AUCKLAND NOTES.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2138, 10 November 1875, Page 2

AUCKLAND NOTES.

(FBOM (TOE SPECIAL CO»BEBPOK»EKr.) -

Tuesday evening. The Coming Assembly 81eotions. The time is rapidly approaching when it will be the allotted'duty of the' people of the colony, and especially of this province, to elect its repi»sentatives, and at no period since the first white man set hit feet on these shores should the franchise be exercised with greater care. Daring some of the debates which took place recently at Wellington, it was broadlj stated that there were strong indications of the whole people being ruled for a long time to come by unscrupulous ministers, and its strong backers the civil service, except the people were strongly united and upset the present Government, drirer and coach; and indeed any one knowing the strength and influence of the noble band, will endorse these sentiments. Political agitator? and their whips are already getting on the gui vire, and ife therefore becomes a necessity for settlers and well-wishers of the province to calmly consider the future position of aftairs. Whilst I am directing-attention to the main question, I may allude to a debate which took place at a recent meeting of one of our city literary societies, oa a resolution moved by one of the members, and, although the same was telegraphed you for the information of your numerous readers, must again repeat it in order to show what the result Vas when the debate closed.* * S'li? proposilfon was as follows:—" That in the opinion of this institute no member should be elected for a constituency in the province of Auckland at the forthcoming general election who does not pledge, himself to insular separation." The question as a whole was temperately and vigorously discussed, and many matters of importance were brought under the notice of members , deserving of public mention. The alsurdity of having two corporate bodies such as the Domain Board-and the Auckland Improvement Commissioners separate, when one could do the both; the wisdom of amalgamating the Harbor Board and City Council; the necessity of reducing the number of useless heads of Government departments, making one perform the duties of two or three; the small amount of work some of the Native Land Court judges have to do • the enormous cost of the Public Works Department at Tauranga and other districts'; and the evil of continuing to support and pay a host of Satires whose only redeeming quality was their desire and anxiety to sign memorials to the Queen to create Sir "Donald McLean as permanent Native ■Minister during life ; the waste of public monies going on under The Loan Defence Purposes.Act of 1871; the Armed Con. stabulary and the keeping of the Luna; the mismanagement cf immigration and the unheard of gross total expenditure consequent on the trip of Sir Julius Togel with his " tail," consisting of Dr. Hector, Colonel Moule,, Mr Seed, Mr Xennaway, his secretary, Mr Fox, and others at home, a sum sufficient to maintain our Lunatic Asylum and Provincial Hospital for a whole year, were forcibly dwelt upon. The mismanagement and conducting of such matters many of the speakers urged were so unjust and op* pressive that the only way to put ft stop to their continuance was to endeavor to "obtain insular separation. The abife^ leader in one of the September wsuae^P*' the New Zealand Herald, airentthe unequal representation of both Islands, one of the speakers continued, was of such a glaring character as should induce its publication in the shape of a circular, and its being sent to every provincial elector to enable him to fully, appreciate the " kind " action of " Soapy Dan's "government towards the people of the province of Auckland, quotations and remarks from some of the speeches delivered in the House during its recent sittings—particularly extracts from the excellent speeches of Sir George Grey and Mr Swanson in opposing the second reading of the Abolition Billwere forcibly brought under review, but especially as regards the civil servants of the colony, when members dwelt upon their^ influence in aiding "class legislatiqn which would to a certainty be used. by that body in the future- against the collective mtejests of the general mass of the people to their great detriment.. The liabilities which would bechargable against the different provinces at the end of the financial year of 1877 and 1878, so far as the province was. concerned, appeared to be of a most alarming nature, when compared with other provinces. In the Colonial Treasurer's own statement, in the House, when speaking of the liabilities for railway works, as given in Hansard No. 13, page 185, the following appears: —"It is also necessary that I should, 1.-tw « Mnao^;nflr fi,,*],^ S ( a f c tLat the

balance of the loans.which, we had unrated and unexpended at the commencement of this year amounted, not as the honorable member for Clutha informed the Housse to only £466,000. but to very nearly £400,000. "When these sums are expended, there will be chargeable, speaking in rouud numbers, against the several provinces for railway works as follows :— BAILWAYB. Auckland £950,000 Taranaki... ... ;.. 110-000 WeH.n«ton H»wb 6 Bay dOOOOO felson .....-,.. 265,000 Marlborough ... ... 150.000 Canterbury <s,uuu,uuo We.tUnd- ... -. o 125,000 -Otago 2,500,000 Total ... -£7 550,000" Could anything be more unjust than such a statement. Just look at the benefits ; *«S derive fr°m l^e lottns compared with the jriore favored provinces given above, and!'»in >proporiidn' to our. population, *«venue« aiid importance. of nominees under the Abolition of ProTincw Billi one of th«i speakers alluded.to the liberal treatment whioh the goidfields the hai% of the. ■provincial - authorities in Jth^ paiit. The lairua people considered that when thej held a r;meetin^ and Condemned provihciial.aation they would be received openly by the * central Authorities, : .but. such wwl not the ". ,iact as^the Comjnissioner of Telegraph? absolutelyi'cfused to extend the.telegraph cthsre wi^en asked t<> : ;do,|O m the-,As- . usvmmmm* represent It? was ..doubtful whether the mover and seconder of* the adverse resolution at Tairua were even Thames electors, certainly one^ofithem^■was.aioti.. :Butnow -people 'are 'finding, out the value of f Government promises, and more specially the lying:statemeuts of the Col. Treasurer, until -it -has culminated' in one of the ! Thames papers-^ThO Star-denouncing '■■'■os> fioHduct of/the Government m lanKuage more" forcible than polite-—in fact, that paper made a clean ' breast-of the. wilful deception , s sidoptedi,.-jutt as 1 &c session was7:;d^ing;tb"^a dlose. If -the future nominee appointments were composed of ;the samej class; of; persons 8 s were mixed up in the OHinemuri, Tairua, and other " palpable " speculations so far ai Auckland:was:concerned,ltheri-central control wo\ild. prove more a curse'than a bleising to the colony, as not to include the jobbery, corruption, &c, which would be largely practised; large proportions of thfe taxpayers' money would be swallowed up an large commissions, bonuses and swelling the bank funds of a certain institution to the well being of its shareholders, and the detriment of New Zealand. The 'society did well in debating • the matter,, and we sincerely trust the people generally willadopt such means as will give this all important subject, not only general agitation, but render solid aid to- those members who came forward in support of such views at the approaching general elections.