LOG-ROLLING.

Patea Mail, 24 December 1880, Page 2

LOG-ROLLING.

IluMon of a coalition for railway construction is current in Wellington and Auckland. It is said the West Coast Railway is to be the subject of a political bargain between Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago members, as against Auckland and Taranaki ; and that this combination is to secure a vote lor the immediate completion of the line from Wellington to Foxton, and on to Patea district. The quid'pro quo is to be some early assistance for the Canterbury Interior Railway and for the Otago Central. It is move than probable that some politicid compromise of this kind will bo attempted in the next session of Parliament. What money thou remains available for pnbHo works will be scrambled for with eagerness and audacity such as the colony has not yet seen. We are coming to the American system of log-rolling. Whether Otago and Canterbury combine with Wellington, or whether they fail to combine because they cannot agree on mutual terms, there will bo combination more or less, and possibly the conspiracy will have wheels within wheels. Who knows? Otago and Canterbury are jealous of Wellington, and arc keenly jealous of each oilier ; but these smaller jealousies aVe absorbed and forgotten in their largo mutual jealousy of Auckland and Taranaki. They all agree in accusing Auckland of getting the largest share of public money in proportion to population : and as to Taranaki, they are unanimous in accusing Taranaki of living in open profligacy on public money and on nothing else. Even Auckland thinks Taranaki secures a thumping share of whatever is going. Nelson and the West Coast are jealous of each other, but they combine in hearty jealousy of Taranaki, As to Wanganui and New Plymouth, we at Patea know that these neighbours of ours are ns

affectionately loving as cooing doves. And so the games goes round. In speaking of Otago we have to sink tho

small jealousy which rages between Dunedin and Invercargill. It is the same between Timnru and Oamaru ; the same between noth these and Christchurch. New Zealand politics are governed by one grand sentiment ; we are all proud of the colony as a colony, hut we are all eager to annihilate each other for the love of God—of our own god, which is lucre. Such is the creed of colonial politicians.