The Southland Times. TUESDAY, OCT. 11, 1864.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 57, 11 October 1864, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY, OCT. 11, 1864.

It is nearly impossible for a candidate for the suffrages of the electors to place his views fully before the public in the space usually devoted to an election address in the columns of a newspaper, but Mr. Holmes has succeeded better than most of the gentlemen who have recently attempted it in Southland. There are a considerable number of the electors who are anxious that Mr. Holmes should be chosen as Superintendent, so that the expression of his political views has been looked for with more than ordinary interest. It may at first sight appear strange that he has not confined himself strictly to points on which the Provincial Council have power to legislate, but a little reflection will show that he has acted well and thoughtfully. Although the Council possess no power to amend or alter in any way the New Zealand Constitution ; still should the great change for which Mr. Holmes says he is an advocate be ever brought prominently forward, there is no doubt that the Provincial Councils would be called on for an expression of their opinion, and the decision they arrived at would of necessity have weight in controlling any future legislation on the Bubject. The separation movement has been said by some to have died a natural death, its knell being rung when the last meeting of the "League" took place in Dunedin, hut such anticipations seem to be, to say the least of them, premature. We believe a large number of thinking men still hold separatist doctrines, and are only waiting for a better opportunity to enforce them. That this is so is rendered certain by a reference to the list of the names of those who have in times past lent their influence to the cause. Some' may have been induced to join, the ranks "for" the sake of excitement and novelty, but the majority did bo from

a,; firm .eonviciipn $iat " sejj|ratiort| was^the only; panacea for;-;dbhe grio : an.QQB : , and difficulties of |He Middle Islanidjj and] nothing has, pecuire'd top^ake^the^chelipil Becent e^e^s'li^.raJ^^Terid^4o<^| ; r; vance the'si&doctrihes-, ana many who had previously < helcL,,aloof have become convinced of their efficacy. The Loan ques-. tion^ which' is causiug so much anxiety,, throughout th^length and hrekdth/of the; land, has done much to revive this vexed subject. ""It is' certain"' "that" the G-eneral Assembly has -a -most difficult task before them. It will be nearly impossible: to settle the question of loans in a manner satisfactory, to all the Provinces, more especially the Provinces of the Middle Island, and . that difficulty wduld be more than half swept away by the separation of the two islands. At the very moment, therefore, when it is said that separation is a thing of the past, it seems on the contrary to be gathering fresh strength from a source not previously anticipated. It will be seen that Mr. Holmes, though in favor of the abolition of Provincial Grovermnent, is not an advocate for complete centralization. He would reserve to each Province the right of expending its own revenues, after paying its share of the cost of Government, so that whilst in a great measure we should be relieved of the encumbrances of the old Provincial system, we should none the less be partakers of its more commendable features. Mr. Holmes lays down no plan for the establishment of the machinery which would in any ease be necessary for expending the various Provincial revenues ; but even were the whole of the money to be voted by the proposed General G-overnment for the island, the proviso that the respective portions should be spent in the Provinces in which they were raised would effect nearly all that was required, and the cost of government would be lessened enormously. Our views on the subject of separation have been at various times very fully expressed, and it will not therefore surprise our readers when we say. that we cordially agree with the candidate. On the method of dealing with the waste lands of the Crown, Mr. Holmes holds views which are shared by many in Southland. He instances Canterbury as having progressed amazingly on account of liberal land regulations, and draws a just comparison between the state of things in that Province and Southland. In the former you can choose land anywhere, and the Government pays the cost of survey, the buyer being entitled to a Crown grant on payment of the purchase money; and the squatter holds possession of his run until it is actually purchased. The Canterbury land regulations recommend themselves by their simplicity. They have been of" incalculable _ advantage to the Province, and there is nothing to prevent a similar result in Southland were they to be introduced here. Though the Council cannot legislate on the subject, they can at all events give a strong expression of their opinion, and it is to be hoped they will. The next point touched on by Mr. Holmes is the railway, and here he has proposed what most men in this part of New Zealand will be inclined to endorse, though we fear the General Government will not at present fall in with his views. Should a solution of the Native question be found, our rulers will have more time on their hands, and one 1 national system of railways seems to us more certain of ultimate success than the isolated exertions of a number of Provinces. The cost of survey and of construction might also be less. Certainly the necessary funds could be obtained at a cheaper rate. ..Mr. Holmes also recommends that the telegraph should be handed over to the General Government. This is our own opinion, and, Canterbury and Otago having already' given over their lines, we are at a loss to know the reason why Southland stands alone. The General Government are running a line direct from Nelson to the Bluft", and the idea of a separate Provincial staff of officers for the Hue between Invercargill and the Bluff is absurd, and not at all in accordance with that rigid economy which the present embarrassed state of the Province demands. Mr. Holmes coincides with the generally expressed opinion on the Education Ordinance. " The assessment is alto- " gether on a wrong basis, and individual " cases of hardship under it are common." The first statement is perfectly clear, as it is possible for a rich man to be paying a smaller assessment than his poorer neighbor, who may happen to possess a greater acreage. Of his proposal that the funds for educational purposes should be drawn from the ordinary revenue of the Province, we shall take further notice at a future time. For the present, we may say that it is far better than the existing method of taxation, and will find favor with many who have suffered severely under the Education Ordinance. The change Mr. Holmes proposes in the Roads Ordinance is scarcely of that thorough nature which we should like to see, but of its justice there can be no doubt. • Unlike Mr. Tahlton, the candidate whose address we are reviewing talks common sense on the immigration question. He makes it a matter of pounds, shillings, and pence. He would not for the present introduce assisted immigration because there is, and will be for some time to come, a lack of funds to devote to such a purpose, and because the labor marketis not so brisk as to require it. The last paragraph in this address, will be read with interest, as coming from one whom we believe a majority of the' electors would welcome as Superintendent. Mr. Holmes would place a cheek on the actions of' ' the 'Superintendent by resolution «.of ; the: -Council " to the effect; that they will -•' recognise no unauthorised expenditure, , " thereby malting the Superintendent personally responsible. Such a' resolution" •would' not: -pierh&pa -all- thAt-is-"re-quired, bxit it , would; be a moreen &©

righ^^it^on^liipf^Sve^lll may be djoe ta^xfo^d/§^^^^oJ^^^ Supllltte^liit^N^fiopM^gjouiicil will tak# SpticeMfj thi^^f^fe^v^ such as to warrant the^ele'ctor^in entrusting the representation ofHjheir district tojhjs. hands.. r JleJiQ%&ffoTsedLjMsm* a sliort comprehensive statement of his/ ideas on all the • before the public of Squtnlandj andJSas^ expressed J; 'him¥efff'"^as"7cle^l7^ T as^''' r '^¥' possible under c thV*ifciimstances. We; must wish Mr." Hdime^ success;~witlrthe! electors of ? Oteramilta7and i ?we also hope to see him as Superintendent-: . : - ■■• j