The Lyttelton Times. THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1875.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 4463, 3 June 1875, Page 2

The Lyttelton Times. THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1875.

It seems possible at length to discover some principle which governs the votes of the .Provincial Council. .We will not blanie the Executive, for, their error is now of the past. They have simply raised a spirit which they cannot control. The old tale of Dr Paudtus illus-' trates the same thing; and. as we see ,at the close, Faustus carried off by the spirit which was one too »xnany for him, anger gives way to pity, while we shndder at his fate; The experience of, office has not been altogether lost upon the Executive, and it makes them draw back from some of the exploits which their followers, or shall we now say their, drivers, are bent upon. The, principle which actuates the majority of the Council is that of locality. Appropriations of the public money are made iu strict regard to situation. Thirteen thousand pounds for a Museum, although a re-vote, the omission of which involves compensation, is refused, because the Museum is in Christchurch. Nine thousand for the College, also a re-yote, is rejected for the same reason. Fourteen thousand for public buildings of absolute necessity, for the general service of the country, is refused, because the buildings must be in Christchurch. It is not for a moment taken into consideration that Christchurch—the chief city of the province—is more meanly provided with public build-, ings than any other chief city in the colony. The sum asked for these buddings is less than half what was expended on the Post-office alone at Dunedin, but it is: too much to be spent in Christchurch. Although the General Government offers an equal sum for the purpose,' in order to make the buildings at once i suitable for the public service and ornamental to the city, no such paltry consideration can sway the most sweet voices of the Southern members. But vrhen thirteen thousand pounds are put down for a bridge and road, which nobody wants, and which lead to nowhere, the money must be granted; for it is to be expended in the SonthT' And yef it would be very difficult to give any good reason for the Waimate Gorge road and the Waiho bridge. The cpmmifiiilcationfl needed for the Upper Waitaki and Upper Waiho, are by the banks of the Waitaki down'tp.tbe railway line. The oommunications needed for the Waimatei district are in the opposite direction to the Gorge and towards the railway line. But money is wanted for the - South, and as no more necessitous-' work; can be found, the Gorge road and bridge are to be made. The rejection of the College building vote is another case in point. Unfortunately, it seems, the College is to be built in Christchurch, therefore, no money is voted for it. Do onr Provincial Councillors consider what all this tends to P Suppose that provincial institutions‘are ' done away with, and that Christchurch is left destitute of ■ any public ‘buildings worthy of the name. The Aliddle Island must have some centre, some town where there are public buildings already in existence. \ That centre, we fear, is not likely to be Timarn; but it is very likely to be Dunedin. The Provincial Council there .is wise in its generation. Public buildings, college, post-office, hospital, are all on an extensive scale; and,; where necessary, endowment is provided for them. The city itself is well endowed, and will never by its excessive rates drive people away from it. Fits of excessive economy seize General Assemblies as well a# Provincial Councils; and where a choice has to be made between a place where everything is ready to hand without cost, and a place where everything hap to,' be r dsSe and to be paid for, it is' easy to see what the choice' will he. Air Macandrew,, who, like a true Superintendent, lives and breathes aind has, being in the advancement of Otago,., has already; offered to annex Canterbury. The annex will soon be ready for him if, for another session, our Provincial Council' show the same proclivities as it has done in the present.- ■ Surely the members of J the, Council do not wish to make Christchurch a mere secondary town >or satellite to Dunedih. 'll they do so, will, not the position of such towns hs Timaru, Kaiapoi, Lyttelton, and Akaroa be still lower P The Province 'of Canter-/ bury .has an individuality of its ownj and i would to flourish with a certain specific' unity of organisation, even though Provincial Government became a.thing of the past. It is the. merest folly to cast, away all its advantages through'-.the influence of pfcltry local jealousies. r lf, the Council ' really wishes, tiiat our children", r gQ tq study at the Otago' tTxuvereity Vjtnat 4be, headquarters of the educational system shall be Dunedin; that the principal seat of every Government office shall be there; that the . museums .> and - : the medical .school qf the future shall.,be establishied. there; in- short, that the centre, of every other influepce shall be where the centre of commercial activity arid manufacturing industry already is; let it pursue its present course. If not, let! it reverse the policy of the last few weeks. i

Fbom the discussion that arose in the Provincial Council last week about the vote for a Police Station, &0,, at Little Biver, two things may be inferred. Firstly—ln spite of professed economical bias, the Council is capable of running occasionally into extravagance. And secondly Some items of expenditure find their way into, the Estimates ina Very loose sort of fashion. Mr Maskell told the Council that as sererfVh.uildiogs were required, viz., a police barrack, a court-house, and a stable, to say nothing' of a Well and' some fencing, the amount wanted’for purpose could notbelookeduponas extravagant. Possibly not; the question';li ; not whether the buildings and other things can he done for less money, bat whether they, are required at all P Not a single valid reason■

vm brought forward to prore the necessity; on the contrary, a great deal wae very sensibly laid ’ againit it; nevertheless, the item in the moet oomI ffimSiM The Government »aid that tbkOoAlaiuionejf of Police Touched for the nwnity^n'"the course proposed, and BfimmiKMld the Council that the ofim! ofpmb b|m Board had lately been broken opw.j ]hM were accepted as valid reason^ | by tWlwmoil, which did not happen jull ; in a carping humour. Whra> Mr Maskell ridiculed Mr Andrews for urging that there was no petition in favour of the establishment of a court-house and the Council enjoyed the joke and accepted i|‘Al'ri of. the other flimsy .reasons given by the Government 'and Stir Buchanan." at Little Eiver r fiM r b(whremarkabfj lor its disorderly conduct and ruffianly habits, then, .the Provincial Secretary woilld have had good : reason to laugh at Mr Andrews. But m the few people who livA ddwri there are distinguished for their peaceful habits, Mr Andrews’ objection will be allowed by sensible men to carry considerable weight, even though the Council guffawed at him. As for the argument of the hon member for Wainui, drawn from the outrage dn the Road Board office—it is difficult' to : see eksictly hoW it hears on the question of establishing a police oamp at Little Biver, for that place does not possets a Hoad Board office. There are two in the at Kaituna/twelye miles off, and the other at a place that enjoys the pleasing and euphonious namh of “ Sally’s Gully,” distant eighteen miles.. Which of these was broken into P The outrage, the only one that has happened in the district, may be a reason for stationing a constable near to either* of the localities named, but it does not prove that Little Biver have a whole police Gamp. This. outrage, moreover, is a single instance of crime occurring in the district. - Where was. the. return; of. oases f contributed to the nearest Besident Magis- , trate’s Court by the district P This ought to have been furnished to the Government by the Commissioner and placed by them before the Council; to enable' it to ' form k proper idea of the necessity of the case. As it was not furnished, it is fair to conclude ».w. the number of cases contributed by Little Biver |to the nearest court lire very few and .farbetween.* NeitherwastheCommisrioner supported by any requisition worthy of the name from a majority of the inhabitants of the district, and it was clearly established by Mr Pilliet that beyond the'Workmen at a saw mill establishment, there was not much of a population to boast of. All these things ought to have been noticed by the Government before they allowed themselves to be convinced of , the justice of the Commissioner’s recommendation. It looks very much as if the only reason which actuated that officer in making his demand was a desirejrveiy laudabl* on his part, to establish a haltway depbt between Christchurch and Akaroa for the members of his force when on their travels. . TJu* is a praiseworthy object, no doubt, butihaidly a sufficient reason for the expenditure of £B6O of public money by. an economic Government, and the consequent establishment of a public house! in a locality, where It is not needed and where iViHjl •, the inhabitants.;: ; t iVi -f-vir