STOPPAGE OF PUBLIC WORKS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 374, 12 May 1876, Page 3

STOPPAGE OF PUBLIC WORKS.

A cry is now raised by the ' Daily Times ' and ' Guardian * that iri conseqence of the refusal to sell the pastoral lands cancelled, all public works must be stopped, or the agricultural lands be sacrificed in blocks. The connection of cause and effect:, in. this case supposed to be so evident, is bewildering. i\)r instance: Every independent press writer in Otago condemned silently or actually of contracts upon the Mosgief line. That railway, if completed, can swallow up a big half of the proceeds of the laud sale stopped by the Board. Y et, if work upon this railway had not been commenced, it could hardly be stepped, and we venture to think it will not be stopped whatever works may be. To suppose that the people of Canterbury or the Thames will believe that the coming slackness of labor is due to the difficulties in the Otago Treasury is rather absurd. Do our contemporaries suppose that the labor market is to be, and can be, balanced by a paternal Government ? We hope over-govern-ment is not as yet so bad in New Zealand as that.•.. The people of Otago would rather have a prospect of settling on their own land than of travelling to Mosgiel or Otautau for.a few months winter navvy ing, The people of Otago say — Li' pastoral land must be sold let it, be sold in t' e light of day, a'ccordiner to law, for its market price. The necessity for a sale, if it exists, is the strongest reason for a sale to the best advantage. As to the threatened sale of agricultural lands, which the- Government now patriotically refuses to sanction,

no more can be done in that direction than the Provincial Council authorised. The Hundreds are open, or should be. Let the people buy them if they chose. The Hundreds proclaimed are not so very valuable after all. Stravhtaieri could afford a piece carved cut of itself of equal quality sufficient to cover the whole area available at present for the threatened sacrifice. Instead of opening up such country the Executive have connived at the public construction of private railways, and now cooly turn round and say—VVe must sacrifice the pastoral lands because of that terrible ogre the General Government.

Now we believe that, in common with the people of Otago, we have the measure of Wellington Centralism. That measure, full as it, does not exonerate an ill-advised action by a form of government in the direction of what we think best. The people are bygno means fools, and know how far the Provincial system is responsible for bad management, and how far the individual members of the Executive areJlto blame. If Mr. Eeid wishes to practically illustrate in his own rule the freaks of unchecked Centralism ha is succeeding admirably. As very possibly "he and Mr. Macandrew will shortly be called upon to take office in the General Government our dread of Central beaurocracy is greater than ever.