PUBLIC MEETING AT NGARUAWAHIA.

Waikato Times, Volume 356, Issue VII, 25 August 1874, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING AT NGARUAWAHIA.

A meeting was held at Ngaruawahia on Satin-day Last to consider the resolutions of the lion Mr Vogel in reference to the abolition of provinces in the North Island. Major Wilson was voted to the chair, who, after explaining the object of the meeting, called upon Mr Holloway to move the first resolution. Mr Holloway said the question that they had met to discuss was perhaps the most important that any present had had to consider since they became colonists of New Zealand ; if the resolutions of Mr Vogel were given effect, to the constitution of the country would be totally changed. As regarded Provincial Governments they were undoubtedly useful, if not absolutely necessary, in the early days of the colony, when to communicate with headquarters from its distant settlements was a question of several weeks. He was now, however, strongly in favor of the total abolition of the provincial system of government, but thought that to abolish the provinces in the North and leavo the Southern Island to manage their own affairs would be exceedingly injurious to the Northern division of the colony. Before he sat down he would endeavour to explain his reasons for holding these opinions. As regarded the total abolition of provinces, he considered that one of the strongest arguments against them was that they limited the political ideas of the people to the affairs of the province in which they resided. It was seldom that men wrote or spoke for the benefit of the colony ; their division of it was all that they cared for or thought about. The North Island, from having been cursed with native troubles, Avas necessarily not so wealthy, and as the natives own the larger portion of the land, there is not, as in the South, a large income from sales land to be used as current revenue. With the exception of Hawke's Bay, every province in the North Island if not in a state of bankruptcy, is in a condirion very nearly approaching it, This being the case it was clear that as the expenditure for local works was contributed from the general taxation of the people that the General Assembly was the proper channel through which to expend the amounts appropriated. In order that the sum derived from land revenue in. the South might be understood he would point to the great discrepancy between the appropriations'of the Provincial Councils of Auckland, Otago, and Canterbury. Auckland appropriated £132,000 ; Otago, £717,000 ; and Canterbury, £1,100,000 ; the expenditure for Canterbury was about £18 10s per head of the population; thnt for Auckland £1 Gs. The people of Auckland contiibuted to the revenue £3 3a 6d per head, and those of Canterbury £2 2s 6d. The feckless manner in which the land is being sold to speculators is a strong reason for abolishing the provinces forthwith. There would bo some chance of restricting sales to occupiers if the land revenue were colonial and not provincial. Although an advocate for the abolition of provincialism, lie was opposed to partial measures. The day was not very distant when the position of the two islands wwuld ks ravorsod ; the South would

have no Luul fund, and the North, from its purchases from the natives would pobsess as large an estate as the Southern provinces have disposed of. The effect of allowing the Southern provinces to remain intact for a few years would be that there would not be an acre of land to be appropriated as colonial l'evenue at the time of their decease. The third resolution of Mr Vogel's s>ays that the land fund should lie locally expended. The resolution may be taken for what it was worth ; but it was not difficult to foresee that the South, with the majority in the House would soon find some means of making the land fund of the North colonial revenue, to be expended generally throughout the colony. He was of opinion that the land revenue of the colony should have been treated as belonging to the whole colony and not to any particular portion of it. It had been otherwise, and if the Southern provinces existed for another year or two the question would not be worth discussing. He said the above were his reasons for feeling much pleas ui'e in moving — "That this meeting is of opinion that Provincial Governments should be abolished throughout the colony, but is convinced that it would be eminently unjust to abolish them in the North Island and leave the two great Southern provinces intact." Mr G. Edgecumbe seconded the resolution. Mr H. Byron, M.P.C., said the resolutions proposed by Mr Vogel were worthy of consideration. With regard to the first two resolution, he approved of them, but was averse to the third. The question must be looked at in its broadest aspect. That the abolition of all the provinces would be good for the colony had been his opinion for years, and he believed that half a loaf was better than no bread, and believed that Mr Vogel intended to do away with the whole of the proviii""s, and had commenced with the North Island, so that by the aid of the northern members he would be able to carry out his project. He could not see that if the provinces were abolished in the North, that the step would be injurious. The whole of the work done by the Provincial Councils was merely detail. If a committee of the council wished to add a clause to an act, they were told they could not do so ; the matter was in the hands in the General Assembly. The conduct of the affairs of the Province of Auckland was a disgrace, owing to the low state of the finances. The endowments had to be mortgaged to build a new Lunatic Asylum, and to improve the Hospital. We have only one policeman where there are two in the South, and the best men leave our force for the South, where they are better paid. It was, province against province all over the two islands, and if the Northern Provinces were abolished, the members of the Assembly would work better together, and by a block vote do away with the Southern Provinces. He would move the following amendment :—": — " This meeting is of opinion that Provincial Governments should be abolished throughont the colony, and that the proposition brought forward by Mr Vogel was incomplete." Mr Giflhey seconded the amendment, which upon being put to the meeting, was negatived by a large majority. The original resolution was then put and carried. Mr G. Edgecumbe then proposed — " That a petition be forwarded to His Excellency the Governor, requesting him before assenting to any Act of the General Assembly to abolish the provinces of the North Island to grant a dissolution of the House of Representatives, thereby enabling the constituencies of the North Island to express their opinions on a subject of such vital importance to themselves." Mr Byron seconded the resolution, which upon being put, was carried nan. con. Major Wilson and Mr Hollo way were requested by the meeting to draw up a petition for signature. A vote of thanks to the chairman brought the meeting to a termination.