THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrezi. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2158, 3 December 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrezi. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1875.

SirGeoegeGbey's speech in Auckland— so long looked for, so much expected— was, as we have said, disappointing in the extreme. From Sir George all men expected much, and from Sir George flew got anything they cared to know. It was thought after the journey to the Southafter the opportunities thus given for ascertaining in what direction the views of the people pointed, or might he made to point .by a few judicious promises and ideal pictures of fancied benefits —after the conferences which the chiefs of the Opposition might have held (that we say not did hold) and the time which had elapsed in which the Opposition leader might have matured a scheme conceived with his followers in the South, that when at last he did speak to his constituents we should have had clearly pointed out to us some line of policy which should render Abolition unnecessary, even if not actually unadvisable, and bring over to thu side of Sir George Grey many who would rejoice to range themselves under the banner of so distinguished a man if they could but do so without doing violence to their own political creed. Such, however, \was not the case. Sir George Grey was painfully reticent, and contented himself with giving advice, which might be followed should the Government persist in their Abolition scheme. But what Sir George has withheld, or at the best only faintly foreshadowed, Mr G. Maurice O'Borke has supplied, and in an address to the electors of the town of Onehunga, somewhat verbose in its character, " briefly deicribes the scheme of policy," which he tells us was " shadowed forth by our Superintendent." That scheme is briefly this: if possible Auckland is to be a separate province, absolutely independent of any other province or any other island in New Zealand, and, if this be the case, Mr G. Maurice O'Borke sees his way, if we may judge from the latter part of his address, to increase the "facilities for the acquisition of the soil," and to reduce the "taxation on articles of daily use, as was proposed last session* with regard to tea, flour, and sugar." Should this plan, however, be not feasible, Mr O'Eorke is prepared to accept Insular Separation rather than any longer put up with the Abolition of the Provinces, which, as he says, " tears from us the last shreds of independence." Truly Mx Q'Jctorke goes in for the petty kingdom scheme, and the multiplication, and consequently complication of governments, with a vengeance. "We generally hold it as one firm maxim of political economy that it is useless to have two people, and pay two people for that which one is sufficient to do by himself, and therefore by this reasoning, argue, we think rightly, that four provinces are better than the present nine, and one united, undivided colony better than four having conflicting, because divided interests. Mr O'Borke is, however, disposed to hold a diametrically opposite opinion, and argues, on what grounds we know not, that he hopes to have Auckland—one only oat of nine provinces—a colony by itself; if he can't get this he will have two colonies out of the two islands, rather than one alone. That as, he says that one entire colony is bad, two are better, but nine are best of all! Perhaps Mr O'Eorke in the plentitude -of fcta ideas as to the peace and. comfort

which this snug little compact colony will bestow on his settlors, will permit his fancy to run riot a little further, and by a parity of reasoning go on to say that a further sub-division is even more to be desired, and propose making oiitof'hiS; little township of Onehunga a further, independent state', which, like .Carthage alluded to by Sir George Grey,^mß^ grow in peace, and plenty, and prosperity under the fostering care of the O'Eorkes, the Barcse of their day! It is rather noticeable, however, that while Mr G. O'Eorke—in language the reverse of dispassionate—claims for Auckland the right to separate itself from the other eight provinces, or to join with three of them in forming an independent island, he is by no means willing to allow the same latitude of power to others, but without consulting them declares it better that the reins of I power with regard to Taranaki and Hawke's Bay should pass into the hands of the Superintendent of Wellington, and as regards Nelson, Marlborough and Westland, into the hands of the Superintendent of Canterbury. Beautiful inconsistency ! Auckland is to be allowed to separate itself at will, or join itself.at pleasure with whomsoever it pleases* with or without their consent; while the " smaller provinces " above enumerated are to see the "reins of power" pass from them into the hands of the Superintendents of Wellington or Canterbury at the bidding of Mr O'Eorke. Surely if Auckland wishes to make itself a laughing stock by constituting itself a petty state without money and without influence, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki may make themselves ridiculous in a similar manner, if the wish takes possession of them to do so at the bidding of another O'Korke! What is to be allowed to one cannot be denied to another, and Sir George Grey, whose dictum even Mr O'Eorke is bound to obey, himself declared that if a federation is broken up without the consent of different bodies forming that federation, each member should determine whether they will enter into the new federation or not, and on what terms. Since these things are so, these provinces have surely equal rights to form themselves into independent colonies if they choose, even without the consent of Mr O'Eorke. True he speaks of them as " smaller provinces," and seems to think that because they are smaller than Auckland they can be dealt with by it as is thought best. On the same ground Auckland is smaller than the South Island, and the North than the South. If this piece of impertinent presumption on the part of Mr O'Eorke be taken for an argument worthy of common sense, let Mr O'Borke and "lovers of the province of Auckland" beware of the weapon they themselves would seek to use. The whole address may be designated as having unsupported assertions for its leading features, presumptuous egotism its characteristic point.