SELF GOVERNMENT VERSUS CENTRALIZATION.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 480, 30 May 1867, Page 1

SELF GOVERNMENT VERSUS CENTRALIZATION.

d devious to a meeting of lire General, Assembly of the colony, at which a| .4: 1 k I f „ q tiiUiUib UCiOiv till OliiUio Oi importance to the smaller provinces. 1 . 1. .1.. \ 1 iU'.wjr iu be icu,o auuut; to that ot the centralization of Government. —it Lt-conn-** of vast jm- l p ircunce to the general public tluuj tbai question should be w-!I considered! ami undmstood, and that the voice of! the people should be lieard.

Ihe Provincial Governments have, as a rule, been hitherto the bodies that have done the real work of the Government in the colony. True enough, they have one and all been guilty of many errors, and at this present time are in bad odour with the general public. So much is this the case, that there is danger of the Central Government taking advantage of this state of things to gather

up the reins of Government into their own hands, and demolish the I’rovmcial Governments in toto. Commencing will; the urnst northern oi the provinces, and carrying our oL- £. rvatiuns to the extreme south, we lluu that each amt every one has to sourextent laded to mill! their mission, ami are now suit, ring Irom that misgoverniiieul in a variety of ways, Lu = all more or less being in a slate o. uu.iculiy ami Cent, which cup: its itotililli IflC'ii | 1 1 t‘Cy C* ; ittifl C'jif'C" tually slops an ol p.-pu...;ioi, by immigration. ri e laei is—ami we believe it will bind muted by all parties —Government lias Cost too mud.—still costs too much ami unless the voice ed tinpeople be loudly raised against it, v, il, continue to cost too much, and while it dees so, our provinces wiii continue in ineir present chrui.c state of dilii cully ami embarrassment. Dees an\ one say, “ 1 hcrefore let Irovinciul G .. leruiueiita lull ami g.ve place to ceiiJralisatiou"’' We repay tl.ut that woui. ly no means better the state ol things. Judging Irom experience, v.e say i

wcum be m-ining nmi worse, lor wuiicj Hie Provincial Cb»\enuueula nave cuas- j list'd us Will! whips, lue General Go-| teiumeut has done H will: seoi'i.doils. Ihe t\,sl ol ’.he Provincial Govern iiieuis have been too heavy by far, uu« lual ol lue General Ciovernnieni, lias been tea times more so. liie evils ol Centralisation are sufficiently obvious to mu he u lice people eiy out for local sell-government. in luut where abuses creep 111 they aie not so lar removed from the control ui those who suller thereby. ibis it was that miltienced the tally settlors ol tu.s Province to agitate lor separaiiuii Iroiu mat ol Vi ciuogiuii ; and it will sail, unless people oecoiue blind to

liit'U’ uvvu interests, extend the principles ot i’roviucialiiLij, and so place the power w iiere u should he, in the hands of those who suiter, rather than those who profit, by us abuse. Where colonies, stales, provinces—cali them by whatever name youpiease—are unum. by common interests, —as are the United btates of America, our own American Colonies, the States ol Italy, ei Germain, otir otVu idoVinCes, or other anaiagous instances, —in ail such cases there must be a General Government ol some land, whose duly it must be to regulate those matters which concern the waole Community, but it should be those manors only. fcticn a General Government we must have, Lot it .need not, and U Simula not, be an extravagantly CuslK tody.