TOWN EDITION. THE Wairarapa Mercury. MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1887. LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 50, 16 December 1867, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. THE Wairarapa Mercury. MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1887. LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT.

Ere long; there is no doubt we shall have to manage our own affairs. A feeling is abroad that what with the Government neglect of this district—the' robbery of its land revenue for the purpose of drowning the cry of separation on the West Coast—for the purposes of reclaiming land and building wharves—the carelessness of the Provincial Government in not answering -correspondence—its interference with the Road Boards has all tended to make a people who have latterly dono;their best by the establishment of such Boards in every portion of the Wairarapa, in attempting to secure (by placing tneir bands in their pockets), some portion of that revenue of which they have been so unjustly de-prived-dissatisfied not so much with the Government, but the system that has brought this about. We bear our representatives say, that although moneys may bo voted 'by the Council—that although they attempt to get the revenue raised in the district (after having deducted the ordinary expanses of Government) spent in it, they look upon it as a futile, a hopeless task. . Provincialism has reduced itself to “townism.

/ Extensive public works have been projected and carried, out in the chief towns of tho several Provinces at the expense of the country districts, without any equivalent for the- money contributed for the agrandizement of-the chief towns which have reaped nearly all the benefit ef the money spent on them. The country districts may not have -had a sufficient amount of,representation to balance town influence, and the rivalry ofplacesrepresented in the Coitncilsliaving no common JUQy .haye their neglect by the clupf' towns liayehad ;' ranch more in common wip' each pf the outlying; distfictstfihan' they have reach'. ether. For instance, Wairardpa would sooner

vote money for the ngrandizement of Wellington, the sea-port of the district than for Wanganui,.with which it has as 'little interest in common, ns it has with distant parts of the colony; and Wanganui would treat Wairarapa in the same way. Therefore, to have places represonred in a Provincial C <uncil that have no common interest, is nut local self-

government. What interest can settlers at Wanganui and other parts of the West Coast have in assisting the people of Wairarapa to improve their reads to Wellington ? Would they not rather consider every step taken in that direction as opposed to their own interests as their rivals in the Wellington markets ? The time annually spent in reconciling the opposing the opposing interests of places having not a single interest in common,occupies a largo portion of the Sessions of the Council, and nearly all the remainder of the time is spent adding to the abortive and blundering legislation of tho Province.

What then is tho remedy? Must we continue as we are at present ? There is a remedy, it is a simple one—one wo believe that almost every settler in this district will acknowledge to be the right and true one. Wo must have the management of our own affairs—wo must have a local Government for oursclvcst; Tiinaru and Westland smarting from Provincial neglect petitioned for such a government, and obtained it. Wairarapa must go and do likewise.