The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1874.

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

The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1874.

"We have seldom been in accord with Mr Gillies on political questions ; we have not been adverse to j him from party motives ; any leader of this journal is, or should be, perfectly aware that we are not Lound to any piirty. We believed and do believe in the policy of Mr Vogel as regards immigration *tnd public works, and have consistently pointed out , the advantages that must accrue from it, if honestly parried out, but we are not amongst those who are prepared to endorse as a matter of course any and *) very act he may choose to bring forward. The £otal abolition of provincialism would not be hailed ivith more delight by the most bigoted Centralist iliau hy us. We have long held and often expressed the opinion that it limits the range of men's minds ; the jealousies, one province of the other, blind their Inhabitants to such a degree that they lose sight of the leading points of almost every political question. As Mr Gillies points out, even the Premier seemed by his speech in the House to have almost forgotten that the pro\ inces are part of the colony and that the colony is composed of provinces. In considering a political question of such grave importance sis {he changing of the constitution of a portion of the country we cannot afford to support or oppose the jneasure on the strength of mere rumour. Many pf the mouth-pieces of the ministerial party have iiinted that the abolition of the South Island pro. -y inces will speedily followtluit of the North ; it will />nly follow, however, when Canterbury and Otago jiavo denuded themselves of their land and nothing i<. : |eft for the colony to inherit. We are clear on the point, that all land should have been dealt with as |ho property of the colonists, and not as of a section t»f them ; as regards the South, nearly all the Jiorses have escaped, and if the provinces in the North are abolished, there will not be so much as a hair to shut in when the careless ctablemon awake pi their duty, The stables of the North are just t>eing opened, . "J vfe may depend up6n it that the f- "i them irr ' >rs will watch carefully every <' animal" \,u.,, • liters, and be very elert that none Jflaye vithimt their- bejng assured of gome of the

1-ivut horn the u.lj. it n, asked by bume, " What lias Pi\niadnli>,ni done for the Waikato." There can. of course, be only one answer — " little or nothing. " It must bo remembered, however, that the Colonial Exchequer has absorbed the revenue derived from the sale of the land, and the waste lands in the district are still in the hands of the Colonial Government to be dealt with in any manner the Assembly may direct. It it, only equitable that the Colonial Government should boar the expense of improving their own property. The progress of all depends upon the inllux of population ; not only population brought, here at the expense of the colony, but also that -which flows into it naturally. Intendiug settlers will argue — the North is such a poor country that the South has had to support it ; they will not trouble to learn the reason of our poverty, but will, as a matter of course, seek a home in the South. Abolish all the provinces at once or let all continue to exist should be the motto of all North Islanders.

The Southern Cro»3, s s , left Kapior on the Bth inst. with ■\ enrjjo ot hvo stock for Llio Thames Tne ship Oxfoid ornved in Auckland on 'l ucsdiy. Our contemporaries report tnat the arrived in an exceedinly clean coucltlion. Tho barque Ferndale lias also amvod. Al tho recent diniur giuui in Wellington by the membors of the Asaenibh to hu Excellency Sir James Furgusson, snobbishness was carried to a considerable lengt.li. It apI'o.uo tliut notes were wiit round to the three Wellington journals, kindly lnforniing tliem that their represenlatnea would be allowed to otcupy the leportera 1 gallery while Iho " lions" led. The livening Post, w ith that high spirit w Inch has always characterised its management, indignantly resented tho insult oii'ered, hut the would-bo colonial representutive journal — the New Zealand Times — suU'ered the indignity in silenci, and acted accoiding lo oidcrs. Wo am not j told whether tho Times representative was regaled m tho J bculleryj \ery probably he was. The Austrlasian stales that tbe arrival of Lurline from New Zealand bus caused a run to be made upon her for the Metropolitan, for which blie ha 9 been backed to win £4000, at 100 to 7 ; it is also staled that Lurhne's anival has induced some of her friends to accept 100 to 4. Papa pa has been touched at 100 to 3, to win £1000. For the double event, tho Metropolitan and the Melbourne Cup, 5000 to 25 has been taken about Lurline and Papapa, and vaiious other animals hate been backed with the New Zealand mare