THE MANAWATU HERALD. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1878. ROBBING THE OUTDISTRICTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue I, 1 November 1878, Page 2

THE MANAWATU HERALD. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1878. ROBBING THE OUTDISTRICTS.

The TTonse of Bepresentatives, on Monday evening last, threw out the Wellington Reclaimed Lund Sale Hill. This Pill propo.-eel to hand ovet to the Wellington City Corporation the unoccupied portion of the land recently reel-aimed from the harbor, on payment of the cost of the work, £89,000, and providing for the completion of the Wellington Hospital at a cost of £30 : 000. The House declined to ratify die arrangement, and the Bill was shelved. We perfectly agree with the action of the House in this matter, as the City of Wellington has no right whateverto expect t.o leap the whole of the benefits accruing from the schemes inaugurated by the Provincial Council, for, as the IJon Mi Kichardson pointed out, "the oiiginal intention was, that the land should be given to the Provincial District, and not to the City, to enable necessary works to be undertaken." We give a precis of the debate, as it affects the Provincial District. Mr 13 tinny, the last Wellington. Provincial Secretary, pointed out in the course of his speech in favor of the Bill, that " this reclamation was eariied out for the benefit of the Province of Wellington, and not for the benefit of the Colony. Besides the laud proposed to be sold to the Corpora tion, there was the balance retained by the Government, worth £300,000, which, if the Provinces had been in existence, would have beeu spent in public works in the province. The land was reclaimed eutirely with the money of the Province. It was not reclaimed for the exclusive benefit of the City of Wellington." It is true Mr Bunny's conscience was quieted as to his duty to the country districts, by the Corporation of Wellington being compelled by the Bill to pay £30,000 for the Wellington Hospital, which in a very indirect manner may bo of benefit to the Provincial District j and he was content, with this small payment, to sco the City of Wellington pocket the whole value of the lanJ, simply upon recouping the actual cost of reclamation. Nevertheless, he was compelled to adn.it that ''if anybody had cause to complain, it was the country settlers."

Mr George Hunter, in supporting the Bill, said that " when the Provincial Government proposed to carry out the reclamation, it was understood that it was to go to the City on the latter paying a certain sum of money to cover tho cost of the reclamation, and £30,000 to go to the country districts of the Province ;" whilst The Hon Mr Fox thought the endowment could very appropriately be applied towards the construction of the Wellington and West Coast Bailway. He was decidedly opposed to the giving of what belonged to the whole Provincial District to the City of Wellington. Sir William Fitzherbei t, our former Superintendent, made a speech in support of the Bill, during which he said — " The reclamation was undertaken by the Provincial Council, and paid for out of loan raised by the Province on Provincial security. Any pecuniary profits arising were to be spent in much-needed public works in the country districts, because they had sacrificed present benefit; to secure the reclamation. This equitable arrange* nient could not be carried out, owing to the abolition of Provinces, but it seemed to him a gratuitous act of injustice to deprive the country districts

of the profits to which they wers jus'ly eutiilud."'. After, this, one might have expected soni-i proposal giving tho country settlers justice, but all Sir William suggested wns, that the endowment be devoted to Wellington Harbor, which would indirectly benefit the whole Provincial District, The J Sill was finally shelved by a considerable majority. Subsequently, when in com mi, toe on the Financial Aii-ange-menti Bill, Mr Bullmico moved the insertion ot anew clause providing for the s lie of a sufficient portion of the reclamation to produce £130,000, of ■which £'30,000 Was needed foi the Hospital, and £89,000 to make up the deficiency in the revenue caused by tho rejection of the 'J'horudon Reclamation. Sale Bill. Alter a debato the clause was passed, Mr Ballance stating that tho Government would not sell the land unless compelled to do so, but would keep it in tho hope that it might yet he granted as an cndowinenHor tho city or tho harbor.

From the report above.it is evident that, the Province having undertaken the reclamation, nnd the eottntty settlers having "sacrificed present. benefit 5 ' to secure the prospective advantages from the reclamation, we are fairly entitled to a share of the value now accruing from the endow" ment. This is Hot an iulagmaVy claim. Manawattt has an equal right to share in the assets of the defunct province. By all means let AVellington he fairly dealt with, and receive its proper proportion ; but let ifc not attempt to rob the out'listiicta. This ceil Utilising tendency was the ciU : so and death of Provincialism. To his honor be it said, Mr Fox was the only member for a Wellington constituency who demanded an equitable distribution of the money, lie having suggested that a portion of ifc should hi devoted to the West Coast Hallway. We might expect Mr Walter Johnston, our member, to have uttered some protest against the wholesale attempt made by the Wellington Corporation to seize Provincial property. Is he not there to guard our rights] Ft would appear not. Ueing a Welling 1 on merchant, it would of course be absurd to expect him to stand up and claim for his constituents a part of what it was proposed to give to tliit City. Mr Wakofleld informed the House that " A man of business, who had spent his whole life in valuing land, had iuformed him that laud on the bsach had brought at the rate of £70,000 an acre, and there was nothing to show that this land was less valuable ; in fact, he believed that this bargain simply meant handing ov.r to the City of Wellington a present of £150,000 on the bargain." Surely out of this £150,000, Mr Johnston might have asked for a modest thousand or two for the Manawatu Harbor Board. We have been deliberately robbed of our harbor cndo\vments,and this at least would have been a good opportunity for our member to have pressed the just claims of his constitu* eacy upon the House. • However, as the Government hive expressed an intention not to sell, if a sale csn be avoided, we are in hopes that next session a strong pressure of public opinion from the Wellington Provincial District will procure justice. Meantime the electors may remember how neglectful their membor is of Manowatu interests; and see that next election a representative is returned for this constituency who will have at least some desire to guard the rights and promote the welfare of the people who send him to Parliament.