The Globe. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1876.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 664, 5 August 1876, Page 2

The Globe. SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1876.

The prudent course taken by the members from the Canterbury district appears to be exceedingly distasteful to our Otago neighbors. We can well understand their feelings. By flattering their vanity as regards the seat ot Government for the Middle Island, they thought to secure the votes ol the Canterbury contingent. But because our representatives refused to accept such a paltry bribe in exchange for our land fund, their conduct is characterised by the Daily Times as “ (selfish,” We have already pointed

out the effect separation would have on the land fund of Canterbury. Not only would it be used to pay the interest on that portion of the debt charged to the Middle Island, but as she is the richest of the South Island provinces, her wealth would go to assist Otago, Westland, Nelson, and Marlborough. Those districts combined could out-vote her on all questions, even on that of the seat of Government. The Daily Times is loud in its denunciations of the conduct of the Canterbury contingent because they refuse to accept this opportunity to turn out the Vogel Ministry. No doubt the Canterbury men regard the finance of the Ministry as bad, and would gladly aid in turning them out on that question. But bad as the proposals of the Ministry are, those of the Auckland-0 tago league are worse. If, as the Daily Times would have us believe, there is such a general desire to turn out the Ministry, and that such an event is of such great importance to the colony, why is a direct want-of-confldence motion not tabled at once. If the majority of the House are unanimous on this question, but not on that of separation, let them act together on the subject on which they are agreed. Surely there are men in the House able, and willing to undertake the task of leading in the present grave position of affairs. If the sepation party cannot convince the Canterbury members of the beneficial financial results of separation, it is because those good results are not so very obvious. But there is no doubt whatever that a very large saving in our expenditure is absolutely necessary, and if Ministers do not see their way to make a very material reduction in the estimates, they must give place to those who can. It was stated some time ago that the Canterbury representatives were anxious to obtain the opinion of their constituencies on the separation question. What steps they have taken to obtain them we do not know. Certainly no publicly expressed opinion has been given, if we except the utterances of the Chairmen of Eoad Boards at the recent conference. Perhaps the electors are perfectly satisfied to leave the matter in the hands of their representatives. But we warn them that they are very largely interested indeed in the separation question, for we believe that if it is carried, the prosperity of the province will be seriously retarded. Are the Avon, Heathcotc, and Coleridge electors prepared to silently permit the representatives of those districts to sacrifice the interests of the province in their blinded opposition to Ministers ?