ABOLITION OF NORTH ISLAND PROVINCES.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1880, 14 August 1874, Page 2

ABOLITION OF NORTH ISLAND PROVINCES.

. The Premier moved.the adoption ,of. the > resolutions lie had previously given notice of.. He stated •at considerable 1 length that financial causes, and the character^ the debate on the Fores^Biir^d'iDdttc^d' the Government to come down aud-fight this battle out at once. Provinces were .unable to carry out" t£e ordinary which they had assumed control of. Tt placed the General Government in. the position of Financier General to all of. them. The North Island .must 1 indw" j?e Province or no Province. ,; Separa^ tion was no . longer ;j p6ssible7 "The whole revenue of .the Provinces .during the last three years, inclusive of land fund, was only £448,000, while the Colony contributed one way or other to their support L 2,387,000. He maintained that the 1 -divisions j 6f the Islands was notsuited politically otr gebgraßhicaily, and the' pnl^; pbjeot"waa : tp ! kepp' ; certain persons; in .power, who, » though /exceed-? ingly suitable men, were fettered 1 by*lb'cal jealpusies., .He distinctly and 1 emp^tlcally denied that .the Government "had any ulterior 'designs' upon the land re« .: iv.U'.l l.ij'-i'i'J

venue of the Middle Island. Whatever change was made must be on the basis of the compact of 1856. He meant to provide Local Government for the North Island. He thought Timaru was a good model. It was time the North Island had one land law instead of four. He proposed to pay Superintendents, to the end of the term of office, except one whose lifelong services entitled him to a special provision. He considered the Provinces of Westland and Nelson had such mineral resources as would ensue a great future for them, but the whole question of gold-fields required thoroughly looking into. He thought the Government could manage the affairs of the island with a resident minister at Auckland, and Government agents at Hawke's Bay and Taranaki. The present proposals might well have been made four years ago, when the Middle Island was to undertake large public works. On such important questions as this the Government would not be satisfied solely with an expression of opinion of the House. (Applause.) Mr O'Rorke made a personal explanation. He was no party, and could be no party to such a scheme. He would be a base political traitor if he had been a party, and he could not alter his political opinion in a twinkling. He would never have joined the Ministry had he known his colleague had in his copious armory a dagger to stab the political life of Auckland. The Premier had entered upon a voyage of which no man could see the end. (Opposition, applause.) The Premier apologised for his colleague making such an exhibition. The statement made took him quite by surprise. The debate was adjourned till Monday.