THE AUCKLAND OPPOSITION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4567, 9 November 1875, Page 2

THE AUCKLAND OPPOSITION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sir, —That determined and Illustrious band, the Opposition,. soon after the opening, of last session, showed unmistakeable signs that their machinery suffered: greatly from creaking'friction, facilitated doubtless by their accelerated speed. But, however, the prompt skill' shown from time to time by thosewho understood the intricate nature of their complex machinery, certainly ought to receive a meed of deserved praise for providing many sumptuous feasts for them, and which at once proved a most powerful, and, need I say, a pleasant lubricator for both themselves and the journals in ..which they revolved. Travel expands the mind, and makes all intelligent men more cosmopolitan and forbearing towards 'people holding opposite opinions to their own. This should be encouraging to the good people of Auckland, for Mr. Sheehan..has actually undertaken a long and perilous voyage to Otago, where he, the other night, with refreshing simplicity, owned to be proud of his first visit to the South. The. imposing realities of the magnificence of Dunedin I see at once rekindled Mr. Sheehan’s ardor in the caute of now obsolete provincialism; for iri his raptures he weakly and narrowly attributes the greatness of Dunedin to the advantages of provincialism over any other form of government. It will be interesting to many to - wait in anticipation of the happy inferences Mr. Sheehan will draw between the visible and permanent prosperity of Otago and his own everlanguishing fatherland. The- good folks of Auckland will no doubt bo told by him on his return, for the ninety-ninth time, that the land fund of the South makes all this enviable difference In the solid social progress of Otago over Auckland ; and Urns, being satisfied with his own I superficial deductions, ho will seek no deeper vein to trace out the social disorders of that province ho so much professes to illuminate. Sir, the poverty of the people of Auckland as a whole, though to be much regretted, is nevertheless a great fact; and in spite of the many'prosperous turns it had of. late years, yet they never seem to tide over their difficulties to anything like permanent prosperity. Shall it then fall to my lot to point out the present source of the canker that perpetually gnaws the very vitals of that province ? ..Hirst of all, then, I say that manipulating industries involving any hard work were ever held in Auckland to be both low and menial, and thus honest work with them never had the social and elevating standing it had in Otago or Wellington ; for, indeed.do,take olf one’s coat to any hard work in order to tide over a pinch would in itself be sufficient in Auckland to make any man lose cast for ever. It Is then ho wdoder that people who wilfully refuse to acknowledge the true calling of colonisation should be poor, and at‘this advanced stage of this chronic disease, unless some powerful industrial example is shown to this people, they will only sink still lower in the helplessness of abject dandyism and poverty. To elevate holiest labor Is indeed the duty of all true colonists, for out of it must necessarily evolve our future wealth and greatness, and this is one potent reason why Otago at this day so far exceeds Auckland in material wealth, just because the man of hundreds, yea thousands of pounds in Otago is not above taking off Ids coat, ami proud to do it. whereas, in Auckland it would bo considered great degradation to do anything of this sort, for with them to be truly great means to consume provisions and capital already in existence, and when both become scarce, we then hear loud murmuring as at present; but strange to say, it never enters their heads to work energetically with their heads and hands, as all other successful colonists had to do to gain a prosperous position. But whilst denouncing the overwhelming drones, let it not bo here thought that I wish to cast the least slur on the real workers, in whatever position of life; if I were to do this, it would bo indeed cruel, for they work longer hours and are paid infinitely worse in Auckland than any other part of New Zealand; and worse than all, there is no common sympathy there between man and master, or capital and labor. The one is proud, haughty, and austere, blindly despising the very means of its own accumulative power, while the other.is forlornly struggling, with no higher aim than a mere existtence, in the midst of unmerited Indignity. Would it not be wise for our northern politicians, for once to call a spado'a spado, and to make honest work, industry and self-reliance, with tucked up sleeves, the hustings’ cry at the forthcoming elections, instead of buzzing round the country trying to enlist sympathy to enable them to perpetuate their existence on capital produced by the energy and toil of wiser and imoro noble people than themselves? —I am, &c., ; Ignis Fatuub. Wellington, Nov, 6.