THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER “Verite sans peur.” WANGANUI, SEPT. 26, 1861.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 261, 26 September 1861, Page 3

THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER “ Verite sans peur.” WANGANUI, SEPT. 26, 1861.

In; may not be improper on the occasion ot the enlargement of this sheet to make a few remarks on its history. It is five years this week since the IVanganu. Chronicle ’ was started. It was at first printed on a sheet of demy, which is halt the size of this sheet, am’ continued in this humble form for a year, when it waenlarged to the size in which it has appeared till to-day. By the present a change about a third more of matter will.be contained in its columns, and we hope tv make snch improvements on it as the grow iilg importance of the district demands. When it was started the number of settlers in the .district was very small in comparison with its present population —we see in the first issue the notice of a contested election at which the highest candidate onh polled 55 votes in Wangonui and 13 in Turakina and Bangitikei, about one-fifib of the number that •might be expected w. vote in the event of snch a contest occurring now—nevertheless in the same number acknowledgment is made of the libera support given to the undertaking, and w< have reason after the lapse of five years !»■ repeat this acknowledgment, ami to thank our subscribers and the public for tlteit generous forbearance with our many shortcomings. -The prospectus promised mor* than we can conscientiouslyv say has been performed. • “In this Journal'’ (it was promised) “ it is proposed to record all political, judicial stnd‘commercial intelligence affecting the colony, as well as current events ; also full extracts from English and Colonial newspapers likely to be interesting to every class of readers.” Now we have tinmodesty not to claim the merit of having fully carried out this programme. Tin desire to do so was strong but our limited space prevented its realisation. In future we shall endeavour more closely to conform to the high standard which the pro jectors of the Chronicle had iu view at its commencement. And we may promise in addition a greater amount of that local intelligence which a correspondent takes us to task in another column for dealing out in such stinted measure. 7’ltere is another part of the programme which we may take the credit of haying carried out more fully. “ With partizans,” says the pros pectus again, “wejiave no sympathy, but are aware that a journal faithfully representing public opinion in Wanganui and the adjacent districts, must manifest cot- ■ ciirrence in the general policy enunciate by our Superintendent, as regards tli right of the Local Government to the exclu sive administration of all affairs relating ttheprovince only, & limiting the Legislative and Executive powers of the General Gov ernment to matters affecting the colony «• large.” That is, we raised the standard < I Provincialism* as opposed to. Centralism and although it may be with feeble am yet with faithful heart we have defendei what we believed to be right in this resper-i whenever it seemed to be attacked. ] has also seemed dutiful not only to es pouse this cause abstractly, as a principle but to give whatever aid and encouragtment might be in our pewer to such of ott representatives as had advocated it. Out present superintendent is mentioned as tin duimpion of this policy; and to his gov ernment. as it hasj been carried, on will honest intentions and very considerable ability, we have considered it our duty to give a support unwavering, but not blindly partial. For while generally concurring with our superintendent’s opinions and administration, we have sometimes seen cause to differ from him in opinion and to

call in question the propriety of his To do so is a friendly-action, and one which onr duly to the public whose interests the press is expected to aid in j.r. Meeting compels us to perform. While therefore generally approving of Provincialism and of; the present Provincial Government, as the best which we can at present obtain, we by no means consider ourselves bound to ah stain from condemning an) particular acts of the government which may call for censure. Before finishing these somewhat egotistical remarks, we would refer to one other point in the prospectus —“A reasonable space” it says “ will be allowed to correspondents, whose comnunicatioiis should be authenticated and subject to the approbation of the Editor;” ibis promise has been carried out to the letter ; and we allude to it specially because in 90me quarters an idea has been prevalent —-especially within the last 18 months, during which we have sometimes advocated opinions somewhat distasteful to a few of our rea-ders—-that political bias had occasioned us to refuse insertion to letters advocating views different from our own. This is quite a mistake. Circumstances of various iiind.i have prevented us from inserting a few letters on the poliucal qiiestions which have beon agitating the community for spine time back; but in no case lias this been occasioned by their political complexion. Indeed more have been refused advocating the opinions we had expressed, than opposing them. An d as there lias been no ground for any such suspicion in time past, there will he none in time to conift. We have every confidence in the •'Humph of truth. Whatever oj inions the conductor of a public journal holds and ulvocates he should have sufficient reasons mi*; and if he is not prepared to defend hem by urgmnnit, no mere bold assertion, f tlu.ir correctness, "or refusal of publicity -.0 what is advanced against them, will avail him a jot. I’ubiie opinion will not iOw be hoodwinked ; and we have never bad any notion of attempting such a hopeess task. Great is the truth and it must prevail. With these explanations we enter m our sixth year.'

There has been again an attempt, in the muse of /Step: esen tat iyes, on the pait of the Hawke’s Bay Province, to obtain a settle uent of the question which its Council ha* .aised respecting the portion of interest of r.lie permanent <leht of the province for which it is liable. 'The attempt thus to , irge a settlement before the merits of the •.ase have been brought to light, is in itseli uspicious ; a ml is more than suspicious when, as in this instance, an intention ile iiberately to set asble the understanding on which separation’took place is avowed. The depuration was accomplished under the New Provinces act, in'which there is a special ■revision fur the adjustment of the itici deace of interest of any ’permanent debt contracted by the original province. Such .nterest.it is declared, is payable by the new provinces in proportion to the respfctve amounts to which they are entitled under the Surplus Seventies act 1858, and the Land Revenue Appropriation act 1858 ; or, as it may he put more clearly, if not quite so exactly .inproportionto their respectve net revenues. 2’he Hawke’s Bay province now wishes to repudiate this part of ■ h« arrangement, and to throw off a portion *f the burden which they had assumed. I'he sole reason given for this re-calitraa-ion is, that that part of the original province did not receive the amount of benefit rom the loan which the proportion of inerest they are called on to pay represents. 7'liis, if true, is not a justification of the attempted repudiation. But the •S’liperin fendent of Wellington is prepared to show ihat the district of Hawke’s Bay received a greater amount of the public money than it was fairly entitled to. 7’he strong argu ment, however, on which the Superintend ent rests his case is, that faith must be kept with the public creditor. Even allowing that the payment of interest and debt will fall on Hawke’s Bay with a weight dispru ,iori innate to the amount of benefit it has received from the money borrowed, what does the fact tell us ? Simply, that Hawke’s Bay, which has all the vigour of youth (and possibly a good deal of its foolishness) is better able to bear the burden than its elder brother Wellington. The younger brother claimed and obtained the greater portion ot the unappropriated family estate, on condition that he should contribute, in proper tion to his free income, to the payment of a mortgage on the property.. The youth since be set up his establishment has been pretty free with his ready, money. Listening to the seductive advice of a few sanguine individuals, lie lias been laying out large sums on so-called improvements, most of which have figuratively, and a large share has literally, been thrown into the sea. In onsequence his purse has become rather ight, and he tries to get rid of his liability or part of the mortgage held over his lands lis elder brother’s representative says, 4 No ! the money was borrowed on your icres as well as his. It was to be paid in iroportion to your incomes, and you mus'. ibide by the agreement, as you are not the i >le parties to the contract, and the lendei if the money cannot be exjected to give up my of his security.” This is reasonable md just, ' What is the amount in dispute? Mr. Fitzgerald, in the interest of Hawke’s Bay, •ailed the debt £75,000. Dr. Featherstone, •n behalf of Wellington, called it £IOO,OOO. vlr. Ormond, who represented 7/awke’s Bay in the late session of the Assembly, makes it £76,000 ; and, more reasonable than his predecessor, Ire thinks that in estimating the benefits conferred on Hawke's Bay, the indirect advantages—jjijich as postal communication, immigration, &c. should be taken into account, as well, as the direct expenditure by the Government in the district. Dr. Featherstone’s calculation has been acknowledged as correct by Dr. Knight, the Auditor General, to whom the case was referred for an opinion a* To the

basis on which the matter might be referred for arbitration.

•What'is the principle on which arbitration should be conducted ? Clearly on this, that the provision of the New Provinces act should be adhered io. Mr. Ormond considers that the 15th section of ihq,act lias reference only to a temporary arrangement until the respective interests of the provinces can he adjusted by arbitration. On what ground this opinion stands it is difficult to see. Put it lias been acted on by the Assembly in respect to other dismembered provinces, and .precedent has great weight. i)r. Knight, therefore, recommends that the interest should he paid by the two provinces in proportion to ilieii population. If the Auditor General had proposed the number of sheep and cattle in each province as the l»as : s of apportionment, there might have. been some propriety in his recommendation ; but the hasiof population is absurd—the new province being sparsely inhabited by ruuholders. who are either rich men or in the way of be coming rich; while Wellington is in most districts peopled by small fanners, who have often great difficulty in making the two ends meet. It is well, therefore, that Hr. /'Vatherstone has been cautious in bringing the question to an issue, ami has carried his point in making sure that all the fact and figures shall be . thoroughly digested before another attempt is made to obtain a settlement of the question. Ihe Supeiin tendent of each province is to make out a statement, ami if the I'rov.ncial Councilcannot settle the dispute, the Assembly i„ to dispose of it next session, with the aid o. the light thus cast on it by the two parties