THE COST OF PEOVINCIAL GOVERNMENT.

Southland Times, Issue 586, 2 November 1866, Page 2

THE COST OF PEOVINCIAL GOVERNMENT.

(TO THB SDITOB OP THE SOtF_Ht__tt> TIMES.) Sir, — -At the present time, amidst the conflicting interests of political parties in New Zealand, but very few persons have thought it worth their while to go into particulars respecting the cost of Provincialism— indeed, beyond the well known fact that Provincialism is a nuisance, and very expensive, scarcely any information has been vouchsafed by those those advocates of separation, except in vague generalities. I wi_h, however, with your permission lay before the readers of your widely circulated journal some valuable suggestions recently obtained from papers laid on the table of the House of Eepresentatives, and published in the Auckland Press. It will speak more forcibly than all the little quibbles which are brought to bear against the Southland Provincial Government. It bears the impress of truth on its face — indeed, in the case of Southland it is under-rated. I allude to the cost of government. The following is the article in question: — " A return laid before the House of Eepresentatives, furnishes us with some very usefulinformationastothecostof Provincial Government in the colony of New Zealand, and it may perhaps afford us a clue to the reason why this form of government is so popular with a certain class of persons. We have so frequently stated our opinion that Provincial Government is a clumsy and rotten system that we shall not go over that ground at present. What we should rather propose to ourselves to do is, to show that a large class of persons in the various provinces are something like the active vestry men of the London parishes. — They make a very handsome yearly subsistence by talking provincialism to th 9 general public. Altogether there are 200,000 souls supposed to be in New Zealand. Taking the usual estimate out of this 200,000 there are 50,000 adults, and taxpayers in the general sense. To govern these 200,000 persons there are ten separate and independent governments. For our present purpose we must leave out the tenth or general government, and assume that it does not exist. So then we have nine separate and independent governments. These governments are in the northern island four, employing 276 persons, at a cost of £47,500 in round numbers. In the southern island five, employing 282 persons, at a cost of £77,200 in round numbers. Or giving the gross totals of 454 persons dividing among them £125,000 of the taxation of the country. This, it will be remembered, is not strictly the cost of the provincial government, for we know that it costs somewhere a bout double the amount, leaving out of the question what it costs indirectly by the withdrawal from their legitimate pursuits of something like 1000 persons for mere official and legislative duties of no possible value to the public. The Province of Taranaki is a notable instance of how the pnblic is hoodwinked and humbugged by this stupid and rotten system of provincialism. A province not containg so many persons as Westward No- 4 of the city of Auckland employs no less than 22 individuals, at a cost of £4722 annually to administer its affairs. The equally extensive province of Hawke's Bay employs 25 persons at a total annual cost of £5118, while Wellington, under that impersonation of provincialism, Dr Featherston, caps the lot by employing 76 persons at a aost of £15,017 9s. annually. The province of Southland, having a population numbering about 7500, requires 31 persons, at an annual cost of £6460 to keep its people in order. We need not multiply these instances of scandalous extravagance. To men who take the trouble of reflecting at all upon the matter, it must be evident that these officers and offices are not required, then we do not require a General Government. But as we have now disposed of the petty malversators of the public money, we will proceed to take the greater delinquents. Those who come nearest to each other are Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago. Auckland has one hundred and fifty-three persons engaged in her Provincial Government, who divide among them £22,602 I4s 9d ; Canterbury has seventy-four at £21,833 ; Otago one hundred and twenty-three at £38,538. Thus Auckland pays her officials an average of £141 2s 7d. each yearly. Canterbury £295 0s 9|d, and Otago no less than £313 5s 10£ d. Who will not go in for provincialism after this ? Any man who gets put into a provincial office in the Northern Island is sure of a yearly average of £173 2s 9£d. We prefer the Southern Island, however, where the average rises to £263 15s lid. The average on the whole colony being £223 2s s^d. If here ia not a strong argument against provincialism we should like to find one. Nine governments and nine legislatures, — these legislatures passing in five years some two thousand five hundred laws, many of those laws being different in each of the nine provinces. Never was there any legislation like this. It beats the patent egghatching machine, where they put in fresh laid eggs at one end, and brings out trussed chickens ready dressed for table at the other." Such, Sir, is the state to which New Zealand has been brought by the Provincial system. Now would it not be a much wiser plan to seek the abolition of such a costly state of misgovernment by agitating its total annihilation and joining with other provinces towards this end, then continually abusing in a most senseless manner, the present local government. They are not to blame, because as long as the Provincial system is perpetuated, it matters little to the general public, whether Mr A. or Mr B. is Superintendent, or who compose the Executive Government. The same ex-

jj>enß6 would have to bs maintained the same or similar officers would have to sit on the red tape benches, and the public at large would still be called upon to pay towards maintaining so costly a Government. Let our members in the General Assembly be called upon to support a sound scheme of Separation, with enlarged municipalities, and let our energies be devoted to agitate against the present General Government, where the real power is lodged rather than against the Provincial Government, who possess no power, and who are utterly helpless to make either roads or bridges, or any other useful work of colonization. Yours &c, Obsebyeb. i ______________________