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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5288, 3 August 1888, Page 2

Sib Haruy Atkinsok said in tho House the other night that, though ho hud always been favorable to local Government, he could not promise to bring down a bill next session dealing with that question. It is, something quite now to hear that the Premier has been favorable to anything cli* but to centralism. It is sincerely to bo bopc-d that the experience of the last twelve years has convinced him of the mistake of 1876. It has taken a Jess time for moro earnest-minded men than himself to repent of the evil they did the colony in assisting to pass the Abolition of Province* Act, 1875, which came into fore; the following year. One of the first of the primo movers of thut measure to acknowledge his error was Mr Oimend, and he has been a consistent anti-centralist. Miif since. The worst of Sir Harry Atkinson is, that howeverniuch ho may regrot the effect of abolition, he is too weak to overturn what is now reiuly to his hands. Wo can hardly suppose that tho colony is ac yet prepttrrd to ] retrace its step*, nud go buuk to the point from whence it branched into a wrong course. But it is plain enough to those who can decipher the writing on the wall that tho day is nt.t far distant when radical measures ■vill have to be taken to put tho colony on tho right path. We hope much from the next new Parliament, the members of which will be fewer in number, and elected by a purified Ihit of voters. If that Parliament should be no botior than the present one, then good-bye to honor and to solvency. Tho one great fear that is entertained of the future of this colony is that tho time may come when honest settlers will bo ashamed to belong to New Zealand. " Is your colony going to pay the interest on its debts this year:-" wan a question put more than once to Captain Russell on his recent visit to England. And such a question was enough to make the gallant member for Hawke's Bay blush to think it was possible people nhould imagine his adopted country capable of repudiation. But to what else are we drifting- 'i l'f we go on as wn have in tho past, payment wil,l bo impossible. And yet, with dishonor as the only outconyj of extravagancy Parliament waska' its time

over paltry matters, the country goes drifting along a spendthrift's course, and the Government cannot sco its way to do anything more than consider the most vital questions during the recess.