Mr. Macandrew ON CENTRALISM.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 79, 13 January 1876, Page 6

Mr. Macandrew ON CENTRALISM.

On Thursday last Mr Macandrewi issued ati address specially to .the! electors of Port Chalrneri? wjth refer- \ enee to his having transferred his seat in the Colonial Parjiam.nt from that 1 consti tv ency to Dunedin. ".'. His rerharkV however deserve the serious, attention' of the. electors of thai wlioie Province., We therefore give the following extract :—-

I need not tell you : that Centralism has .been bane o£ this Colo'ny^and that as your' representative-rand, I believe with your approval, I have for years . been associated with' those' .who have been endeaypring to curb it. It was with this end in view that I helped to place the Yo^el Government in . office, I have no' hesitatiP n. in saying that but for its declared AntP Cpntral proclivities that government would not have been placed in poweij in the first instance, much less would it have been replaced subsequently—- 7 after having" been ousted .by- :Mr Stafford— and. yet, I regret to say, that under no previous administration" bas the centralistic . spirit been more fully developed. Mr Stafford has so far succeeded by .means of a professedly anti-centralistic administration in doin£ that which he him self, as an avo wed Centralist, never , could acco mplish; When I lately had the honor of addressing you viva voce, the burden of my remarks went to show the evil that has resulted from Centralism in the past, and which cannot fail still farther to result from it in the future. I showed that not content with having abstracted from Otago upwards of two millions sterling, it now seeks to mulct us to the extent of what will turn out to be £200,000 a year in addition to the rate at which we have been already plundered. Bad as this is, however, it is in' many respects - the least objectionable feature of the evils which are sought to be inflicted.

[consider that while the attemptshould it , succeed-— to extinguish ' Provincial sentiment, will be disastrous to the material interests of the. Colony (it is like stopping the motive power which has hitherto sent New Zealand a-headj it willbe more disastrous still as regards the development of th__e higher qualities, 1 such ! as self-reliance, wholesome rivalry, and 'political trainingy which it becomes us to nourish and to cherish in every possible direction if we would have this country not an^ autocracy of slaves, but a democracy of free men. I rejoice to think that th.se. are .the sentiments of ninet.en'twentieths of the people of Otas-b '

-^affu. , Already you begin to taste some of the sweets of a leyeiling.deadeningCen'tralism, which seeks to do everything for you, and will permit you to do nothing for yourselves, even with your own money. As a small instance of this, you cannot, even ait your Pwb cost, erect' leading lights inside V the harbor, to enable vessels to get up- to the port 'in' the dark, withbul; thb' intervention of some mysterious power at Wellington, which require, to be satisfied with the quality of the kelbsm^tlie arc of illumination, and so forth, -just as ,if there ;were_ not talent enPu^h'.amdn'g ourselves to attend to such: rriattersTv - It has been decreed by Centralist-, that the New JZ.e'aland : terminus .;__ th. Californian Steam Service shall be at Port Chalmers.

I ( submitted a resplutipn >to the House of Representatives ._£- claririg one essential condition of the ratification' of ihe contract' tb W'thkt the outward boats shall proceed right j through; tb San Frariciscp, taking" their, departure, frona Port Chalmersl On! a division/ however,- Centralism carried the day by 48 against 21), every meriii ber of the Government, of coursje, yoting against the : motion—see Harisard, page 381, voli. xix. V. 'a' : V. ...:„ ;V »" .-' I believe that this Province, which pays . about : bhe-thii'd of the subsidy, iWill derive; no^beriefie whatever f.pm ' the service, should the Central element . retain. the ascendancy' in the. "House, of Representatives.,;^ , V ' , From what I ;have said, and from much more that migh i be' said," can 1 it be wondered at that those who are contending for jGtago holding its; o#n should •, be desirbus to see n brie but Anti-Centralists returned to thb' new .Parliariae'rit-^inen Who will Vstick together and work^^ together to this end.: We want nothing at the expense ofthe rest pf . theColpriy, uri^ss, indeed; a fair share of the revenue of the Province being profitably expended within itself — is to be cpnsidered so*

Gentlemen j with these views it needed iip argurnerit: to show tbe immense value of the City of Dunedin; —the ntost important and populous W^ty&fpy *£ js#: three Anti-Ceritralists^ '- : : It/, was /- only^ '*&**' *&J ! '. strpng representations that this was iibt; likely to he efl^te'dj uales¥

I becamp; a j candidate', arid ;afterY;an assurance of approval fropo! jriariy of my former constituerits, ' ihiat I agreed ;to be nominated. The result speaks for itself; and the Dunedin election .has, with oneVexception,' given* a .tone to every s'ubsequeri .' 'eleciibn thrbugnptit the province. ..,..-. .-.'.. i It is said that I have slighted my old friends. I assure ybuy however, that th^re is nothing of which I am less' conscious than this,' or ? whic_ is ! moi'- repugnant to my nature, and that I shall ever cherish a grateful recollect; tioii of" thevcbrifldence" whichyou'haye sb long reposed In ncje. ; ; . ; . ' ! In conclusion, I feel - persuaded that; my action in this matter will. birimerid itself ;to, the judgment of th'bseV'ambpg you yjrhP, like myself, deem it puy duty, i at this important crisis, to sacrifice Pur; personal feelings to the public: interest.; — _ have thehphbr ;to be, Gentleriien; j yours, &c,

;j.!^A'CA;N.i)RE ; W.