The Evening Star THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2943, 25 July 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1872.

The debate on Mr Gillies’s motion, to define tin*, functions of Provincial vernmerits, bad at least the effect of eliciting from Mr Vogel the ideas of the Ministry on the subject. Mr Gillies apparently did not so much design to introduce the question for the purpose of correcting what is imperfect in tLo- Constitution, as with a view to damaging the Government by shewing that they had been slack concerning their promises. But there was ei idently design beyond this: he made a bid for popular sympathy. For some years past there has been a feeling gaining ground that Provincialism is a clumsy system ; that it introduces a vast amount of defferential legislation, and that Provincial Councils should be Executive rather than Legislative bodies. Much has been written and said in favor of this view. It has been pointed out that, although the peculiar circumstances of one Province render local regulations necessary that would be inapplicable in another, this is merely a question of administration and irot of laws; and that throughout the length and breadth of a country, law itself should be uniform. So far as the principles of | justice are concerned, this is undeniable. Crimes against society and civil and mercantile laws arc for the national weal, and must be national in their application. But the Provinces have a safeguard against any infraction of this principle. If through one of those freaks that Provincial Councils, as well as more pretentious legislatures sometimes indulge in, any Ordinance is passed that clashes with the general Jaw of the Colony, it becomes the duty of the Governor to refuse to sanction it, so that Provincial legislation becomes really tire means of giving local effect to tire principles of the national laws. That this has hitherto proved advantageous to the progress of the Colony,' there seems little reason to doubt! In fact it is diiiicult to conceive a system so applicable to the peculiarity of its mode of settlement. Government from one centre twenty years ago would have been next to impossible. Each Province was to nil intents and purposes a separate Colony, having necessities and conditions independent of and apart from all the rest. The people of Auckland were almost as much in the dark about the inhabitants of Otago as arc the dwellers in Timhuctoo, Their interests were wide apart- —their intercommunication fitful. All that Auckland .oared about Otago was its annual contribution of revenue for carrying on a Maori war. The South Island was a firstclass milch-cow that might be freely milked so long as it would not kick. The rapid advance the Colony has made since then has greatly altered the relations of the Provinces to each other. Their interests arc becoming amalgamated,, although probably the time will never come when it will be desirable that all legislative and administrative functions should lie concentrated in one Parliament. The direction that change should take was indicated by Mr Vogel. It was the same idea that Mr Macandrew enunciated last session, and which wo have frequently advocated in-different forms. Naturally the two islands form distinct provinces, having many interests in common, and some that are peculiar to the North Island. While separation into two distinct colonies is neither desirable, nor now politically possible, even the most superficial glance at the subject must convince an inquirer that

financial separation would be merely justice to the Middle Island. By such an arrangement its own revenues might be secured to it, and the North Island compelled to bear its local burdens 3 much of the jealousy and distrust with which the people of one island regard those of the other would be done away ; and the advantage would be gained of only two Provincial legislatures instead of nine. Mr Gillies seems to have altogether avoided expressing his ideas of what course reform ought to take. That formed no part of his object, which evidently was not so much to destroy the present system or to create a now one, as to embarrass the Government by forcing upon them, it possible, the necessity of introducing measures of constitutional change that cannot be carried without an appeal to the country. The attack by Mr Gillies was skilfully conceived. He is well aware of the popular feeling with regard to Provincialism, although we do not think the desire for change is nearly so strong as it was some year or two ago. He therefore brings forward the absence of intention on the part of the .Ministry to deal with the question as a political breach of promise. The foil used by Mr Vogel was equally skilful as the attack. His view of the question is quite as popular as that of Mr Gillies, and has the merit of enunciating something practical. Ho far as the M iddle Island is concerned, we think it would meet with general support. We are not so sure that it would be equally acceptable to the North Island. It virtually involves financial separation and. a complete severance from the Native difficulty—which, though apparently now-a-days a very small consideration, is not entirely done away. It is, however, very doubtful whether this is the right time to deal with so important a matter. The leading questions of public works and immigration must not be imperilled by fierce lights about constitutional changes. These could not be adopted without an appeal to the country, and such a course is unadvisable at present.