MR GILLIES ON THE ABOLITION QUESTION.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 363, 10 September 1874, Page 2

MR GILLIES ON THE ABOLITION QUESTION.

Some who favored the scheme said it was one in the right direction — that some of the provinces abolished, the others would soon follow. They said that on the principlo " Better hnlf a loaf than no bread." That was a mistake. It was based on the utter verdancy of tho ideas of the Premier on the subject. They said the Premier meant to abolish all, but they were to give him time. Take the proposal with regard to the Southern Island; t s that honest 1 (No ; no). He (Mr Gillies) would like to hear the Premier say what others said for him. Ml- Voajel sn.id there was no menace in the resolutions t> t 1 c Middle Island. Mr Vogel said it was de- • '<• that tho compact should be definitely settled, . ■ vie seat of Government should be fixed by legislation. But the people were told a few nights, ago that this was all " leather and prunella." It was done to catch the Southern and Wellington votes. If the Premier should not succeed in catching these votes, he might throw them overboard. Mr Vogel might have said at the caucus that the baits not having been taken, he was prepared to throw them away. But that was none the more honest. He (Mr Gillies) was prepared to go in for the abolition of Provincial Governments. But lie did so notohthegrounds of inherent evils in their system. He did so on tho ground that the continuance of the Provincial system interfered with the develop-

munt of tnio coloni.il ideas. Provincial Governments were held up as buffers between the Colonial Government and the people. They were made to bear the blame of wrongs done to the people by the Colonial Government. If the scheme of immigrotiou and public works policy should fail, no doubt fie bluino would be put on Provincial Governments. He desired to bring the Colonial Government face to face with the people, whom it t<ixed a quarter of a million extra, and who would be -taxed still further. He desired that public opinion should be brought immediately to bear upon the Government of the country. That was the only safeguard they had. The doing away with Provincial Governments in the North while ictaining them in the South was making », mere experiment on the vilo carcases of those cast away. It was doing an utterly unconstitutional thing to place the two Islands under separate Constitutions. If* the Constitution was good for one let it be good for the other. Let them sink or swim together. There was a time when the North Island bore the burthen of taxation and carried the South Island difficulty on its back. If necessary, let the South carry the North now. He ventured to say that in a short time the North would bo able to walk by itself and also have to bear the South. Changes in the Constitution ought not to be made without the consent of the people affected by them. The bills to give effect to those resolutions could not operate until Her Majesty's assent could be obtained. He ventured also to think that not until the consent even of the Imperial Parliament should be obtained ' could such constitutional change be made. Unless the views of his constituents were otherwise he would oppose any attempt to alter the Constitution of the North Island of New Zealand. If they were prepared to relinquish their constitiltional rights he was prepared to place his resignation in their hands. Ho would be prepared to abolish Provincial Institutions, " all or none." He would not abolish them wholly or partially without having the opinion of the people tested on the subject in the legitimate way — by dissolution of Parliament, and members elected on that express question.