The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, APRIL 14, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 933, 14 April 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, APRIL 14, 1879.

Wires the subject of the Abolition of the Provinces was brought before the Parliament and country, its supporters were wont to dectare that it' carried out an end would speedily be put to the local jealousies and ill feelings which at every turn arose to prevent anything lik« Colonial tegistation being prosecuted without great difficulty ; and when the Amberiyfiltiff railway tine was completed it was freely declared that this would further assist t*» create a national feeling amongst the peopte "f all parts. In fact, the abotition of the nine ; petty Parliaments and the erasure : of the Provincial boundary lines on < the Colonial map were to have a magic ■ effect upon even the most seltish of Aucklanders or the most grasping of ■ Octagon tans. We were to bo rendered a united: and happy people, with but oneaim and object in the world,, and that the future greatness of the whole Colony. Well, the Provinces have been abolished, and there is now but one Parliament in the fand ;. baft what it the result .? Why. local feelings and local jealousies would appear to have increased rather than decreased. Proof of this is to be fottml on every hand, but in no part of the Colony are more striking instances of the prevalence of narrow local fueling observable than in Dunedin and Christchurch. V> e seldom read a paper from either city but we see some coniptaitit made by one that the other is being unduty favorcd by the CJovernnient. The whole thing is positively sickening. The Government should devise some means of effectually placing these seltish cities under check* and in no way could this be better accomplished than by withdrawing proposed favors from both parties, and bestowing theui upon some cent rat and neutral party. For the sake of exampte, we will refer to the cheerful little dispute going orv about the proposed erection of extensive railway workshops at Addington, near Christchitceh. No sooner did this matter become known than the jealousy of Dunedin was aroused, with the result that the whole available force of members of the House of Representatives in Dunedin at once despatched " by telegram a strong remonstrance to the Eton, the Minister for Public Works against the acceptance of tenders" for workshops at Addington, and urging that " Punedin is the proper centre of raitway arrangements for the Middle Island. This,, of course, aroused the people of the Cathedral City into action, and. in public meeting assembled, they proceeded to pooh-pooh the pretensions of Punedin ; and one speaker actually went- the length of protesting against the jeatousv of Punedin. and of declaring that " Christchurch would over-shadow Punedin as a city before many years were past,. the more so as it was the centre of the railways." Of course the wnforttmatw Minister for Public Works will receive a strorut tvi-- (i.-vk£*ttue<'liu into consideration. No matter which of the two places he decides upon tinalty, he must give dire offence to the other. His vessel must either be clashed t» pieces on the rock of Seylfa or drawn down to the bottom bjf the whirlpool of Charybdis. if he steers too closely to either side. The safe passage is between the two, »nd we would suggest to the hon. gentleman that Oamaru presents a very good central course. Let him select a suitabte spot there are many such obtainable—in the neighborhood of Oamaru for his railway workshops, and then neither of the greedy cormorants will be able to complain of the other being unduly favored. We offer tile suggestion to the Ministry in all sincerity, and with the full confidence that the work could be equally as well performed in this district as in either punedin or Christchrirch. W«. have ipiite .ts much right to consideration as ei'-h* r of the two contending cities.