CHRISTCHURCH.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2163, 9 December 1875, Page 2

CHRISTCHURCH.

Wednesday. At the meeting of the Presbyterian Assembly last night measures were taken which are likely to lead to a speedy union of the North and South into one church.

Mr Bolleston addressed the electors of the Avon district last night. He gave a lengthened resume of the proceedings of the Assembly last session. He justified the strong measure he, with others, took respecting the Abolition of the provinces, but he said it now rested with the constituencies to say what would be done, and if they decided in favour of Abolition, he would not offer a factious opposition. He admitted that Mr Yogel had negotiated the loan as favourable as could be done, but condemned him for acting against the adyice of the agents appointed with him. Referring to the personnel of the present Government, he said they had got some very good men in it; in fact, more konest men than were in the Ministry do not exist, but_ the Ministry is at present ill-assorted' find disorganised, as was shownd by the late Prime Minister not being backed up by his colleagues, and as proved by the administration of the Government right through. He severely criticised the action of the Ministry regarding the waste lands of the North Island, and said it had not been such as to inspire confidence in the manner they will deal with the lands of the Middle Island when they fall into their power. He believed that in this colony the General Government, removed as it is from the lynx-eye of the people, would act in an arbitrary manner, which sooner or later was sure to lead to transactions that ought not to be countenanced by any Government. He was very sure that were a whisper of such Utfly land transactions as had occurred in the North Island to be raised in that province under the provincial system there would be such a howl of indignation that the Superintendent and the Executive would quickly be dispensed with. .He believed that education was the national question of the day, far above Provincialism or Centralism. What he considered necessary was a continuity of administration, which would be given by the constitution of boards like that recently existing in this province, the fixity of finance, such as could only be'secured by the Government of the colony saying, this is a question which the whole colony must take up; and place the expenditure upon it, to a large extent, on the Consolidated Fund. He was satisfied the main feature : of a successful system was that the people should feel they were working out their own destinies with large powers of administration, under strict provision and regulation, and that the colony, as at home, should, by the active inspection of schools, teachers, &c, secure a uniform whole, which shall really build us up apeople. He was opposed to runs being let by auction. When the leases expire in 1880 they should be let on a valuation, and so as not to interfere with free selection for purchase. He spoke at'length on the question Provincialism Iversus r Centralism the-substance of his remarks being that although, as he had said iv his public

speeches years ago, the form of government required modifying still he was firmly satisfied it should not be dispensed with altogether. Provincial Councils had certainly grown vastly beyond their proper size and might very, well be reduced by some such number of members as there are for the General Assembly in any one province that the electoral districts of the province and other districts might bo columinous, the same rate roll would serve for the different elections. The existing form of Government he considered the very best form we could have, and he had no substitute to propose for it. The same form of Government prevailed in the colonies, in the United States, and in much older countries, and it was only a question of degree. One of the greatest problems in. the Mother Country was to establish a form of local government which would relieve the central Parliament of functions which it ought not to be called on to discharge. Eeferring to the distribution of the revenue, he said municipalities and suburban districts should have their share of tho land revenue, but he believed that grave injustice would .^accrue from adopting one uniform principle of giving £1 for £1 all through the provinces. Ho disagreed entirely with the payment of subsidies from tho Consolidated Fund, and agreed with having an elective Legislative Council.. liOn the- conclusion of his address a vote of confidence was unanimously passed in Mr Kolleston. There is no opposition to him yet.