The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 7, 12 March 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1866.

The principles of constitutional -government" planted by Britain in her colonies, are undergoing various modifications ■•in . .adapting themselves to the special circ.ums,tances o£ : : .the countries in which. . tliey. ar.e " 'placed. • The ? North .' American group', "threatened,, by absorption- by a powerful, and a'ggres'-- , sive neighbor, are now engaged in foi-ming •themselves into what is in fact a federal republic, under the protection, of the' British Government. In Austealia, the...centralising." character of the Government of New South Wales have, in the absence of any counteracting -influences, resulted in the separation of !the outlying districts from the parent colony, and their formation into distinct colonies. The various Governments of those colonies are now endeavoring to correct this tendency to division by establishing Municipal Governments in all their country districts. ! These influences . have, been actively at iwork in New Zealand, but .with different re-, 'suits. The demands for local self-govern-ment were early made, and were wisely met ;by the institution of Provincial iG-oyeruments. ;Separationi'sts have not yet been able to djvide the colony into two, but have made it; iin every respect a miniature federal republic. The physical geography of this country is very different from that of either of those previously mentioned, it consists of two . ■islands, land communication between the different parts of the same island beiug difficult on account of the mountainous character of the country, the principal means of traffic are by sea. None of the ports beiug commercial centres for large areas, — no town . has acquired preponderating political influence. From the same cause too, each port having become a small commercial centre, the general sympathies of the inhabitants -are centred in their particular districts. Under these circumstances the provincial .system of Government has taken root in; New Zealand, the system may .not be perfect tin ali its details, y.et its principle is just, and perhaps it sis more suitable than any other to the circumstances of the country. Still the. residents, of outlying districts occasionally complain that their interests are., neglected, and _ seek_ to have the advantages of form of Governnie.pt jxpplj^d ,morq to them. A icase in point, is : th& .d^ssajii^ctio'n felt m

.yVestland towards the CanteA'bury.Executive; : they say' that -their interests have been either, neglected or altogether ignored, that the dis- 1 ■ tviet is .entirely governed with a view to ..Canterbury interests, and that they can see no remedy to this but separating Westland from Canterbury, and erecting it into an independent province. : If this continual subdivision of the provinces is suffered to go on, ifc will ultimately reduce them to the condition of mere municipalities, and consequeuty largely increase the influence of the General Government over the. entire country. , It becomes a. question if such a a\esuit is at all desirable, if . so, there need be nothing more said upon the subject. But if we consider that it is well that the independent influence of the provinces should be maintained as essential to the successful working of our system of Government, no time should be lost in conferring, upon pur. outlying districts, the privileges of local self-government, in the form of municipal institutions, such as haveworked so well , in Victoria, so as at least to. prevent any further division of the Province of Nelson.