THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1875.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 323, 7 May 1875, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1875.

v WiATEyEii maybe thought of.,Ma Hoinor's: address, it certainly cannot be condemned as wanting in- determination', or being of an uncertain sound. The<_ i war cry raised of Provincialism to the deatb is the ablest as well as the bold- ! est manifesto yet put out.The un-. named hypothesis always latent under every expression of the ; Conservative; party-is, however, not wanting—'variablie stispidoh'of r the'want of integrity "possessed by those who" advocate* Centralism. In this Address this-fea-, ture crops up, " No doubt we are tcld, " and that-sincerely,- that the compact; " of 1856 is to become as the laws of " the Medes and Persians.- I confess, " however, that I have no such faith in. " a Legislature composed of such con- : " flicting elements as that of New Zea- " land." "Why it should be always im- : plied that the future legislators of a Central Government, elected on a fair base of representation, should be unable to protect Otago's interests,is beyond an ordinary imagination; or, putting it another way, why should, it be considered, as .a foregone conclusion, that the representatives of the poorer Provinces should be possessed of so superfluous an: amount of ability as to be able to lead the Assembly wit h such ef-: feet as to obtain power to fleece the stronger Provinces. In point of fact, it can hardly be doubted that the abolition of Provincialism would very much improve the calibre of our members. At present, it is not pretended that either the local Council or the Assembly represents the intellect of the people. It is * not an object of sufficient honor to represent a constituency to induce the best men to contest elec- I tions. "With a central body of representatives onlyj it might be hoped a change would take place in this particular, and the status of Otago members in the House be found to impro.ve. A s it is, no one supposes but that the men we have, such as Mr. Macandrew and Mr. lieid, and a few others, are quite able to protect Southern interests. Another peculiar anomaly that crops up in these Provincial war cries is the insistence upon Otago's revenue ; as if Otago was anything more than a geographical incident—a portion of the Colony defined by arbitrary boundaries. It is .New Zealand that has to be legislated for,, not Otago—certainly not Dunedin. New Zealand must bear her own burden. Neither Otago, Canterbury, or Auckland, will bear it for her. It may be Conceded that the expression, " a radical change is required in the po- " litical framework of tho Colony as it " now exists," is true, without seeing that the only change in a right direction is a falling back upon an elementaiy Provincial system. The main idea in. the Address is, that a falling back is possible ; that all Provinces could be confined to their own resour* es ; that the; weaker and the stronger shouldalike stand apart—the one in gradual decay, and the other in a purely flcti-

tious consolidation of strength. It is true it is put forth that, " were the-po-i." licy adopted, the Provinces in each ".island would gradually and spontane- " ously merge into each other, and the " apparently irreconcilable idea" of a

" grand and united financial separation " between the "'islands would be ieal- " ised." If this gradual merging^was to arise from the gradual swallowingup of the lean kine by the fat kine, it is not easy to see the policy of the gradual mergement spoken of as spontaneously certain. If Otago, Canterbury, and Auckland feed on their own fortunes, as they will, they cannot lip.lp "irrthe eiid being responsible for tho~de-~ falcations of those unaided in time who have become, hopelessly .bankrupts It . appears more statesmanlike to believe that, by a total abolition, something .might yet "be done, by the institution of a vigorous Colonial policy, to electrify every part of the two islands,! so . that, the resources being developed under one plan, the burdens over all might prove of the lightest possible nature.. Auckland is .by no means the weak nursling she is represented, depending , alone upxJn a successful grasp of Otago's land revenue. The simile of the strong man bound is eminently suggestive of Auckland's position. The Centralists wish to cut the bonds, but the! Provincialists would tighten the cords.. The Provincial Council is to be asked, for. an opinion on this .question ; or, rather, is "to be led to give ! - .an indirect assent >to principles enunciated in the ,speech. The Address in reply, twice dispensed with at ' his Honor 's .request, is now. to be, moved by Mr. Armstrong and it. cannot ;be , expected; but that a strong protest will, be entered on behalf of those whof, believe Provincialism to be laccduntable for ; the stagnation and L paralysis so general in the interior of Otago— -not to speak of the apparent feebleness of the Northern Provinces. Ttit. the Provincialists will be allowed.'to "have their own way without such protest is not likely. , Yet it may be thought indecorous, on so indirect an issue" ag a Superintendent's speech, to prfess ; ihe' question to a division. It is r liidder.Btood that the Executive are unanimous in their approval of the views put forward so forcibly. There can be no doubt that war is declared to the knife between the three Superintendents and the Vogel Government. ' That tlie Coalition will succeed in retarding the unanimous, though at preisentunexprfessed, wish of the Colony, is no! probable. The more is this likely ; op-" portunities such as the present , occur' to.shew the best that cart be saidifor the Provincial party. 'v |