RE-UNTON OF SOUTHLAND AND OTAGO.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 203, 17 January 1866, Page 5 (Supplement)

RE-UNTON OF SOUTHLAND AND OTAGO.

(From The Southland Times.) Some of the Otago politicians, who are foremost in the movement to obtain a political separation of the North and South Islands of New Zealand, are nevertheless not indisposed to adopt an opposite course with respect to their more immediate neighbors. In the Otago Provincial Council, Mr. Yogel quite recently introduced a resolution, " that it is highly desirable the Provinces of Otago and Southland should agree to re-unite," followed by certain provisional clauses, which, together with the debate thereon, we give in another column. - The proposition is very ably rendered as little startling as possible — the annexation for instance, being studiously avoided. Mr. Yogel' s idea is, that "if the two Provinces go on as at present, the landed estate of each will seriously suffer in value; for it will be simply a struggle which shall offer the most attractive Land Laws and the cheapest land." We cannot agree with Mm as to the correctness of this premiss. A perusal of the latest " Southland Waste Land Act " is sufficient to prove to an impartial observer that we, at least, show no desire to initiate a struggle for the depreciation of the value of the public estate. On the contrary, Clause 26, while fixing the price of rural lands at £1 per acre, provides only for raising such price when considered requisite by the Superintendent and Provincial Council. So that the " struggle," if there is to be one, will not be participated in by us. Had a proposition been introduced the Otago Council with the object of assimilating tbe Land Laws of the two Provinces, it might have been supported by strong arguments, and would have had the serioiri consideration of the public and its representatives in this Province. A treaty of this kind would not have compromised the independence of either, and would have left other interests untouched. Mr. Yogel thinks the material interests of both Provinces are really identical from the similarity of resource possessed ; but if so, why was Separation ever hailed as a boon, or its anniversary celebrated as that of the dawn of a career of prosperity ? If we have suffered a temporary check, there are few who will pretend to be able to trace it to our political severance from Otago. Under any circumstances, the question of re-union could only be entertained when it had been shown indisputably that such a course would be for the advantage of both Provinces. Ec-united, Mr. Yogel says, and there we agree with him, Otago and Southland would be by far the most powerful Province of the Colony ; but to us, re-union simply appears to mean absorption, with this difference only, that supposing the relative positions of the two Provinces to be reversed, it would be well for Southland to avoid the consummation desired by Otago. Our financial difiiculties have been borne, and are fortunately in a fair way to be met ; those of Otago are impending. The project of re-annexation, we must not forget, was mooted in Wellington during the past : session of the G-eneral Assemby ; but, although supported by a section of the Canterbury members, it did not meet with approval. The necessity for this Province ' to command credit no longer exists ; our future action, for some time at least, will • be in liquidation under a colonial guarantee. The provisions made by recent legislation are amply sufficient to reinstate the credit, and develope the resources of this Province. Every day brings with it fresh indications that the worst is past, and that, Phcenix like, Southland is emerging from the ashes of the past. Our natural resources require no adventitious aid — they are patent to every colonist, and do not require us to lean upon the older, but not therefore more vigorous parent stock. In this view of the subject, it is, perhaps, unnecessary for us . to allude to the flagrant mis-statement made, whether inadvertently or not, by an Otago member (Mr. Reynolds), when moving the "previous question." He quoted figures — it is proverbial that figures may be made to prove or disprove at will — from the Southland Government Gazette, which he asserted showed that we had only some half million acres of land to sell- while our debt amounted to £403,530. Mr. Ueynolbs forgot to mention — indeed, it is sometimes convenient to loe oblivious of certain facts when they do not accord with one's views — that the half million acres spoken of are comprised in Hundreds, and classified as agricultural lands. He did not state that the available assets of this Province, as compared with its debts, are more than treble, and that we have to show for ourexpenditure large public works, which will no doubt shortly become highly reproductive. Indeed, the j whole tone of the debate leads us to the con- j elusion that the hon. mover (Mr. Yogel) ! had perhaps the very .best intentions as regards the prosperity of Southland; hut his coadjutors possessed anything but liberal and comprehensive jdjajs on the