Correspondence.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 678, 3 May 1869, Page 3

Correspondence.

1 We do not in any way identify ourselves with the opinions of correspondents.J To the Editor of the Hawke's Bay Times. g IE _-It appears to me that the greatest nuisances the Government have to deal with in the present crisis are the heaps of abuse and the one-sided views of every question before the country which are published in that part of the colonial press which are the well known and well paid advocates of Provincial Institutions. It has been admitted on all sides that in the earlier days of the Colony, Provincial Governments were really necessary for the welfare of the country ; but, putting aside the fact that the New Zealand coast is as well supplied with steam communication as any part of the southern hemisphere, and that nearly all the principal towns are connected by telegraph, there needs no greater argument in favor of Centralism than the organised opposition the Government of the Colony is at present receiving, not only from the newspapers (which are merely Provincial Government mouthpieces), but from the individuals composing those Governments, who are direcily interested in a monetary point of view in straining every nerve to prevent their overthrow. In the first place we see nearly all the Superintendents (who, if their offices were really necessary, should be attending to their duties) in the General Assembly, at the head of an interested clique from their own provinces, forming an opposition party to every measure which may be brought forward by any administration which shall at all clash with their own particular views j and though not able to obtain a majority (even with their native assistants), resort to the mean expedient of talking against time. Again, the people of some of the Middle Island Provinces have combined together for the purpose of stopping supplies for the North Island war. I have before me now a Canterbury paper, in which are over five closely-printed columns of names of persons who have joined an Association, one of the articles of which is that no member shall vote for any candidate for the House of Represent tatives who does not pledge himself not to vote a single shilling for the purpose of trying to prevent his fellow-colonists from being butchered in cold blood. It is reasonable to suppose that on the downfall of Provincialism, the colonists, —living under « the same laws (which they can hardly be Baid to be doing at present), and the agitation of the greatly interested staff of Provincial officers being done away with, — would unite together as Britishers to at once put down the only obstacle to the certain prosperity of the whole Colony. Then we have a Colonial Force, which doubtless causes great trouble and loss of time to cull and get into proper organisation before taking the field, and a staff of officers which no doubt will bear culling as well as the ranks, but is composed in many cases of gentlemen eminently qualifield (in some instances by dashing bravery, in others by sound military knowledge) for the style of warfare we are engaged in. But the aforesaid Provincial mouthpieces consider themselves to be doing their duty to the public by adver.'nng every movement the troops intend to make, and after putting the enemy on his guard, pile up

heaps of scurrilous abuse on the devoted heads of the officers, putting them down for trial by court martial as old women (which must materially assist their influence with their men), and accusing the ministers of murder or some other worse crime. Even because the Commander of the Forces received a compliment in Auckland in recognition of his success, the editor of your contemporary, in partially acknowledging what he cannot help, attributes it to the shortly expected meeting of Parliament, and that the gallant officer is doing as he was told long ago by the late Government agent. When we see it publicly advertised that the ammunition at Mohaka is not guarded,—a portion of the first-class militia highly praised for deserting their post,—Ministers abused (when they had no other course before them) for discharging their late agent, whose proceedings by the way have been lately copied in Taranaki, —when we see officers abused for taking out the town militia, when the only fault of the said officers was in not ordering away the whole of the militia of the Province, which thty doubtless would but that there are so many shepherds in the inland companies, —when we hear a continual cry about an almost natural fortress like Napier being in danger, and small country settlements at the same time being left almost unprotected, —I think we can reasonably say that some part of the press are not doing their duty to the public. And though no one than myself would less like to see that glorious principle of the British empire, the Liberty of the Press, infringed upon, I think in the present crisis something might be done to put some slight stop to incessant interference of these howling organs of Provincial Gj-overnments. —Your obedient servant, Diogenes. Euataniwha, April 27,1869.