OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND UNION BILL.
(Hansard.) Mr M'Gillivray hoped that honorable members from Otago had kept their ears open to some of the statements of the honorable member for Wallace, and would recollect that a prospect was held out to them ef entering into a most profitable alliance and rich partnership, and they ought to pay seme premium upon the transaction. It was not aeeessary to go into figures in this matter. They had had enough of them, but he might say that the honorable gentleman's speech ought to be called figarative, inasmuch as figures had entered so largely into it. It might also be called prospective, inasmuch as it dealt with the future and not with the present. But the worst part of it was that no array of figures, however well arranged or closely packed, could by any known contrivance be made to fill an empty treasury. Seven or eight months ago, in the Provincial Council of South, land, there was a great array of figures put forward; but that array had not benefited the Province one bit. Impugn it who list, he would say that the whole of the consolidated revenue of Southland was seized as soon as it came in, by the General Government, month by month, stil] leaving a large.. deficit, where the honorable member obtained his information he (Mr M'Gillivray) knew not ; but he would himself give the House-some figures which were supplied to him on the day he left Southland for Wellington, by the Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Province. During the quarter ending September, 1869, there were 468 acres, some roods and perches, of land sold ; during the quarter ending December, 3,700 acres ; during the quarter ending March, 1870, 908 acres; and from the end of March to the day he left Southland, early in June, the sales amounted to 130 acres. There was thus a total of 5,207 acres sold during the year, instead of the 32,000 acres stated by the honorable member for Wallace. In fairness it should be added that land to the extent of 4,389 acres was given in payment of the railway contract. Whether that land was sold or not, he was not aware ; but allowing that it was, there was a total of about 10,000 acres, instead of 32,000 acres. Mr Webster. — Will the honorable member allow me to explain, for he is making statements that somewhat pervert
the truth. The honorable member for Dunedin and myself agreed in including lands set apart for railway purposes, and 5,000 acres for road purposes, which will make 25,000 acres sold this year, in addition to the quantity now stated by the honorable member for Eiverton. Mr M'Gillivray was speaking of the land actually sold during the. year, which amounted to about 10,000 acres, if the Commissioner of Crown Lands knew his own business. If the advantages of the proposed union were to be confined to either Province, he could not give it his support ; but believing, as he did > conscientiously and firmly, that the union would be decidedly for the benefit of both Provinces, he was able, to the best of his humble ability, to support the Bill. The division of the original Province was a great mistake. It was even a geographical blunder. Southland was now inserted like a wedge, reaching from the southern coast into the heart of Otago — it was like a piece cut out of a man's field or garden. A large portion of Otago was within the geographical and commercial limits of Southland, and the consequences had been to fetter enterprise, to inflict serious injury upon the bordering settlers, and to hinder the progress of agricultural settlement with its concomitant industries. By the union, Ofcago, he believed, would be benefited in her outlying districts, through the commercial facilities that would be afforded to her ; for, were the Provinces reunited, doubtless lines of communication would be carried through to the ports of communication, and other lines would also be planned out. Whilst Otago's progress, had been rapid, in spite of many difficulties, he believed most, sincerely that' it would have been far greater but for the drawback of Southland. It was said by the Colonial Treasurer, on a former occasion, that Southland must either be united with Otago or sell off her estate. Some people said that the General Government sanctioned Southland running into debt, and that it was the duty — he had heard it said, also, the interest — of the General Government to pay off the debts of Southland. But it could not reasonably be expected that the General Government was to render efficient pecuniary aid to Southland, and to tax other parts of the Colony in order to pay her debts, whilst other Provinces were in need of" assistance, and could make as good a claim as that made by Southland. Where would such a system end? That Southland had valuable assets j there could be no reasonable doubt. The land generally was of a superior quality ; there was a great extent of it ready to receive the plough ; but the worst of it was that Southland, from want of funds, was unable to render her property available. Southland, in her present condition could not, in short, incur that expenditure which was essentially necessary to bring her property into the market. She was in the position of a man whose assets were locked up, and who needed assistance to make them of use. By forcing the land of Southland into the market, its price must be reduced — very greatly reduced, he feared — indeed, he did not know who was to buy it, and the Province would thus fall lower and lower, being not only a drawback upon Otago and the settlers upon the borders, but also a positive incubus on the General Government. He believed that Southland could not retrieve herself in any other way than by reunion with Otago : he had not heard of any other possible way. By reunion she would be enabled to turn her assets to the best account. Her financial distress would be relieved ; her commercial and other interests would be greatly extended and strengthened ; and, above all, confidence in the future would be established. Great results were expected from the creation of the Southland Province. The vision of independence was very alluring in the eyes of many men ; it appeared to be so in the eyes of the honorable member for Wallace. But Southland's independence was independence siti generis — an independence that could not meet its current liabilities to the General Government ; that could not pay its own servants; that was sending people out, of the Province because of the want of roads; in short, an independence that paid nothing and nobody was just an independence not worth having. Experience had proved, he thought, not only in the case of Sonthland, but in the cases of some other Provinces as well, that there was a limit to the advantageous sub-division of Government. There were certain evils inherent in small representative bodies. They had not extension enough to curb the violence of local faction, and to put down local prejudices and self-interests. The very evils that were sought to be remedied by separation were but intensified ; the settlers all around were hampered in their endeavors, and property that had been expected to be greatly increased in value was rendered almost valueless. All this tended to demonstrate the great impolicy of small Governments. It had been said by some, and he believed by the honorable member for Wallace, that a considerable land revenue was to be derived from Southland ; but he thought the experience of the Commissioner of Crown Lands showed that all who so said were over sanguine. Then the Southland railways were to become so valuable that they would yield £5,000 a year the honorable member for Wallace said ; but 5,000 pence was a more likely amount. He never could understand what the traffic on those railways was to be, and he should be glad to learn. In Tasmania the Government were at one time firmly determined not to allow the convicts to work for settlers ; so large probation parties were not only kept upon road works, but were sent to make roads in such out-of-the-way places that the settlers came to say that such roads were made for the kangaroos. If there were kangaroos in Southland he should be inclined to say the same of the Southland railways, although' they may be valuable. It had been said that reunion would result in a sacrifice of the independence of Southland; just as
if political independence was limited by area of country, or as if an independent state,* because it wai united to another quite as independent as itself, would thereby lose its independence. Surely, if New Zealand had but one Government to-morrow, the Provinces would not theraby lose their independence : if the parts of a whole were independent, the whole must be bo too. By reunion, the benefits of local municipal administration would .be greatly extended ; for he believed it was admitted on all hands that there was >no better municipal administration in the Colony than was to be found in the Province of Otago. It was difficult to see how the opponents of reunion could justify their obstructiveness, in face of the fact that a large majority in each of the two Provincial Councils had decided in its favor. Again, to regard the interests of any Province in , this matter as subordinate to the i political bearings of the measure on the Colony, was, he thought, scarcely judicious. So far from being an impediment in the way of consolidated government, he trusted that this reunion would be but a step in the process of forming one consolidated Government for the whole Island. This Bill, he apprehended, should meet the case of provincialists ; for it was better to have one strong Province than to have a strong Province with a moribund Province hanging to it. It would make' one Province the less, and it would place the one that was formed on a better vantage ground for dealing with the others towards the union of the whole. Whatever constitutional reforms might be adopted, he trusted that the issue would be one 1 Legislature for each Island. In conclusion, he would only say that it appeared to him au axiom that the concentration of administrative po Yer in one Government for each Island would secure unity of purpose and identity of interests, instead of the diversity and clashing of interests which at present existed, to the extinction of the provincial system, with all the useless expenditure it entailed. (To be continued.) . 1
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Southland Times, Issue 1294, 16 August 1870, Page 3
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1,786OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND UNION BILL. Southland Times, Issue 1294, 16 August 1870, Page 3
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