HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPLY TO SIR JULIUS VOGEL.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 372, 21 April 1876, Page 3

HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPLY TO SIR JULIUS VOGEL.

: ;Q Jthe piipyraciife-'eM^iSsioif;. 1 / ' The. .following. ...was published- last" •; jvjeek in ' ExtraAn a"ddTti6n*AoAtl)e'lettbrs u 6f introduction an4!oinssr J uqtiQ?3 l s j -.Qf the Province of Otage,-N-s-Z., ■ : -"'- i ;. :.■-.,;; ! ~; - „ _.,,,, { Dunedin,, April.6,.iS76. Sir, —rt haye the honor to'acltiiowledgethe receipt of yo'nr letter'of 2Sth,March,/miQfm(■ing me that Messrs. Seed, and -Knpwle.SKare visiting this Province for,.the . 'piirpps.e therein .stated;;' and enclosing, qdpy of' the instruetions with which:these gentlemen iha^e;beenifur|u.shed.,';:: K f ■.. ;i ..;.(■ ■;. .■...'.'.■..'..■'.. . j, have.-- : to: say : that the present , action of the Coronial..Executivej , ,'in/ taking \ for to .which was relegated'.-the, ratification pr of/ .the same, appears tp / and that it will- be timejenough to'f ali'e suchactiori' : the Parliament has deterhiihed as'tp'what; is to be, the;specific form o'f.-.government'lor' the future. - : :-,.,-.c\ ■..-.. .-.;,.,. I tahnot for a moment suppose'that'-iir'tlie-' | easel of Otago, where,, .under-, much-abused 1 Provincial, Province has : |;gro-ivn.up .a,hi'aryelloiis/ex-/ th,sse.institutions,are. to. be/'wantonly/ destroyed;in i direiitiyjjn /the 'declared'antt/all I but jiiuanimqus.jdesjrfi aiidj convictions bf the 1 |:'^iopleA ;; ;.t'.feel..ppr'suadeS.'.th'at,if.'a plebisfcite were of the..votestwouid be pii p'he side)' to'd'in'fa- [ vor of,, the, retaining itSj. dwn' feve/ '■ nues,/ r .dKtrib'u'iihg'tjierii. oii; its/ow-n' 'behalf, :; :' and! working ,'piitits.' 6ym_ destiny in its own'-' way. .i ■. ."'[..,.';";!.. v.'.'.'.''-' -,'". '//.' ' : , I ' i ,"' !l ' £ .'/ ''•'/' Your'favbr'ite'i'd'eaof cptmties—with fix.bd.endpwments:—far nwre permahent-aiid's'ecure'-' than any that is likeTy ; ttf'bH'ficquired fi-bm" Colonial legislation, has been for years within* reach of the people of. Otago if they chose to avail themselves .ijhere.of, and it needs no action ori tne'-part of 'the.., Colonial Legislature to confer that privilege-on them. IJnder I desire to be excused from ..being a party' to initiating the policy now in question, as being., alike disastrous-to the, ihterestji' and I 'Vepug-- 1 ' nantit6ithe:'.feelings and wishes of/ tbeipepple Of-GtagO;;-;,- ,-,,- .;.;;... I cannot recognise, the right ..of. the rest of the Colony to force upon Otago'any system 'of of. its'lbcaf a"ffairs which is to pe n ceiitre'd-at';WeUin'gtoii; i 'and-Hvhich- doei no>; commehd ,: rts'el&'t6'' : tne | '.judgnient'-ofiithe people concerned. ■*-:-'-';:-••!•:;' hi..;- !~, lt;is 'bad'en'ough, for example,' that T^ra-,. I 'h'akiv •wath:6oooi shoul'd :haye equal. voice in the disposal of the consolidated-rc-f veiue as has Duhedin,_with its population of 25j0,0Q,;2ajnd; jt wi]l ; .be inhnitely,>vo.rserthat,in., cb^posjag v^f.s pur;,terrifbi4jil.,A dealing,with w th&: clbmegtie - ' affair's of .Otagp/ r the Province ol'Taraiialii is to have as niiicli" poivef^s-'th^'city^bf^Daiie'dinl-' 1 - '"-:'-- 'H : .L ..:. [fnli'jjr'ifjable' J revenue' £ 6^bta , goi.ma.ybe set' dojivn as about one-lialf that of : the s-whdlea Colony, while; the a jSofcingipoKer ;of .-the iPro;vince in the disposal thereof-in the Colonial le?s,thap;one-fpurth|Of-thej whole. If left to itself the revenue of. Otago. wouid,-I,believe, jn. a;very ..few.years exeesd' that"' of'i'lie''' whol'6 ''of the -'rc'stnf'the''- Cdloiiy ■• piit together. :iii-'i 'f-in.oa;i .-,-::■. ,■:■_■,, <\\ j-,.,,; ;. ;;i

;Youmay rest assured that it is a grand mistake tp .suppose that the people of this Province" will tainejy:-submit to have forced iipon" th'em a systernJof political communism from/ '■which tbcy have everything ,tq.lose jssd nothing ;.tp ai'd'and abet ih'which on my >-part'-Wonicf ; be-to/b'ehy'th e * : position 1 whioliSEJ 'have for many years' ; held a't the'liancls of the people. ,'••',<;;;•;:;{.; •. -; ~■•■,; •■<; I cannot think that the action of the late Colonial Parliament, which, aB shown at'the" recent. gen£i^l J |e)ectipxr,. has- b.een. so- ,universilly condemned in 'Otagb, will be maintained bj thernew Parliameiit iifsq far.as this Province is' concerned'.'; V. ■ It is, I to 'disguise-from- ourselves that, stript ofalr'-'the verbosity and special pleading with which the question may be surrounded, 'there remains the naked fact that ColonialiFnance. and, not jthe; good of the', jjcople;of Ke-vv; Zealand-is at the.- Y b,dttom ; -of. the.proposo'd' an'intense! conviction.-will, if carried into effect, very seriously prejudice th 6 interests ,and' this, section-of the Qoj :pTieed::notsay:that. this has, hitherto been., the foremost Province In.Mew Zealand, 'and that it is-not,by.dGprreing : it ofits -revenues,., bringing .thern,under the sole, .appropriation, of the Parliament at',,Wellington > and'reduc-' nig the Proyince,;tp' tfic dead 'level of Colonial Uniformity,', 'hope'to maintain that position,.,,','j ,-j '•)',.',.- ,- - j ■ijf'l.ipigh'jt Jveh'tureVtp spy, so,.' it is |y to \ my.. jmind/d^Sry.t'oj'be:'.''deploi-ed".that Colonial; fetotesman catj see'np dther'way of" grappling jwith the evils which have arisen outof a.'Vi'c-' ious.' systein -'of, fib'jiucQ .than'by a !remqdy, ( wliich .cannot fail to prove wpr'se'thiin." ,'the disease.'"""" ' ",",',.'.'V'. ' ... .' J '''"'■■ j ;.Jf,p doubt it mpy'be,' said, that' Hyhile 1 views. to'thc.riarro.vv platform of a j province,' you .are;called' to 'dVal with the iii-' jtwjests.,of Jthp .Colon'j' .as a wih.ole. : !...''"'''" ' J _ ,,' ''■"""'' | lipw.eyer, ..ppiicy', din bV 'benuSeial to the Colony wliich iiffe'cfcs si> inlJurious.ly.sueh. an. important section thereof tits' j which X Jiive] the honor to, pr.esidfe. i ; l'n ..consequence of,'y/!bat. I.', have .so- frtffy' I sfialed iu.,tuis|lct'tGi', and as'.l am ddyise.d''thst: I the , tjhree .gen tjemen' tq inspect five jd^)!j,rtmpnta!p'f-tlye..Vvb T iuciiil Grovemmeirf'i's' j without legal or cohstii Uliorial authpi - ity,"l i jjUfoptf .Mesars.-.j Seed)'_' iiild J far.!as ,'j,fie'Prp'vih'ciai' droj veruuicnt of OtUjgp is c'orict.' : r'uod..thcy' cannot i expectjany aid;in. their,mission. ,-'.,' "'/.';' '''.''" j Poogrotting, i.hiit in pei'fqrma.nco'b'f riiy pilo- ■ lie duty, I; snould have .been'compelled to ro- , fuso your request I have the honor to be, Sir,. ; ''' Y'o"t 11- asbaf oliedicnh "servant,,' ; '-' li " •• 1 . ,'".';' ''• ';•'•' 3I : ACi ; Jr.t.I»KW, i ''' '" " df O'W^.