South Canterbury Times, TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1881.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2598, 19 July 1881, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1881.

Sir George Grey’s Local Government Bill has met with an unfavorable reception on all sides. The measure neither commends itself to the Parliament nor the country. It is a different matter, however, in regard to the proposal of Mr John Sheehan for the repeal of the Abolition Act.. His Bill is likely to receive a very large support, indeed. For years before Abolition, there was a steady growth of public opinion that the provinces Ijad served their purpose. That it was time that a more uniform and simple system of Government should be established. Outside the provincial capitals there was not one man in ten who was satisfied with the then existing state of things. Abolition was effected, and the County Councils, though with greatly curtailed powers, took the place of the Provincial Councils. Matters went on smoothly enough up to the time when the necessities of the General Government compelled it to seize the Land Fund. Local government is simply a matter of L.s.d. The machinery for Eoad Boards and County Councils was only framed after the most careful deliberation. The machinery would work smoothly enough if the motive power could be supplied by others than the ratepayers. That is where the rub comss in. Ever since the Land Fund was swallowed up by the Central Government, there has apparently been a steady re-action in public opinion. Men who strongly advocated and voted for the Abolition Act, have openly expressed regret that that measure ever came into force. Still they have not plainly stated that they would favor a return to the Provincial system. Mr Sheehan is not one of those men. He has much to regret in his political career, but he took a most decided stand against Abolition. The old Provincialists are comparatively few in the Legislature. The new Provincialists are an unknown number. Hitherto they have only muttered their opinions. Mr Sheehan’s motion for the appeal of Abolition has raised a definite issue. Members must now declare themselves either one way or the other. “His-

tory repeats itself.” It will be a remarkable exemplification of the truism should Parliament again be divided into the two hostile camps of Provincialists and Centralists.