The Southland Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 1873.

Southland Times, Issue 1755, 17 June 1873, Page 2

The Southland Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 1873.

Fouk of the seven representatives which the late Province of Southland returns to the Council of the united Province have still to be elected. It will be admitted by all who consider the subject that much of the future prosperity of the district depends on the choice of the constituencies at the present conjuncture The position of the Southland district is in many respects exceptional; and to secure for it even the common right of " a fair field and no favor" in Provincial legislation, demands a more than ordinary share of tact and industry from its representatives. This exceptional position, which every one whose opinion on local politics has been intelligently formed is thoroughly aware of, arises from two causes — one lying in the political history of this part of the country, its separation from the old Province of Otago, independent career for a timo, and subsequent reunion ; and the other in the fact that the district is in itself geographically self contained, possessed of a harbor second to none in the Colony (the nearest good harbor in New Zealand to the Australian continent), and, from its physical configuration, adapted for concentrating the business whichits increasing population is rapidly creating, upon Invercargill as a commercial centre. These facts are thoroughly well understood in Dunedin, and ie cannot be denied that there is a large party in the old province of Otago who regard. Invercargill asa possible rival to the older city. We, who cannot go quite so far, and yet desire nothing better than that their jealous fears should prove to be well-founded, perceive in this idea, which is more generally entertained than openly, acknowledged, a fruitful source of practical injustice to the Southland portion of 'the Province. The injustice, it is but fair to say, will be found less in the deliberations and votes of the Council itself than, probably, in the subsequent action of the Executive. It costs little, and the fact is thoroughly understood by experienced Provincial politicians, to place a vote upon the estimates, and to invite the Council to authorise its expenditure. There is almost always more money authorised to be spent than there is money to spend. After the Council rises the Executive bave it all their own way in selecting which votes shall be expended, so as to exhaust the available means at their disposal, and which votes shall be neglected. It is thus of the highest moment for the prosperity of this part of the country that members should be returned not only able to urge our just local claims on the Provincial Council, but also disposed to support an Executive which will be inclined to give these claims, as sanctioned by the Council, a fair share of the expenditure (which after all is the practical part of the matter), of which they, and they only, have the sole control. TFigures printed in the Appropriation Ordinance, however liberal, will neither make a road, i construct a bridge, nor build a school, nor do anything else that is useful, unless ' the men composing the Executive Council see that the work is actually done, and the money spent in pay- | ment for it; To have men who will fairly regard the wants of the Southland distriot placed in power, is accordingly much more important than to have as representatives men most elaborately ingenious in applying socalled " constitutional " theories to the practice of the somewhat anomalous machinery of New Zealand Provincial Government. Men who have plain common sense enough to disregard the ad captandum nonsense uttered by others I who ought to know better than to do so, about the liberties our forefathers died and bled to secure (liberties which the speakers are well aware are not in the slightest danger), and who have perception enough to see that the policy of Mr Donald. Beid and his friends has been to ignore and neglect the just claims ofthe Southland district, while it has been thafc of Mr Macandbew to accord to them a fair and equal share of consideration with the rest of the Province — the preponderating political influence of Dunedin notwithstanding — these are the men' for whom those electors of this part of the country who have its interest at heart, will record their voteß. It ought to be universally understood that the supporters of Mr Donald TReid's party, on whatever grounds, so called constitutional or otherwise, are the enemies of Southland, while Mr Macandeew's supporters are her beßt friends. • Those electors of Southland, who. believe in practice rather than in theory, in working rather than in wrangling, in the fair performance rather than in the treacherous evasion of solemn obligations, will "to a man vote fbr the candidates who adhere to the comprehensive, policy of fairness, action, and progress, of which Mj* Macandbew and the present Executive aro the exponents. On the present

occasion it is a fortunate circumstance for those who hold these views that the candidates who have come forward on their side of the question are personally in every way worthy of their support. Without entering upon detailed criticism, which might assume an invidious aspect, we fancy that there are few electors in the town of Invercargill, who, caeteris paribus, would not on personal grounds prefer Mv Tappkb to Mr Lumsden ; or in the "Waihopai, Mr Pehkins to Mr Wood ; in the Makarewa, Mr M'Abthub to Mr Wilsox ; in the Aparima, Mr Basstian to Mr Cumming. What the friends of progress and of Southland have most to desire is, that all those who have an opinion on the matter should allow no obstacle or inconvenience to deter them from recording their votes.