The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1876.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 101, 17 August 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1876.

From onr special telegrams received this afternoon, wolearn thatdivisions were taken last evening on the various resolutions regarding Separation brought forward by Sir George Gkey. There appears, however, to be some discrepancy between the information forwarded by our Special Correspondent and that contained in the Press Agency message. The former states that it was unanimously carried that the unity of the Colony should be maintained at at! hazards, yet in the same paragraph assert* that "the seat of Local Government for the North Island should be at Auckland, and for the South Island at Christchurch." On the other side, the Press Agency assert that, on the third resolution being put. the House divided, 47 voting with the Government, and 31 siding with the mover of the Resolutions. This, no doubt, will be found to I*? correct; inasmuch as it is also stated that the 6th and 7th resolutions, which embody the establishment of local Governments at Auckland and ChristI'tittrch. were also negatived on the voices .*f the House. Perhaps it would not be out of place to state here the eight resolutions which the member for the Thames ftps made the basis of Separation : —(1.) That in the opinion of this House the state of the Colony requires that its financial and Constitutional arrangements should be reconsidered. (2.) The unity of the Colony should be maintained. (3.) There should be two local Governments, one for each Island. (4.) The Colonial Government being responsible for the Colonial debt, for which the annual charge for interest and sinking fund is

L 815,000, tlie Island "shall be cliarged with L 190,000 per annum, and the South Island with L 620,000 per annum. (5.) With the exception of those matters of great Colonial importance which must be reserved for the Colonial Government, each local Government shall have entire control and management of its own affairs, and the disposal of its own reserves. (0.) Tlie seat of local Government of the North Island to be at Auckland. (7.) The seat of local Government of the South Island to be at Christchurch. (8.) The seat of the Colonial Government to remain as at present, in Wellington. Upon Sir George Gkey proceeding to move the first resolution some objection was taken to the course, a long discussion ensued, but upon an appeal being made, the Speaker ruled that the mover was perfectly in order, and the resolutions were therefore taken seriatim. The Premier announced to the House that the Government would not oppose the first, second, and last resolutions, being an assent that the financial and constitutional arrangements of the Colony required consideration ; that the unity of the Colony should be maintained ; but that the seat of the Colonial Government should remain as at present in Wellington. The third resolution brought the House to a division —forty-seven members declaring against a local Government for each Island, while thirty-one supported it. We notice that the names of the representatives for the district, Messrs. Hislop and SiißßrsKi, appear in support of Sir George Grey's Jvcsolutions, and consequently amongst the minority. The fourth resolution, having regard to the debts of both Islands, shared the fate of its predecessor, the divi-sion-list being almost exactly the same, the difference in number being only one, adtled to the Opposition. The sixth and seventh did not go to a division, being negatived by the voices of the House. We, however, can hardly understand the information supplied by the Press Agency with regard to the eighth resolution, which sets forth that "tlie seat of the Colonial Government should remain as at present, at Wellington." This, we imagine, woidd have been carried without much dissent, ! but we are informed that the resolution | was rejected by forty-four to tlu'rty. It is, ! evident, however, that the Government [ have scored victories on all those points I which contain any signiiicance, and that j the battle of Separation has, to all intents | and purposes, been fought and lost.