The Globe. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1874.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 100, 25 September 1874, Page 2

The Globe. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1874.

The injustice of the treatment of the Municipalities of Canterbury, of which we complained in a former article, becomes more apparent when we remember how much the towns contribute to the general welfare of the province as a whole. But from the systematic manner in which their claims have been ignored of late years, it would appear that they are regarded by the Provincial Council, as a separate part of the province, having no interest in, nor contributing in any degree, to its prosperity. But it is easy to show how false this notion is. Not only do the centres of population, add to the wealth of the country districts, by affording a market for their products, and being the source from which they draw all their supplies, but they contribute, in no small degree, as well to its direct revenues. Under the " Payment to Provinces Act," Canterbury receives, according to her population, over £40,000 a year from the Consolidated Funds. Of this amount the inhabitants of Cbristcburch, Lvttelton, Kaiapoi, Timaru, and their suburbs contribute a very large proportion, in return for which the Council votes those municipalitesamiserable pittance. "While the outlying districts arereceiv-inglargesumsforroad-making, drainage and irrigation, the towns have to tax themselves for such luxuries or go without them. And it is a well-known fact that the liberality of the Council is being greatly abused. Considerable sums of money are being spent upon perfectly useless roads, simply because it has been placed at their disposal, and must be spent in some form. In thus treating the Municipalities, the Council has pursued a most shortsighted and suicidal policy. It has ignored the wants of the city, and treated with contempt its just claims to assistance, forgetting that it is to Christchurch, as the capital, that the colony naturally looks for an indication of the public opinion of the province. Canterbury has to thank Christchurch for saving it from the Brogden contracts, and it; was public

opinion, as expressed in Christchurch and Dunedin, which encouraged our representatives in 1863 to give a hearty support to the war policy of the Ministry of the day. A similar result will follow regarding the great constitutional changes, which will shortly be discussed. Should the towns throughout the Middle Island declare loudly and in favor of sweeping away provincialism, provincialism will be swept away. Already we have reason to believe that some of the country members of the Council are beginning bitterly to repent of the policy they have pursued. Now when provincialism is threatened, they suddenly see how important it is that their much loved institutions should be well thought of, by the centres of population. Had they only known that Mr Yogel contemplated such sweeping changes they would have given a very different vote. But as we have said before, it may not be too late yet. By a wise and just distribution of the revenues of the province, the inhabitants of the towns may be induced to support the existing order of things, in preference to trusting themselves to the tender mercies of a central Grovernment.