New Zealand Antipathies.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3834, 12 April 1881, Page 2

New Zealand Antipathies.

Feom an Outside Point of View.

We extract the following from the Federal Australian.:—New Zealand is not one but many, united yet divided. That may ia a sense be said, no doubt of every colony, but I don't mean to perpetrate a mere platitude. I wish to impress on your readers, that owing to the peculiar geographical formation of this colony, the conditions of life, the pursaits of the people, the varied climates of the several great divisions of the islands, and even the differing political tendencies of seren or eight different groups of coloaists cannot be readily described in one breath or averaged in one single phrase. Besides, the general division into the north and south—or rather North and Middle Island, Stewart Island being in reality the south island, though of no importance, and possessing few inhabitants, the peculiar modes in which fcbe different settlements were oviginally formed, and for many years carripd on, notwithstanding the political abolition of Provincialism in 1876, leave their mark to this day. Canterbury and Otago", for instance, though divided only by a well-bridged river, have very distinctive features, and there ia intense jealousy iti the former district of the latter. For instance, because the Public Works Minister, the Hon. Mr Oliver, happens to be an Otago man, he is anathematised in Canterbury, end looked upon as the incarnation of evil, though in reality he has held the balance most fairly. Again, ia Auckland jealousy of their distant, r.nd in some respects more favoured neighbours of the South, both Canterbury and Otago, is very strong and the political balance is with difficulty maintained by the somewhat clumsy fexpedient of taking a membar of tke. Government as nearly as possible from each provincial district, and two each from the more important. This provincial element prevents any one man. from becoming the representative man of the colony, unless perhaps such a ram avis as Sir George Grey, whose influence after all is chiefly felt in the Auckland Province, where he resides, though he is always well received in Otago.