LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 85, 17 August 1868, Page 197

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT.

phe Wellington Independent, August 6, has the 'following:—A public meeting was held at Wanganui last Thursday for. the purpose of considering the advisability of petitioning the General Assembly for focal self-government. Ittappears that the Odd Fellows’ Hall wgs and that resolutions in favor-bf - presenting a petition of the kind alniost unanimously carried We confess, however/ after a perusal of the speeches delivered at the meet ing. that we do not think anything like a fair case was made out by the leading-speakers. The Wanganui and Rangitikei: dtstricts have not thriven illunder the existing Proviacialsystem, aud the grievances of which Mr Hutchison and Mr Finnimore complained, are in some instances exaggerated, and would probably, be perpetuated, ia a worse under- tbe-County: Council system. There are no districts in the colony more prosperous than those of Wanganui aud Rangitikei, while the manner in whieh the country hasbeeD opened up and the means of internal communication afforded, partly by the voluntary contributions of the settlers, and partly by the grants*in-aid of the Provincial Government, reflects the greatest credit alike on the people and those who admiuister their affairs. Mr Finnimore, whose experience in banking ami commerce, should qualify him to deal intelligently with, figures, has, we think unwittingly, made some serious mistakes in his estimate of the revenue and expenditure of the proposed county. To any person who has had experience: cif the;, financial arrangements of this province for some years, it will at once appear that the Wanganui district, if separated from Wellington, would have a.rnuch smaller revenue and a much larger-expendi-ture than Mr Finnimore anticipates. In a letter to. the Wanganui Times, Mr Halcombe has - shown this. very 'cleai’ly, and a careful consideration of the' figures in question ;cbnvinces us that Mr Halcombe is right' and .that Wanganui would do itself a great injury, if this movement for separation were to be successful. With the great pressure on our space to ; day we are unable to : enter into the details of the question, but shall afterwards do so. Meantime it is only right to point out, that the leading promoters of this separation movement. do hot include many, men .who have the greatest stake in the progress of Wanganui, and that the first success of tbe agitatioh is upparMtly due/ Wore to the./ energetic efforts of a few gentlemen r ; tban to the general support/of tlie community. We shall wait with some anxiety to &ee ,liow this movement progresses, ut'‘meahtinte. we^express•our regret hat it has': been coinine need.