Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 117, 9 May 1876, Page 2

hThe attitude assumed by Mr Macandrew Hat the extreme south and Sir George ayGrey at the extreme north of the colony Kin connection with the Commission assent round by the Colonial Government Ig to obtain information relative to the KafFairs of the various provinces visited gap pears to us to be altogether unjustifi-| Sable. It is not conducive to the wel-| ilfare of the colony as a whole; iti jjicannot be beneficial to the provinces! I immediately concerned. Provincial I institutions have been done away I with by the passing of the Abolition of I Provinces Act which is now law, alI though one qf its clauses stateß that the | provisions of the Act shall not actually I come into force until the day after the I prorogation of the next session of tha I Assembly. With this fact staring them § in the face the General Government § are naturally anxious to obtain all such 1 information as shall enable them tp I bring down a Local Government Bill I adapted as nearly as can be to the § wants and requirements of each pro--1 vince, and with this view they have S despatched three gentlemen, in whom I entire confidence must be placed by all, i on a tour through the provinces for the |j purpose of ascertaining and collating Pall such particulars as can be furnished rnby the Provincial authorities relative to lithe financial condition' and the working If of the various departments ia each 1 Provincial district. In all the parts 1 they have visited these Commissioners I have been afforded every facility for I executing the duties imposed upon them 1 except m Otago and Auckland, but in | these two provinces the part of the dog I in the manger has been assumed by the | respective Superintendents, and they | certainly have, performed it in such a I manner as to give rise to the impression | that to them at least the role was by mo means a new one. They cannot H ignore the fact that the abolition of the t| provinces has been decided upon, and i yet they show their teeth as they lie 1 comfortably upon their bundles of hay | and snarl out — " What we know might i be invaluable tb you if we chose to tell §it to you, but we don't so choose. Our 1 experience and that of our subordinates I would assist you greatly in the work i you have entered upon, while on the H other hand, it will be of no avail to us 1 after next sessioD, but for all that we 1 are not going to let you have that | which you want." Such conduct canfi m only be characterised in one way. Iti His as selfish as it is undignified. Andi | further, it seem to us to be exceedingly.! I weak and impolitic on the part of those! | who pursue it. Had these Northern! j| and Southern Superintendents shown a to assist the Government I they would have had it in their power, I in the event ofthe new measures being liunpalateable to the general public, to! ||say, " Tou have had every opportunity! Hafforded you of framing a bill that shall!

I meet the^wanta of all, fend you haves failed piost lamentably; now make roomß for th ?se who are better 'able to copeß witli thia. difficulty ." - Instead of that.B fchey have, bylthe -course they haveH adopted;; placed, it in the power of theg Grove^riment tb .assert that, so far aIH fchey were concerned, they had not leftffi x stone unturned in the direction ofS acquiring the information they required, B but, owing to the open hostility of theH northern and southern] chiefs they wereß not in of such reliable* data as would enable them to bringg down their new measures with any de-g »ree of confidence. ~ They will thusatß once shift the onus cf failu:e from ; theirg own shoulders to those of their oppon-B ent_>. Sir George Grey and Mrß Macandrew. would have stood far higherß in our estimation, and, we believe, ium that of the public of New Zealand, hadß fchey not resorted : to! such petty iheansß fco gain the T end tliey- have in- vibWjß whatever that may be. B