The Hawke's Bay Times, Published every Monday and Thursday. “NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI." THURSDAY, 1st MARCH, 1866.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 354, 1 March 1866, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times, Published every Monday and Thursday. “NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI." THURSDAY, Ist MARCH, 1866.

LOCALISM IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY Recently we endeavoured to show that amongst the defects of cur constitution that loudly calls for reform, none is greater than that which is formed and fostered by the system cf Electoral Districts upon which that constitution is based, as it gives rise to and maintains a selfishness and rivalry amongst the different sections of the Colony, —or, rather, we should say, their representatives, —whose aim is always the benefit of their own districts to the neglect of all others instead of the greatest good of the Colony as a whole. Mr Stafford has recently informed us that this principle of local selfishness was amongst the greatest of his difficulties in the construction of a Cabinet. He, it seems, is able to appreciate the evils consequent upon the system ; and that has been endured by the Colony in having “ an Auckland Ministry/’ or “ a Southern Ministry/’ instead of “ a Colonial Ministry ” ; and lie was determined, if possible, to avoid it by appointing none to any office in his Ministry who could be fairly suspected of local proclivities; and we only hope he may ultimately succeed in so doing. It would carry us too far away from our present purpose to point out the evils that this spirit of localism entails upon tlie Colony. They have reached their crisis in the agitation for Separation, now existing, which, even if accomplished, would not cure nor sensibly mitigate the evil, as it is found to exist in all its force in the Provincial Governments as well as in the General Assembly. Neither shall we now point out the manner in which an amended constitution may remedy the evil, as such amendment cannot be made in time to be of use to us in the election now at our doors. We shall rather show how it has been fostered; and what we as electors must do for its present mitigation. There can be no question but it originated in the first Assembly, in which, if we remember rightly, there were no less than six Superintendents of Provinces, each of which, as the head of his own locality, supposed it to be his duty to get as much as he could for his own district; and it is wellknown that by a system of log-rolling, votes given as equivalents for favors to be bestowed, rather than on the broad principle of the

public good. Vi e have ho hesitation in declaring that a superintendent of a province has no right to be in the General Assembly, —it being a moral impossibility for him to divest himself of his local proclivities to the extent that would enable him to do his dutv to the Colony as a member of that House. Our argument applies with peculiar force to the smaller provinces, of which Hawke’s Bay is one, —which stand no chance in the battle of selfishness against the stronger ones ; but can only hope to receive a due meed of justice from a truly colonial house ; and it is in our power to aid in effecting a consummation so “ devoutly to be wished,” by endorsing the above principle, and refusing to return to that Assembly the Superintendent of the Province of Hawke’s Bay. We have on former occasions given some hints as to how the evils of localism can be guarded against in an amended constitution ; and as there can be no doubt that our constitution will be materially modified to meet the views of many who are now dissatisfied with it, we shall take an early opportunity of recurring to the subject, in the hope that it may not be in vain.