New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, JULY 21, 1876. SEPARATION VERSUS ABOLITION.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 173, 21 July 1876, Page 10

New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, JULY 21, 1876. SEPARATION VERSUS ABOLITION.

It is reported that the members , of the three large provinces — Otago, Canterbury and Auckland — in the House of Representatives are, with about two exceptions, unanimous against .the Governmeut scheme of Abolition. Time alone can tell 'the truth of this report ; but it is to be earnestly hoped that it is founded on fact. The scene that is now being enacted in Wellington is not edifying. The three larger provinces are endeavouring to preserve the privileges conceded to them by the Constitution, and the pioperty accorded to them by solemn and onerous compact. The smaller and poorer provinces are almost, if not altogether, unanimous in endeavouring to wrest from' Otago, Canterbury and Auckland their Provincial Legislatures and their land fund. It is no longer a contest of parties, but of provinces. It is the contest engendered by the desire of the central provinces to centralise everything in * their midst, and consequently, to govern New Zealand from Wellington, in defiance of those provinces which supply threefourths of the entire revenue of the country. This is anomalous,- but it is an anomaly that has, not unnaturally, arisen from giving the smaller provinces an undue number of representatives, and thus enabling them to wield a power in favor of their provinces to which they are not entitled, either by number of inhabitants or by revenue. This is unfortunate, and if a great change be not effected, cannot fail to lead to great evils. In any case, it appears to us morally impossible that the two islands can be satisfactorily governed from any one centre. ■The island that has within it the} seat of government must necessarily possess advantages of great value over the other, which will be reduced to a subordinate position, and become a sort of draw-farm to the favored land. The geographical formation of the Colony, its great inequalities of .climate, .would, even if there were no other reasons, render a cordial union of its various parts extremely difficult. No form of political Government is perfect ; but it has always appeared to us that an Executive and Legislature for each Island united by a federal bond would afford greater probability of good government than any other system. In such an event each Island would govern itself, and neither would be governed by the other ; the poverty of some provinces would* not be enabled to make a raid on the riches of others ; nor would the representatives of small constituencies in the neighborhood of the seat of centralism be in a position to dictate to the majority of the people.