THE PREMIER AND THE HON. MR. O'RORKE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 69, 22 August 1874, Page 7

THE PREMIER AND THE HON. MR. O'RORKE.

The debate on the abolition of Provincialism has been signalized by a rather sharp and acrimonious passage-at-nrms between the Premier and one of his Ministry, terminating with the resignation of the latter. Mr Vogel, in rising to speak to the question, asserted that the statement was without foundation that Otago would lose its land revenue if Provincialism in the North Island wi re abolished, and promised that provision for securing the land revenue to the Middle Island should be made. His sppech was a most able, telling, and logical one, in which he showed the absurdity of allowing the present state of things to continue, and pointed out that in three years there had been spent in the North Island out of Colonial funds, L 2,387,000, while the whole Provincial revenue, including the land fund, was only 1448,000 ; or in other words, the North Island, with an annual revonue of something over one hundred thousand pounds, has been supplied with money by the General Government amounting to five times that amount. la further proof of the necossity of the measure, ho stated that the ■North Island services for last year was L 58.000, while the oapitatioa paid by the Colony was LBB.OOO. For the B e reasons he considered ib would be economical to take the administration of the North Island. They would have a resident Minister of Auckland, and a Government agency in the other provinces, except Wellington. The local machinery of the North Island would be modelled the same as the TimaruGladstone Road Board. The seat of Government would be fixed at; Wellington, and the security given to the Middle Island land revenue would not be interfered with. All existing and contingent liabilities for public works and immigration were made chargeable to the consolidated revenue, but, should the public works be extended, then hereafter the expenditure would be charged against the land revenue of each island. It was proposed that the Superintendents of the North Island should be paid to the end of their term, and the Superintendent of Auckland, who had spent a life service in the province, should be pensioned.

On the Premier resuming his seat, Mr O'Rorke rose from the Treasury benches, and in an indignant and excited tone denounced the conduct of his chief, and publicly announced his retirement from the Ministry. He said he wished to say that he had been, no party, and could be no party, to the scheme. Had he vot«d fop it, he would have deserved to be called a base political traitor, and although there were eminent political apostates, he was happy he could not imitate them. If the scheme were carried out, it must result in a failure. He could not alter his political opinions in the twinkling of an eye, and would never have joined the Ministry if he thought his hon. coDeague had in bis copious armory the dagger to stab the political life of Auckland. He had no personal grounds of objection against his colleague ; he had always been courteously treated. The Premier had entered on a voyage of which no man could see the end. After enlarging on the beauties of the Constitution Act, and reiterating that Mr Vogel wished to crush out the political life of Auckland, which he proposed should bo ruled by a leader of Centralism, 400 miles distant, lie asserted his seat in the Executive was none of his seeking, and had he known the opinions of the Premier he would never have joined him. He then indignantly withdrew from the House.

Mr Vogel rose io explain, and said Mr O' Rorke was still a member of the Government, and that the speech took him quito by surprise ; but the Government would survive the loss of the departmental assistance given by the hon. gentletnau. Mr Vogel declined going to explanations as to what transpired in the Cabinet. Mr O'Rorke, oa the other hand, declared he had stated, when he heard the reaolutioa was to be pressed, that he could not possibly support it. On the motion of Mr Reeves, the debate was then adjourned.