action couldmot-be convened. I. need not point out t you that the Provincial Appropriation Act p; ovide loir the Governor , approving, of tho estimate of yeyenue’. only, and that His Excelleilc. has not. to 5 determine which road is to b formed, to which bridge is to be built. Th Assembly,' although bent on Abolition,, felt tha such a function could not be so well performed a by the Superintendents and .Executives of Prc vinces. . And, notwithstanding this, I forwarder tlie estimates- of expenditure, as the Frovinoia Government of Otago had nothing to conceal, am iu the hope that this might have led to the esti mates of revenue being inqre speedily approved of KevenUheßtimates were forwarded on April 13, and as <yet, have ,not been returned, approved. Th result has beep much public inconvenience, as othe telegrams not referred to in the appendix to you Utter will disclose, I abstained in my former letters from casting an; reflection on., the administration of the Colouia Govemmfent, as yon apparently considered anch on of place in this correspondence. As t ? the labyrinf 1 of the Provincial Government estimates of re-.-eim and expenditure, through Which the Colonial Go Vermnentcan find no path, it is only, another illus trationotthe evil of governing - from a distance Hadtba+Provinoial .Council been in. session, th Appropriation' Ordinance could have become lav without half tho delay that has occurred; and I cai onlyadd-thatr my- advisers feel that though -th action of the Waste Lands Board and your Govern ment would place them in a difficulty, they couh not well reduce the estimates of expenditure, os th salea df spsoial value landtowards the end of th six months might.make np the deficiency.. If, how ever, theLaUd revenue does'not come np to expecta tion, means have been token to keep the erpenditur witidnthh revenue." I consider with you that there exists in Otago i Colonial pride and spirit, in which I have alway shared, and which influenced me in opposing adia memberment of the .Colony years ago, when tha policy was by none moire Warmly advocated than b' yourself. But in common with the people of Otage I fear that New-Zealand cannot become great b; creating a centralised administration, and thafthi true Interests of both islands, and of their respec * tive subdivisions, is to cherish within each tin greatest amount of self-reliance. If yovfjthink thai there can be no such local government as I advocate without involving different Customs’ dnt es, yon altogether .misunderstand me. No doubt were Otago an independent Colony, its aim would be t make'all Its ports free. I for one, however, have nc desire to- see the Province separate from the rest pi the Colony, unless it is absolutely driven to th»( course as the only means of preseaviug .its entity and of holding its own. All it requires," as I take it, is a fait field and no favor. It wants nothing for itself which it is not willing to cmcede.to the other portions of the Colony—namely, the management of its own local affairs, and thedisposal 6f its own revenue within its own borders, except ng so much as may be required for purely federal purposes. . The allusion to the Border Duties question is not in point, in so far as I am concerned. Sorely there may be an agreement as to the Customs tariffs between separate Colonies, such as have existed between different your hope that as the proposed - measure assumes shape and form my objections will cease. You will excuse me for saying that I am at a loss to comprehend this. In your former letter we were. led to" believe that nil details had been arranged, and that nothing was required to secure such becoming law but the submitting them to Parliament. I pointed out that your proposals might not he sanctioned. From what you say it appears that you have agreed to abolish the ConStftutlon of .this Colony, and that what is to take its place has not yet assumed shape and form L confess that this i% to my mind somewhat perflexing. Can it be -that tho Colonial Government, s now becoming aware of the difficulties which beset its- path, and that what was sketched ’in your -former letters may hav.e to assume a shape and form unlike that which you jhen detailed ? Ton say that you cannot see any bieach of faith to Otago in the proposal to repeal the salutary provisions of the Immigration and Public Works Act -In reference to the liabilities of those Frovinc& vithin which railways are constructed. If . thisbe so, then I apprehend it would be no breach, of faith -next year to repeal anv Act which may be passed this year to localise the land revenue. I fear, creating an uneasy fcdii g throughout the community,- which you net tl not ho told Is highly de'rimental to the progress of the Colony.— t jim, &o„ ,f. 5 -. James Macakhkew, ~ j tiupeniit* udeut of Otago.