The Southland Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1869.

Southland Times, Issue 1173, 29 November 1869, Page 2

The Southland Times. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1869.

The evil of having so sra <1! a country as New Zealand divHe<l into nine or ten petty independent states, is gradually gaining recognition even in the strongholds of Provincialism. At first, the chief objection urged against the system was the enormous departmental expenditure it involved. Next, the occasion it gave for party strifes and log-rolling schemes in the local and supreme legislatures, thereby politically demoralising the entire community, attracted notice. Now, it is becoming obvious that when settlement has extended beyond certain narrow limits, Provincialism not only faila in accomplishing the objects of its existence, but positively acts as an almost insuperable bar to further progress. The multiplicity of diverse interests created by the system, prove too strong to permit of cooperative action for the general welfare of the country as a whole. "Works of colonial magnitude are sacrificed to local jealousies, and petty schemes of purely provincial significance are enhanced at the expeiise of national undertakings. An entire reform in the constitution, embracing tfie suppression of Provincialism, and substituting in its stead one Btrong G-ovehnnent for each of the islands, is the ot]y practical method of solving the difficulty, and securing the prosperity of the colony. The injurious influenct of the system, with regard to the construction of public works, ia very fully brought out by the Otago Daily Times in an ahle article in its issue of the 23rd inst. Speaking of the marked deficiencies in the meaus of intercommunication, the writer says : — The progress made by New Zealand in the construction of public works, awd notably of railways, is not at all creditable either to the enterprise of its people or the foresight of its rulers. There is no colony in the Australasian group, with the exception of Tasmania, which has

made so little progress iv that respect. Although New Zealand stands third on the list in point of population and resources, its position in respect of internal communication is little better than a sixth-rate one. A graphic picture of that position was drawn by Mr Travel's in his speech on ' Constitutional Changes ' in the late session. '"He declared that there is scarcely a country in the world with less of real facilities for pers ras travelling from point to point. Tue North Island is almost without roads. There is no line of coin munioa tion worthy of the name between Wellin-^ton an 1 Auckland. No one can travel "from one city to the other except by laborious stages on horseback. Every day almost we hear of persons being drowned in crossing rivers. In the South Island things are scarcely better. The whole of the Nelson country south of the Clarence river — country including some of the most fertile land in the Lsland— is left without a road, and with its rivers unbridged. Southland is in much the same position. The settlors between the Molyneux. and the Mai aura are unable to send their produce either to Dunedin or to Invercargill. A miserable dispute about a bridge across the Waitaki has occupied the politicians of CM ago and Canterbury • for years._ There are no main roads out of Christchurch to Nelson on the one hand, or to Otago on the other. Our means of communication with, different parts of tue colony are still confined to the sea, almost as much so as in the early days of coloui a> ion. The reason of all this is no mystery. Tne development of our internal communication has been entrusted to the proviuces ; and provincial jealousies have always stood in tha way whenever the necessity of connecting one province with another has been discussed. No attempt has yet been made to establish lines of communication throughout the islands ; and consequently no attempt has yet been made to connect the various centres of population, and to open up the country for settlement. An opinion is now beginning to gain ground that this system is a bad one, and that it ougut to be superseded by a better.

After alluding to the numerous abortive attempts which have been made in Otago and elsewhere to construct railways, comparing the success which has attended such enterprises in Australia with our experience in similar efforts in New Zea ] and, and showing the principal causes of their failure, he concludes : —

The time has undoubtedly come for the introduction of a very different system for the prosecution of public works throughout the colony. Tue provinces are utterly unequal to the task of constructing such works on a comprehensive scale, with a view to the advantage of the colony as a whole. The General Government must undertake it sooner or later. A loan of some two or three millions should be obtained for the purpose, aa soon aathe state of affairs in the iSorih gives promise of peace. The construction of important public works, and of railways in particular, should be carried out under its supervision. The introduction of immigrants should be combined with the construction of public works. These are the matters which n.-ost vitally affect the progress of the country, and which therefore demaud the most earnest attention. But they are beyond the scope of Provincialism ; and so long aa they remain under purely provincial management, we must be content to put up with disappointment.