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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 192, 3 August 1875, Page 2

There appears to be a general impression, created, no doubfc, by the telegrams that have been published within the last two or three days, that the Government measures for the abolition of provincial institutions and the establishment of another form of local government will, beyond all question, be carried by an overwhelming majority. This, however, is not the ease, so far as we are able to gather from information that has reached us from various sources, upon all of which we believe that reliance is to be placd. The state of affairs in Wellington at the present moment appears to be something as follows :— A very large majority of the House of Representatives have agreed to support the principle of the " Abolition of Provinces Bill "—such a majority as must carry it triumphantly through the second reading. But, the principle once affirmed, the fight will then commence in earnest upon the details. So tar as we can understand, the House will, when the Bill goes into Committee, be split up into four sections. The component parts of three of these will ha*?e supported the second reading upon the understanding that when that is agreed to they shall be at liberty to pursue their own course, and they will then deviate in various directions. No. 1 will consist of those who advocate delay in order that the country may pronounce an opinion at the forthcoming general election upon so important a question. No. 2 will comprise the North Island anti-Provincialists who desire that the land compact of 1856 may be done away with, and the land fund of the various districts become colonial revenue, of which each road board or municipality shall receive a fair share, and No. 3 will include the Southern members, who will fight to the List for their land fund to be expended in the I provincial district in which it is raised, j In addition to these there will be si party composed of the Provinf cialists, headed by Sir George Grey, who disapprove of any change whatever, and who will do all in their power to prevent the Bills becoming law by creating all kinds of de'ays, and moving every conceivable amendment to each clause (of which the Local Government Bill contains 271) and lastly, which is no doubt their strongest move, by sowing dissension, and exciting even greater jealousy than now exists be-/ tween those who, while they ar/ desirous of abolishing Provincial institutions are only prepared to support as a substitute that particular^ system which coincides with their owt* individual notions. It is said that ttte Government are very hopeful of canning their measures through the House, but how, through the chaos we have depictured, they are able to see anything like order or unanimity looming, even in the far distance, we are not quite able to understand. At present, it is impossible to say how many of those who support the principle of the Bill will be found in opposition in Committee, or what number, after it has passed through that ordeal, will, because it is not shaped in accordance with their notions, unite iu voting against the third reading. This, from all tbafc we are

able to gather, from those who are in a position to form an opinion, is a fair sketch of the state of affairs at headquarters. Time alone can prove the correctness or otherwise of these surmises, but we are disposed to believe that they will be found to be hot very far wrong. For our own part, earnestly desirous as we are of seeing the last of provincial institutions, we are disposed to side with those who wish to ace the question sent to the country after the second reading of the Bill. What the verdict will then be we have no doubt whatever, but in the meantime the people will have had the advantage of reading the various opinions expressed by the leading men of the colony in the Parliament.