CORRESPONDENCE PROVINCIALISM.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 132, 2 November 1874, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE

PROVINCIALISM.

To the Editor of the Glohc. ,Sir, —There appears to be a growing opinion, notwithstanding the great efforts of the provincialists to scare the people of this Province and Otago by the cry that the land fund is in danger, that under the General Government the wants of the various outlying districts of the provinces, will receive greater attention. There are innumerable instances where the Provincial Government, of the Province at any rate, have shown a total disregard not only to the wants of certain districts, but to matters that are of great importance to the whole Province. Take, for instance, the bridge over the Waimakariri Gorge, near Oxford. For years this bridge has been projected, but as yet the only step which has been taken is that the iron has been ordered from England. If the Provincial Government were so indefatigable in the discharge of their public duties, as they would wish you to believe they are, why have they not let contracts for the approaches and roads, and also the necessary piers. It will take many months after the iron has arrived to construct the foundations and abutments, and yet all this work might easily be done. The money has been voted over and over again, and we have over half a million of money lying at the bank. It must be obvious to any one, that the opening of the Oxford bush would be of immense benefit to those residing south of the river, and enormous trade would be at once established, which would pay the Province the cost of the bridge ten times over in two or three years. It appears, however, that to many persons, this is the very reason the work is not gone on with. The trade of the Peninsula would so greatly affected by the erection of this bridge, that it is to the interest of those having timber lands on the Peninsula to keep the bridge back as long as possible. I don’t agree with this view of the question. But as a matter of fact, one member of the present Government is largely interested in the timber trade of the Peninsula, and people will talk. These kind of things are not calculated to give confidence in the Provincial system, and it is not to be wondered at, that people residing in the district I have referred to, are so tired of trying to get the Government to do anything that they give up agitating in despair. To these a General Government control will present a far brighter prospect, and his Honor and the members of his Government will probably be surprised when the time comes to find themselves in a far greater minority than they expect. Your obedient Servant, NEMO.