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Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 44, 8 November 1851, Page 5

We draw attention to these dates, because they appear to vis to constitute unanswerable arguments for the conferring of as large local powers of Government as possible on each separate settlement, and to show in the most palpable form the absurdity of Sir George Grey's desire not to hear any more of such tilings as separate settlements throughout the " one great colony " of New Zealand. The transactions of the last six months at Otago have, however, been of a remarkably interes.ing nature to all New Zealand colonists. They consist of a portion of the struggle between the body of settlers who founded Otngo as a " class settlement, and a small but active party of officials, actual and expectant, united with the gentleman who had been honoured with Sir George Grey's invitation to attend the Legislative Council as a Nominee. The settlers appear to have been striving for economy, and responsibility to them on the part of the Local Government, in short, for the power of managing their own affairs as much as possible in their own way ; their opponents, for the overthrow of the characteristic principles of the "class" settlement, and for the apportionment among them^-elves of numerous needless offices.

It is just possible that if the Governor-in-Chief should hereafter employ in this settlement the large surplus revenue furnished by it, and the numerous other winnrng ways of winch he is master, a similar struggle might have to be fought here, notwithstanding the present unanimity prevailing. We shall, therefore, gather from the Otatto Witness for our next number, a brief narrative of the doings at Otago during tbe last five months.

"We have as yet been unable to make more than a very hasty review of the contents of the files of Otago newspapers lately received. But this is not to be wondered at, when it is remembered that our last dates from that settlement were in April, and that these files therefore contain the records of the events which have taken place there during the space of nearly six months. We have indeed been during the last two months in possession of news from England more recent by a week or two than, any from Otago,—the "Dominion " having arrived here on the 2Sth of August with English news to the 9th of May. It will seem still more incredible that until the recent ariival from Otago, our news from England was nearly two months more recent than that from the neighbouring settlement, the " Midlothian" having brought us oti the Bth of October, English news up :o the 21st of June.

We believe that there has been nearly as striking an absence of traffic between Wellington and Otago, for we have before us a private letter dated " Dunedin, September 5," but delivered a day or two ago on!}', which says " This is our first mail for a New Zealand port since the 15th of May."