Page 9 Advertisements Column 4

Bruce Herald, Volume III, Issue 98, 15 February 1866, Page 9

ELECTION ADVERTISEMENTSTHE APPROACHING ELECTIONS. REQUISITION TO .IAS. MACANDREW, ESQ., M.P.C., M. ll.lt. SIR, — We, the undersigned electors for tho Clutha District of Bruce Coxxnty, respectfully request permission to Nominate you to represent oxxr interests, and the interests of New Zealaxxd generally, in the House of Representatives. Should yoxi allow yoxxrself to be nominated, we have no doubt, from your knowledge ot the political reqxxix-ements of this country, that yoxx will receive the cordial support of this constitxxeucy. CHere follow the Sigxiatixres). (reply. ) r* ENTLEMEN— In reply to the foregoing r reqxxisition, I have the honor to state that my services are at your disposal. Altho my political opinions are pretty gexierally known to you, it may not bo deemed out of place, perhaps, to take this occasion of brieily adverting to one or two points with respect to which the Electors of Otago are at the present moment called upon to give no xmccvt.un sound. The main question to be decided by the new Parliament — that xxpon which the whole f utux-e policy of the Colony will hinge — is the expenditure of the General Government Is that expenditure to be renewed xxpon the scale, and for the objects contemplated and indulged in by the late Ministry — involving the Middle Island in additional tax.ition axid in further war expenditxxre to au indefinite cxteut ? or are the Northern Island Provinces to be allowed to manage their own internal afiairs ? (a boon which the Province of Axxckland most earnestly craves — in consideration of ■which; in as far as it is concerned, the Colony woxild be relieved from all further liability in regard to native purposes. ) Gentlemen, that is the qxxestion. I know that any amount of dust is being thrown into tho eyes of the Colony 0:1 tiiis point. "\Vo ax*e treated by the Apostles of the Canterbury school and others to such high-sounding plirases as that the honor of the Colony forbids that the Northern Island should ha dealt with xxpon the low gVoxxuds of Ihxaneo. In fact xnoney has been regained as no object, so long as Otago foxxnd the lion's share. It is to be hoped, however, that the constituencies of this Province will view the xnattev in another light — that whatever diiferences of opinion there may be upon other subject?, the whole of our lo l'epresontatives shall at least be agreed xxpon this, that not another sixpence of the revenxxe shall be expended beyond the Province without some auoqxute value received — always excepting, of course, our jxxst proportion of the burdens accruing from past liabilities. Surely it is enough that we have within the past foxxr or five years been deaxxded oil actual cash for Northern Island purposes of a sum which might have constructed a railway from Dxxnadhx to tho Clutha. while we have been made parties to a war loan, in which we have no cnrthly interest, our share of which might have connected all the principal Goldiiekls with Dunodin by railway. It is truly lamentable to think that we have allowed our resources to bo so xxtterly misapplied. It is useless, however, to mourn over the past — let xxs do what we can to retreive it. The fntxire is in oxxr own hands ; and oxxr watchword ought to be Separation from the North Island, which, if it moa:i!< anything at all, moans Provincial independence, to the exteut at least of tha application of almost the whole of oxxr Provincial revenue for local purposes. It is to be regretted that lhex*o are some who are disposed to decry Provincial Government ; they sue only the black spots — tho occasional oxcresoucos — forgetful apparently of the fact that the best of things m»iy be j abxxscd,: that the Colony o-.ves its prosperity ! to, and that its future greatness must aii'l will emerge out of the Provincial System. : My idea is that increisod population, railways, and electric telegraphs will in ciuu course efface tho Provincial System, and my policy is to make the xuost of Provincial Governments so long as they exist, and xnnil the progress of tho Colony shall enable xxs t.» dispense with thorn. As it is, it is evident, to my mind at least, that to transfer the I fxxnctioxxs of the Provincial Government <.f Otago to Wellington or Chx-istchurch would be out of the frying-pan into the lire, if no; a vast deal wox'se : at all events, before we try the experiment, let .Ix 3 first dispose of a few millions of acres of our Waste Lands, and get the pi'oceeds expended for the benefit :•£ the said lands. There a great many other important top:c a to which I should desire to allude, but which • cannot well be done jxxstice to within tu-j limited compass of a newspaper reply I shall have axx opportunity of addressing yoxx mnv fully from the hustings, and shall reser^^ these matters until then. -j^M I need only say txxrther, that your^^^H numerously and influentially signei.lj|^^^H tion is to me most gratifying, nndJf^^^^^H as I believe it will, in my retuu^^^^^^^|