MR DICK AT PORT CHALMERS.

North Otago Times, Volume VII, Issue 156, 20 November 1866, Page 3

MR DICK AT PORT CHALMERS.

Tho " Nelson Examiner" thus comments on tho Address of His Honor the Superintendent to his constituents at Port Chalmers : — " Mr Dick's speech forms tho most instructive commentary upon tho Constitution of New Zealand with which we havo yet met ; and of all tho uttcrauces of her public men, it is the most calculutcd to make us despair of tho future of tho Colony. He docs no V disguise, nor in any way gloss over tho fact that ho went up to the General Assembly to promoto tho interests of Otago only. Tho interests of the Colony are not oneo mentioned by him. There is a certain portion of it called Otago, to -which he owes his allegiance j and it is that portion of it which he must advance per fas ant ncfas. IIo must obtain something for the special benefit of Otago, no matter what happens to tho rest of the Colony. The people in the North Island may get their throats cut, but what's tho odds so long as the revenues of Otago are safe ? If i3 great complaint throughout his speech is, that during the past Session, the representatives of Otago wore divided. Thero arc fifteen of them, and eight often voted on one side, whilo seven voted on tho other. Mr Dick's remedy for this is, that all tho members should resign, and that tho constituencies should elect fiftceen men, pledged to pull together as one for tho interests of— what ? of the Colony ? Save the mark — no ! but for tho interests of Otayo. And the public of Otago go heart and soul with Mr Dick in this view of their interests. They point out that it is the course which has been successfully pursued by Auckland, and that it answered very well for Wellington ; and they reasonably infer that it would also answer well for themselves. In this view of our political constitution, the Parliament of New Zealand will consist of delegates from certain Provinces met together to get as much out of the common purao as they possibly can ; each group of delegates endeavoring to get, what Mr Dick delicately designates as "something specially beneficial for,lm own province." Upon the future of a country operated upon by itich a system of misgovernment as this, it is impossible to look with the smallest degreo of hopefulness. It can result in nothing but weakness, abstraction, corruption, and general extravagance. In a country so governed cvory thing that tends to produce the strength of unity, all the power resulting from tho harmonious cooperation of the best public men, must necessarily bo absent. All those motives, iu short, which throughout all history have been the main instruments in accomplishing national greatness and securing individual liberty, must disnppeai-. It is a fact becoming daily more clear to the minds of thoughtful men— and tho conviction is forced on them by such speeches as those of Mr Dick's — that tho Colouy and tho Provinces, as at present constituted, cannot exist alongside of one another. If there is to be one colony, it must be freed in some way or other from those causes of weakness and discord which threaten to tear it in pieces, and which add enormously to tho burdens of tho colonists. But one Colony is not deemed enough, if it is thought that all the advantages of good government would bo better secured by nine colonies, let us give tho system a fair trial ; and, in order to do this, let us get rid of tho existing General Government, and substitute for it a federal union, limited to the consideration of a few definite subjects. Almost anything would bo better than the present antagonism, and tho attempt to govern in direct opposition to a stato of things, which produces, and can produce nothing but disunion and local, and sectional aims and jealousies. As one colony, New Zealand might be go\ erened effectually and cheaply. Tho scparationist and TJltra-Provincialist will say that sho might bo governed better and more cheaply as nine colonies. One tiling is quite clear — she must bo either ono colony or nine colonies — sho cannot be both together at the same time.