The Daily News. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1900. NORTH VERSUS SOUTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 20, 18 October 1900, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1900. NORTH VERSUS SOUTH.

♦ Several North Island newspapers are doing their best to stir op ill-feeling between the North and South Islands, on the grounds, first, that the North Island is not getting its fair share of the Public Works expenditure; and, secondly, that too large a proportion of the members of the Cabinet belong to the South Island. Our Auckland contemporary, the Few Zcahnd Herald, publishes a long tabulated statement showing the voces passed this session for railways, and brings out a total of £196,000 for the North Island as against £282,000 for the South Island, showing a balance in favour of the South island, of £86,000, It is not necessary to go into these figures further than to say that it is most unfair to only quote the figures for railways, and that even if the balance is in favour of one Island it is a very poor ground for trying to stir up strife. There is no doubt but that in the past the trade of the South Island has been very much larger than that of the North, and the expenditure there has been fully justified. The real cause of the delay o r many necessary public works in the North Island has been largely due to the native difficulty, and the enormous areas of la>:,d lying unoccupied. This is raptdiy being changed, and the North Maud is rapidly overtaking the South Island. Here are the figures as quoted by a Napier contemporary relating to exports last year, excluding gold, coal, and gum. They are excluded ps not being products of the surface, and consequently affording no indication of the fertility or the productive cnpacity of the soil. Minerals used or shipped away mean bo mush less natural wealth, wberess stocking land , increases its productive capacity, and, year Lifter year, herds, flocks, acd wops are yielded : Noith Souih Island. Island. Frozen meat, carcases 1,635,470 1,800 811 Wo&l, bales 232,523 170,8 3 r.cathtr, bales ... 1,245 3,973 Flax, bales 56,326 6,408 Tallow, etc., casks ... 32,394 27,231 Preserved meats, cases 30,764 8,293 Wheat., etc., sacks ... 6,654 331,848 Oats, sacks _ 66,894 Grass seed, sacks ... 3,272 25,355 Batter, tons 7,759 1,526 Cheese 2,093 2,366 Hares, etc., crates ... Sundries, tons ... 2,465 521 " Thus," continues our authority, " we are nearly level with the South Island in meat production, we are a loDg way ahead in wool, preserved meats, flax, tallow, butter,-and sundries. The only items in which we are beaten, apart from frozen meat, are leather, grassseed, cheese, hares, and wheat and oats, and the only marked superiority is in the two latter items, and last year was an exceptional one in grain production." The total value of all exports last year, including minerals, was—from the North Island, £6,011,239, or 50.30 per cent, of the total for the colony, and from the South Island £5,916,290, or 49-70 per cent. And owing to the exceptional area of land in grain in the South Island, that showing is more favourable to our southern neighbours than the figures for the year before, when the North Island shipped 55.30 per cent, of all exports, and the South 44.70. And as the North is opened up by roads and railways, it will more and more prove its superiority in productive power. This beiDg the cise, we hiva little fear but that the cxpandituro will increase m proportion. Then, as regards the large proportion of southern men in ' the Ministry, that is cartiinly n)t the \ fault of the South Island, buc rather J the fault of the electors in the North Island for not returning men of Uabi : net rank to roprt sent them. Putting on one side Captain Russell, whose failure as a pxrty leader is only equalled "y his high qualities ss a niao, and Sir Maurice O'Korke, haw many North Island members are b>. for a seat in the Ministry? The ninjoiiiy of the North ' Opposition members are deiuerr.ws from the Liberal ranks, and several of th« ro-cilled tupp >rtc-rs of the Go- ' vernment, appear lo be only deterrtd from doing so by the f>.aroi' losing theii seaip, wbi e few tf the remainder havts beea long enough in the House ti. justify their elevation to a seat ' on the Treasury benches. The ' fact is North Llacd constituencies', ', and ifioniberfj also for the matter • i! thv;, lire far more changeable that the Southerners. The South Island hut : .ilv.-.ys been consistently liberal in principle. The population does not ; smiii about su much as is the case in ; the North l'sknd. The result has been 1 the return, year- after year, of stern, steadfast, cons stent, thorough-going : {.clitic ans who have, by their loyal t.i ! to party obligations, earned the respect i and esteem of both sides of the House, 1 and their elevation to seats on the ' | Treasury benchej has given general ( ■iii-isl'iictioii. If the North Island wants ' a larger share of representation j u the Cabinet, tho constituencies must see to it that they return, men capable o£ ; .3 '

rising to the level of statesmanship, and who will not remain satisfied with the position of political peddlers. (