(From the Daily Southern Cross.) Christchurch, Tuesday. TELEGRAPHIC.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 366, 17 September 1874, Page 2

(From the Daily Southern Cross.) Christchurch, Tuesday.

TELEGRAPHIC.

Sir Cmcioft Wilson addrc&sed his constituents last night. A large poition of his address was occupied with a defence of his action for voting for the abolition of the Northern provinces. He contended that the provinces of Otago and Canterbury, were the only ones that should be permitted to exist, and that they should be abolishcc} as soon aa their land funds tiro exhausted. The step taken was a wise one, and ho congratulated all Now Zealand on it. Ho hoped they would continue in the aarao path, It had been said the resolutions 'meant loss i of land fund in the Middle I Jand, but he failed to

>cc tli it cuniiC'clioii bjtv. eon panincial institutions and the land fund which necessitated the loss ot the hvtU'i' if the ionncr ere abolished. If the land fund was to bo kept when raised, what matter whether by the Pi-o\ iucial Council or Municipality or Road "Board. The J 'romier solemnly declared that all tho laud fund ohould belong to the locality whero r.iised. It h.ul been siid they could not trust him. Now it was strange they could trust Mr Yogel so f.iv as they had and then as soon as he wanted to abolish provincial institutions turn, upon him and say ho was not to be trusted. Ho (the speaker) thought the Premier rash but never t lought him dishonest. But, he said, " eAen supposing Mr Vogel wus so base and to obtain a majority to q-ack him, would the people of Canterbury and Otago be so foolish as permit the spoliation of the land fund. He said, in addition to the compact of 1850 the Soutii Island paid one million sterling as consideration, for the peaceable poss^ss'on of the land fund of the South Island. Were the inhabitants of the South Island such miserable poltroous as to sit still under such spoliation 1 Should we not rather warn the Ministry and North Island that it would bring about a revolution with arms in hand by such gross violation (cheers), and the result would be t licit Otago and Canterbury would retain not only the land fund, but the Customs excise duties, which were worth half a million per annum. (Applause.) Depend upon it Ministers, though jn my opinion have been foolishly ra&h, are not so rash as to arouse the people of the South Island to defend their rights by armed resistance, and I for one should be prepared to continue the struggle to the bitter end. (Oh ! oh ! and laughter.) I am uot speaking in jest ; Ido not jest on such serious subjects. Apart altogether from tho question of provincial institutions, I would prevent one sixpence of the land fund being taken against our free will and consent, if rebelliou and even resistance had to be employed to protect it." (Hear, hear, laughter, and cheers.) — A vote of confidence was unanimously passed to Sir Cracroft.