SIR J. VOGEL AND MR MACANDREW.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 606, 29 May 1876, Page 2

SIR J. VOGEL AND MR MACANDREW.

(Per Press Agency .) Wellington, May 27. The following reply has been sent by Sir J. Vogel to Mr Macandrew : ‘ 25th May. “ I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13th of May, in reply to mine of the 3rd instant. Whilat I desire to bring this correspondence to a conclusion, I feel it necessary to explicitly explain certain points concerning which you clearly misunderstand me. I did not say or desire to say that there were never any able engineers in Otago. I meant no more than the words I used implied, that the province his suffered, which does not mean always suffered, from inexperienced engineers. I the Government are correctly informed, some of the branch railways in Otago amply corroborate this statement. The memory of the past engineering talent is no substitute for present inexperience. You still fail to see the views of the Government about the land sales. They have not expressed any opinion as to whether or not it was desirable to sell the particular pieces of land. Their objection has been to the manner of the proposed sale ; using a power delegated by the Governor, it was contrived to give certain persons an exclusive privilege of purchase. To this Government objected, and seeing that your Honor and your Executive were acting under a delegated authority, the Government has clearly the right to object. They did not, however, attempt, as you suppose, to coerce or guide the Board. They obtained information which was patent in Dunedin as to the supposed feelings of members of the Board, and they were glad to be able to think that there was no necessity for interference. If your Honor will only give proper notice, the Government have no objection to the lands in question being sold. Indeed they are quite at a loss to understand why the lands have been given back to the runholders instead of the latter being compensated, and the land properly submitted for sale. The estimates for the six months now current were prepared by your Honor before the land sale was stopped, and you have represented that the very large land revenue there set down was because of expected sales in hundreds, not because of the sales of mountain tops. I have not objected to branch railways, the objection I stated was that you constructed them without the means to pay for them. The logical position is this : you incur expenditure ; to meet it you propose large land sales. On one occasion you tell us you look to the sales of land in hundreds for the necessary means. On another occasion—(vide memo to Waste Lands Board) — such sales are condemned, and you state that you rely for expenditure on the sales of mountain tops, and that works will hate to be suspended in consequence of the sales having been stopped. Subsequently, you write that you still consider your estimate of revenue reasonable, and rely upon obtaining the amount ; whilst, at the same time the copy of your memo to the Waste Lands Board conveys quite an opposite impression. Amidst this labyrinth the Government can find no path excepting that of upholding the laws and deprecating its violations. I subjoin extracts from the correspondence showing the contradictions to which I refer. Notwithstanding your Honor’s ejaculatory remarks, I am unable to discover any breach of faith from which Otago will suffer, At the time the colony, under the public works policy, began to perform provincial work, it was stated that if the provinces proved to be inconsistent with that policy, they must give way. That policy has done for Otago what provincialism failed to do, and could not have done in a much longer period. I have already expressed the opinion that the idea of making Otago a separate colony is purely chimerical. Such a step is altogether opposed to the received policy of the day. To make a miniature Victoria and New South Wales out of Otago and Canterbury, with a border duty question on the Waitaki, would be as injudicious as impossible: The notion of a separate colony for one Island is now equally chimerical; and let me say, excepting to Otago, would be wholly distasteful to the rest of the Middle Island. Apart from the wholly chimerical nature of your Honor’s views as to isolating Otago, I am constrained to point out that such isolation would not benefit Otago, nor be in accordance with the large business connections which have grown into existence between it and the other provinces. If Otago has made wonderful progress, so has the rest of New Zealand ; and the people of Otago hara just as much reason to be proud

of the advancement of the whole colony as of their particular portion of it. I am of opinion that there exists ii Ctago, together with a desire to manage locally local .affairs, a much larger colonial pride and spirit than your Honor appears to recognise. 1 thank your Honor for the courtesy you have displayed throughout this correspondence, and I reiterate my feeling of personal regret at the want of agreement between us on the points which have been raised, I hope, however, as the proposed measures assume shape and form, that your Honor’s objections will yield to your convictions of their suitability to the wants and wishes of the country. lam also indebted to your Honor for tbs use this correspondence has been to the Government in enabling them to place the peopl; much information it was desirable they should possess, even before Parliament, meets, in order to counteract the effects of the misconceptions which previously existed. Freed from the prejudices those misconceptions excite thousands of thoughtful people in Otago will form their own opinions and regret their previous hasty reliance on the statements of those in opposition to the Government. JULIUS VOGEL,” Enclosures—Extract from telegram of the Colonial Secretary to Mr Macandrew, 24th April—“ I shall therefore be obliged if your Honor will furnish me with full information upon the following points ; 2nd, the data upon which the very large estimate oi land revenue has been formed.” Extract from the telegram from Mr Macandrew to the Colonial Secretary re Provincial estimates The data on whicji the land revenue is founded, is the large extent of new hundreds coming into the market.” The Colonial Secretary to Mr Macandrew " Telegram, 10th May,— estimates—The position your Honor takes np is inexplicable. You telegraph Government that in proposing es'imatea you calculated on sale of land in hundreds, and that the receipts for the half-year will equal the amount estimated. On the other hand you write to Government calling urgent attention to your memo to the Waste Lands Board, in which you inform that body that its action in stopping the sale of pastoral lands upsets your calculations, depriving you of the expected revenue has compelled you to refuse tenders for necessary works, and that probably you will have to abandon existing contracts. The estimates sent up were prepared before the Board refused the sale. The position then is this : You tell the Government the estimates were prepared in reliance on sale of land in hundreds, and that you still expect the revenue. On the other hand you tell the Waste Lands Board (and call our attention to your memo) that all your calculations are upset, and that you cannot get the revenue as anticipated, and that you must slop the very works you now ask us to approve. We now desire to put it distinctly to your Honor whether, under existing Circumstances, you have good ground for adhering to your original estimates of receipts from land sales. Bowen, for Colonial Secretary.” "Mr Macandrew to the Colonial Secretary—[Telegram], 11th May. Provincial Estimates —In reply to last part of your telegram ‘ yes,' Provincial Government put the alternative to your Government, reduce the revenue, reduce also the expenditure specifying the items. The other portions of your telegram raises the waste lands question, which is being discussed between myself and the Premier in another correspondence.” Colonial Secretary to Mr Macandrew, May 12th—“ He estimates. We have put it distiactly to your Honor whether, under existing circumstances, you have good grounds for adhering to your original estimate of receipts from land sales. To this your reply is ‘Yes;’ and therefore the Government will advise the Governor to approve your estimates. The responsibility of providing the money required will still rest with your Honor.” Extract from letter from Mr Macandrew to the Colonial Secretary:—” I must regret, while you neither admit nor deny the rumor alluded to, you express your approval of the action of the Waste Lands Board in declining to grant the sale, and, as a necessary inference, your approval of the serious consequences which the action involved. The consequences are concisely set forth in the memo addressed by me to the Board, a copy of which is forwarded herewith. I need scarcely say, the result of the Board’s action will have a most injurious effect upon the labor market during the ensuing winter, if indeed it does not throw thousands out of employment.” [Extract from memo from the Superintendent to the Board.] “In the face of the Board’s decision, the Government has very reluctantly been compelled to abstain from accepting tenders for various works which are absolutely necessary, and which would otherwise have been gone on with at once, and it is probable that steps may have to be taken to suspend or abandon existing contracts.