SEPARATION!

Bruce Herald, Volume III, Issue 67, 20 July 1865, Page 8

SEPARATION!

"° }{Td- the Editor^ttik&riice'lterotiij 'r Sir — However desirable it m>y beithat immense teic t£ ; of - coiiti nen tai lain d ,' : like that 'drGandda, or aft island of con fihental size,.,like that of Australia,. should, during the" period of iir^t bolbnization, be divitied itftoldifferent provinces, wholly linconnected with each other, and,, each having the power of, administering- its' own affairs and making its own laws, subject only 'to, th ; e sttperintend : ence of the home-govern-ment £ it nevertheless seems extraordinary that twoy comparatively speaking,- ' small islands^ g-eogtaphically^ related to eafah other in' th» manner -that' the northern and southern islands of . New ' Zealan- are, should be de^irous^cf entire political- 'separation, and of 'becoming as independent of each other as if they were both on 'oppositesides oi the globe .'■ : • ,: ; '■--.; •■.. •'■ ■■■■'■ .^PHis 1 seems ".extraordinarjr enough : but what/shall we say to one province 1 of New Zealand asking for entire' polilscal' separa- • tion from the/rest of ; New Zealand,; and . waiitinig rta be allowed a ; wholly in dependent gpyerninent, as seems, to; , hav.e, been ; f»rop_osed^O' th» cases joi, Otago; andf Anqkf and. ; i;^ucjbi ; a ; p n rop(^ition c seem terous, and contemplates an event so yery t , Wtlik«ty to ta^e pla^ that the subject is

■ hdrdly worth;: the -trouble ; iof - argument. 1 Whete is; 1 Ssparatioa to 1 stop "if itis-.tb • g-o. on iditliatinjinnei?'^ The next thihgy-would •perhaps' be that -the county 'of Bruce wouldbe agitating for. Sapamtioh. ■ (perhaps not without good grounds); then we: should 1 : .havevWarepaUin'sisti'ffg-on Separation from, the: rest df^NeW.'Ze'rtland^'-arid- wanting to . ? ha ve *^ovemor and assem bly of its: own. . Inrfaot«,iifvHiw 'siirt'oltbino- iis to go on, i there -is no'Jiise beating*, about the bush,< yye had better; go the whole- " animal" at once, arid each man be allowed to 'g-o jabout'independent of; any, government but tile- government of himself.- We could not .W:ell..Jiavefurther, ; sep ; aratio-ii than that-un* less we cut each other up into quarters; . whichnvould- be, an event not unlikely to happen under such. circumstances. - -„ With regard; 1 however,- to a somewhat more serioiisquestion, the separation of the two islands,' 'what is to .%e : said-'jwro' and : \cont -■< ';■ ■ : ---'' ; •: ■■■ \ ■'■ / ■■;'■■ r - c ' : ''■■■ :■'•' . . ; -. -. ,; Let me first ask what is "the state of iaffairs in. New Zealand at'present ? .. There exists one General Goverhme' tit arid several Provincial ■ Governments:' 6'ir the conameneemant of the colonization of a co'uritry,' ,when population is - very? scant, and tlie means of intercommunication between- dis-' tant parts of the' country are : 'very i'mp?r---i feet, it seems advisable- that a ; body of settlers tar ■ removed from ; the -seat- of General Government shouki : have delegated to them a certain amount of pfow^r for the management of their own 'local' affairs: A General Govern uaent would probably have neither the time or inclination to attend to :! all*;tlie -local affairs of a distant Province. : Wii ; at then are-- the duties of a Supei-inten-dent and Council of a Province ? They are duties rather of an administrative than of a legislative nature. - Among the most important of such duties is the administration of such money arising-' from the sale of' 'crown la nd> and other sources as a Provi n>-' .cial Government,' after satisfaction of what is Required -for a proportion of the expenses .pi General Government is : ; allowed to retain. It is the duty of the Provincial •Government: to -expend this money for the of the' Province in ? the malving of Toads and carrying on other improvements. The : Provincial Government has also other duties, to perform in connection with the welfare of the: Province. For the betterenabling; it to .perform those dutieSj; the Government- has the power of makings such minor ;laws : and regulations ,ofa : local nature as "nray be necessary for the welfare of the Province; but the Superintendent find Council of a Province are :noty\generally speaking,; : a legislative ibody;, like the Governor and General Asse.mbly. T^e-yliave ; the powec ; of making, or at leas'; of initiating lau r s, to regulate, the price of land ; : they have the power ;to mak,e road ordinances,; and other lavv r s and ordinances of a local character. The power .however pf making,- and-. even of initiating 1 .alJilaws of .a ; gsneral character, is, or ought .to, be, ;e,xclusi,vely confined tc the General Government;. Of t-iis, description: of laws. ar(3<laws, not to.regulsite the price, but the mode ;ofn transfer, of land ; cemmercial, laws, "such those relating to .bankruptcy and insolvency criminal, laws, and ali laws Of' a, general , nature, and with I'egard to which it, is necessary .there should be, uni-. .fbrmity throughout the whole of New /Zealand. Now, supposing , a. Provincial Government -to possess ample powers .for the management of the affairs of; a Province^ what object is to be gainejd by its becoming" entitled .to exercise those enlarged powers which should belong-only .to the General Goyernment of tlie whole : lsland^ ' V,.\ : ",.-'; • '■'■'■ • .-. ; - ;.• "••. .Notwithstanding ihisj. ...noweveij, it may be said that at least the existence of a General Government in the Southern Jsland would. .be advisable/ and; that the political separation of the two island would be ?i beaefit to. the Southern island. One argument jfpr Separation is thatjthe interests of the Southern Island, .are I not properly -attended to by : the . s.enet 'at. '.Govern- . ' ment in; the ;Nofthern islaridl. If " this I 'Be so, ; it is ; a..ground of '.j-jcomplaiht, jbut . considering the extensive powers fo.r managing their own. affairs: already,. possessed by the :Provincial,Gov.erjiments of, the! Southern Islanci, it, can, hardly 'be consideied a good ground for Separation. ' Anotlier „r eason jjut forward for . Separation is; that the JMabri war consumes , a grdat part of attention of th'fe GeneraV^'Goye^nmentj'to the prejudice, of other^ '.lmpprfeSßt matters^ The Maori .war.h^pppns^ at 'present to. -]be. the most important matter that the Geneinij iGoyei nmeiit liay.e4Q attend-to; and - .ttief

•are bound to giveat the first consideration;- ■■' not that tbfly ave-at the sn.oie..tinieto ; : ire-^ gleet other matters'.-:' If- the war 'were- in > this- -island' instead, bf-tire Northern 'Islands and, did noi receive the firsts attention of the- Government it would be: -a -strong grouiidibr. complaint. V -The real Venson°, however, if not the only ostensible one, of this- great cry for iarrthe unv willingness the people of Otago have-ito contribute to : the-expenses 'at. the war:; 7pf this .war icould' ha v« been* avoided: by'goodi iiianngement— if the Maories could ".hav«r been dealtwith -quietlyy without ' rushing 1 ' into war with a savage, but Wavtvrace^ak. ways ready for war y : in su clju case it •.seem i s soinewha;t.hdrd;thatthe. Sbuthern- Island": should have/to pay for. ; 'the- mismanages ment in the North; but. snppbsingviche. war was inevitable, and it bias, been ;s : aid that, such was- the opinioivof somij. : of ;the members of the General Assembly ifroni thy. Southern Island, one- wolilcl -supports, considering- .the g-eog-r.-iDhical..; Tal-atidn •i» which the two islands stand- toteach- other, --• that the; existence of a . , wa r in one ishould be non-round for-: ■■Separation; but.ihir.he'iv that the. ;weltare -of.; a -portion .-of i :.thoseMsk lands should be cgnsidex:fcd.t3he r elfar.e:ot the wholjy.and that: the bw : o:shbii]dr J ree)) .by eaoh other in weal and :: wiae.o :; : lt iso no reason,- because. one -portiont ;oi>- a.-.i CQimtiyi is .sufferin^under difficulties :a,n4> thereby •■•- occasioning- g-reat trouble to the whole; c-fti should on that account be. Separated' and abandoned to its fate. If a man iiad: a; bad rheumatism^ in bib' leg- it wouhi ; nat*be a, sagacious act. on h is. part, to i»out off: kis' leg. in. : order to . -get rid •"of the >,pi»in: '■ Another ground of : complaint relates -to? the -subject of Provincial Logins, s ' It i^said that the fact of the LGeneml -Gavernmtint being a first charge upon the. revenue of*a Province adds very much to of obtainjng v sale ., of Provincial .'Debentures. This matter, however- might'surely by s,iiSae means -be .placed on a,mor.esatis-. factory footing, and can har.dly *b"e -con-; sidered, in itself a groiirid fo'r •■; $'4paratiohi, and the .establishment .of two:. General Gbr.< vernments jin*.tead pf one; .- .; - ; , : „,u ; „;{■ Again, it has,:bp ; eh:Sai,d tha-t-othe:; jnterr:ests of the cwo isla ndsrare . ; d iffere^n t . ■-; . . : li i would, be difficult to say in what respect,except that the Southern Is.binil ,has the great advantage of notLbeing., burdened, bj. a niimerQiis race of. Maories. :.,'";,.". " ; ; "\Vhatever reason Sjihovv'eve.rj ,mp,y ,. be; put forward in favor of ..Separation,' fliera are .surely some powerful .a.rgume'nts agliihst it. .The . proverb t,hat ] " unityji^'l strength" ■ surely appliea in ; tbjs.case. Per.-^ feet unity hers • seems., synqnunous, ,w'itb' : strength; —^division with \yeakries3? Before a'se})aratiori;of the^^ two .isl^ncjs: should taike: place, there ought ; npjb.onljr.. .to exist, plan-' sible reasons ipr^Separatipn, .b.n't. t^ere should exist an evident. aud utter impossibility of combination. i: . '■' The example qf.rf ew South Wales .and yictoria has>'been put forward j'as' an. a'r-. gum'erit for Separation, *,bu tit does not $ old good, for those provinces .hold ferent .'geographical rejatianto. 'each Qthe 1 * than these. island^. , . Jl'hey, are districts pf a vast island .of cpnf.inental/size^ . '_For 'the welfare and security of the islands p'f New. Zealand, divided .from each other only by a narrow strait, but much' further distant f.haii even the' British' lsles from 'n'n'y main-, land, political unity. seems to ; be a matter of the : first Jmpbrtance/ *,^he 'British Isles, which bear a." much ' closer ■ resemblance ', to New'Zeaianci, may 1 be addocecl 9s. 1 an example of the benefit' of federationY In consequences, of Sejiaration, a . . considerable variation -in they laws . of the, two islands migrht trtke. l place. '. ; Thus there might arise considerable difference : in. the., laws" relating to the transfer of land, in commercial laws and the practice of the courts, and in criminal law. This would be a great evil. The ; co m naefci al policy of the tvyo countries might also be quite op-~ posite, one having a protective the other" a free trade ffolic^'. "How^^ shdul'd! .we 1 be bff also in case Vf. i; war, with divided counsels'? . '. '■'■"'.',"* * ■Notwithstanding, lipwever, ; tlie,^undesiT rability of Separation, a" 'question may : arise, whether it i -.>ypuld,.nQt,bo,b.e : n«fiuia i l.- to.. the two island.s that sjeat of, government, should be transferred frSm the Northern to, !the Southern Inland,? f There; can be no (joubt ,tba.t the .Southern", Island, on .'account of "its "--great/ comparative freedom from .bhe Maori : race, is, practically speaking, jjhjß, strongest ., of . the .t\yo , islands • and ; it' may be .a .matter fb/r sf»ripus cx«i-sideratipn^-wnetiter it would ..not. .be ; bejtter'; ijth.at th€i,seat-ot\gp^vei?|i t rne^t'snbuli -sri

that island the -British rule <# whibh 'is'not i^i any degree weakened by the existence of" •a: powerful race of Mapries, and whether in such case theMa'ories-tlie'mselves would no( be l)etter manag-ed than where thd seat •ofg-overnment -is in close vioinity to tha : ;; ;; ; ; . ;;/'. '■■;.^y^..^.v -■ . :-: ■„ , ■ : : ' „.".,'_' „.'',' J hip, &c. } '■■' ■";. . .•'■' :; .^, ,':.; ,"' ; ■/' i .U ; >.." : /^:^.- '"■'■"•■ : OBSERVERyyj