The Globe. SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1876.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 552, 25 March 1876, Page 2

The Globe. SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1876.

The Premier has addressed his constituents at Wanganui, and, through his constituents, the whole colony. In praise of his foreshadowing of the future policy of the Government we cannot say too much. He evidently announces in his speech a programme of coming action, after the fullest consideration of the requirements of New Zealand under the new order, to follow the abolition of the Provincial Governments. That Sir Julius Yogel is in a far better position now to see what those requirements are than when he left for Home we can readily conceive. The very fact of his having been able to arrive at those conclusions the more correctly on account of his very late associations with the best intellects of the Mother Country, and his intercourse with other Colonial Governments. We look upon the decided manner in which he defines the proposals of the Government as the declaration of the intentions of a bold and vigorous line of procedure well calculated to give confidence to the public and to establish the credit of this colony upon a firm and lasting basis. We admire the discriminating forethought which pervades the whole of his address. We like the terse, manly way in which he advocates the change of system, which is so shortly to come, and go thoroughly with him. In a most straightforward way he says :

I have now told you what we propose to do in respect to taking over the provinces. I have endeavored to show that we are not going to sit tamely by and say—“ We passed the Act last session ; we are not going to do anything now, bub will wait and see whether Parliament will reverse its decision next session.” That Act which was passed is the law, and we feel bound to give effect to it ; therefore we are not going to be quite unprepared at the end of the session to take over the provinces. We are going to accept the law as it stands, and qualify ourselves to carry it into effect. I think a great moral effect would follow this course. While things go on as smoothly as they do now, it is impossible for some Superintendents to realise the fact that a change is about to take place. They see day by day the same officers coming to their offices, they receive still the fame deputations, and thev still read the same adulations in the few newspapers that support a continuance of provincialism. Tney cannot realise the fact that a change is about to take place, but now they will really see how the case stands, and that, whilst they attempted in Parliament to oppose the change, it is now their duty, linoe Parliament has decided against them,

to enable the General Government to carry out the law. I think a great moral effect will arise from the General Government showing itself prepared to take over the provinces.

Probably, no other portion of Sir Julius Vogel’s exhaustive explanation of the Ministry’s determination so emphatically pourtrays his sterling belief in the power that it has at its command to carry out in its entirety the alteraterations in the geographical arrangements of the colony, so far as regards local governing bodies, as also the reliance which he places upon the accruing to the colony at large enduring beneficial results. It is patent to the meanest intellect that the past heterogeneous accumulation of legal enactments must have an end, that the more rapidly the population increases, the greater the demand there is for inter-communication, and the closei intimacy which springs up bewteen the disconnected portions of these islands, renders a centralisation of power not only needful but obligatory, Sir Julius Vogel, and with him the Ministry, with a foresight remarkable for its aptitude for the situation, have brought forward and carried a measure which may be strictly termed a Bevolution, and so enthusiastically has their success in this undertaking beenrecived by the people, that the voice of the people has, through the medium of the ballot box, returned to Parliament a strong and well-selected majority of members in support of the Government.

We can but add that we trust that there will be no cavilling at trifles, and that no obstructive policy will be attempted by members of the Legislature during the forthcoming session. We trust that the gentlemen elected to represent New Zealand will do honor to themselves and the constituencies which they represent by allowing the Premier and his colleagues a full opportunity for the development of the practical policy which has been announced, and we do not know of anything more derogatory to the intelligence of the electors of a district that to have it made known to them that they have sent a representative to the House who prides himself upon being an obstructive and fractious oppositionist, without ?ny true metal in his composition capable of developing a progressive idea.