SATURDAY, MAY 15, 1869.

Marlborough Express, Volume IV, Issue 175, 15 May 1869, Page 2

SATURDAY, MAY 15, 1869.

Thebe can be no doubt but that the action of our Provincial Council in sending a Petition to the General Assembly praying that the mode of Government' in this Province should be abolished, is a step towards the end. We regret having to make the admission, but we cannot let the occasion pass without expressing our sorrow that no better mode of obtaining justice was presented for the consideration' of our Representative®. -

Because—having been robbed of our revenue, tind despoiled by our neighbours under the protection of that same General Assembly; our. rights the while acknowledged by the same General Government, which yet took no steps to assist us—because of our very weakness—or, as we have been taught, on account of the small amount of log-rolling power we possessed, which, although divided against itself, was powerful enough to direct the destinies of two successive Governments ! —because the Council was deficient in a manly spiiit of Independence and determination to obtain the immense sums of which Marlborough has been defrauded without even a pretext for the last nine years—the only remedy which our local legislature can devise, is to abandon our just cause, lay down —and die I For, we declare even now, while our friends are deserting us, and with the whole cate before us, a false issue has been placed before the people. Provincial Institutions with all their alleged faults and failings, have never been on their trial in Marlborough ! Its extinction will be no plume to the Centralists, for we unlikes the others, have never had the money necessary to the system, nor have we the spirit displayed by at least one of them ( Otago), to resist the oppressor. We repeat, that from the days when Mr. Fox spoke of the “Six Provinces” until now, Provincialism has never had a chance of being tried in this Province, and its Council has been little more than a mere imitation without the means. But Marlborough has been foully robbed, plundered, and “ beggared !”—and now it is proposed to murder her by way of healing her wrongs ! It is true she has been torn by inward dissensions, fostered by interested tricksters, who sought to gain their personal ends, rather than presenting an united front to the commong.enemy.; and not the least wound has been inflicted by some of her public men, in trying to bolster up special localities contrary to the universal laws of supply and demand. Once more let us briefly relate the old, old story, for we truly believe that often as we have told it during the last three years, and although Mr. Ward last week reverted to it in forcible terms, comparatively but few really understand its merits. Over the whole of this colony of New Zealand, certain laws prevail, which enact that certain taxes and customs duties shall be paid by every head of the population, no exception" being made in favor of avlarlborough Of the money so raised it is provided that one-half shall be retained for Colonial purposes, while the other half is to be returned to the people for the purposes of Public Works and local Government. So far, good, but while every other part of the Colony receives this moiety, an exception is made in the case of this Province. It is true an Act was passed in 1862, which would have given it the just share according to all honesty and common-sens', but as our Member has told us the Ministry was unable to carry it out because of its weakness. While we were inactive and, apathetic in demanding the “adjustment which the law said should be made, that Ministry introduced and carried a new law which not only confirmed the spoilation, but has gradually drawn from us our life’s blood. Only last week Mr. Eyes informed us in his coolly-written speech, that the paltry amount accounted to us as our share of the Customs Revenue was actually insufficient forthe salaries of the officials which the General Government compelled vis to have, and pay for, and that the deficiency was seized by it from our Band Revenue, which ought to ’ be expended entirely on local works,* as fbad-roaking and repairing. Our animal contribution to the Customs Revenue is. set down at £17,000, of which £8,500 ought' to be returned, instead oP that sum however, only £3,000 is reckoned as our share ! This game of spoilation has been going on ever since the Province was founded in 1860, and it is calculated that something like £BO,OOO has been thus wrongfully withheld from us. The Ministry, as we have said, admit the truth of our case, but; have taken ho step to right, ns, but on the other hand, have helped us down the hill towards ruin and bankruptcy. Our Land Fund, already- top small to pay the Provincial departments alone, is taken to make good Accounts which it is wellknown were perfectly unreliable, and which no one can understand. Respecting these, j Mr. Bod stated in the Assembly that ■would neither; add,’ subtract, multiply, divide. Whenever an account was render ©d to pur Province, it most surely contain©d a deduction for some forgotten item should; have been charged long ago, if at 411, or some interest which had been previously paid ; but in no instance was the balance a surprise in being larger than exiipedjsd- -Every advantage .has been taken tEjlich away- every, shillihg.timt it; was

possible to devise an excuse for. Mr. Eyes was all this time in the Assembly, but he did not care to pursue the tedious and unpleasant subject, or as he humorously described it, he “did not believe in running his head against a post ” to obtain a reversal of the impolitic coarse pursued towards us. He in fact considered it superior strategy to be still and hold his tongue, and he persisted in this coarse while an attempt was being made to place the unequal and extravagant debts of the other Provinces alike on all, Marlborough included, who had scarcely any debt, and none of her ora making—even while Nelson, discontented with a proffered compensation of £90,000, received a promise of £140,000, because her debts were less than others—Marlbo4 rough’s debt being next to nothing, nothing was her allotted portion. At the same time, as we learn from Mr. Ward’s speech,! one section of the Province wrote to its Member urging him to “do all he could to upset our Provincial Government, and not to allow money matters to affect him !” This same district has never sought a remedy, but has even persistently discouraged the payment of Customs Duties within it, and because two or three of its inhabitants could nob have their own way, and rule the whole Province from one corner of it, that district has joined in with our enemies in order to smash up the whole concern. Add to this melancholy picture of a house divided against itself, the fact that a journal published in the centre of the district which has contributed the bulk of the immense sums we have referred to, and at present supported by the Provincial Government, instead of aiding Marlborough’s cause, actually dared, some year ago, to sing psens of rejoicing at her speedy downfall and bankruptcy ! And now, by way of remedy, it is proposed to hand over our powers of LocalSelf Government, our rights, our claims, and our liberties, into the very hands that have caused all the mischief ! And save four honorable members, no protest is made in our Council, no effort to avert our fate, but in solemn silence the motion is passed amid glances of pleasure and satisfaction on the part of those who have ever been opposed to the interests of the settled districts. Well might Mr. Ward predict that the time would come when they will rue the present proposal. “ Troja fuit.”