The Oamaru Times, AND WAITAKI REPORTER. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30,1866.

North Otago Times, Volume VII, Issue 159, 30 November 1866, Page 2

The Oamaru Times, AND WAITAKI REPORTER. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30,1866.

Tiie affairs of the neighboring Province of Canterbury at the present moment must be regarded with interest by the people of Oauiuru, and indeed by all who advocate the cause of districts widely separated from the centres of Government. It has long been the cry in Canterbury, as in Otago, that the Provincial Government has not done justice to her outlying districts, and we have had every sympathy with the agitation which has from time to time been got up in Timaru and other places respecting their grievances. There , ,. i __i t .- i -n tuu municipalities have been literally starved, or something worse — they have been tantalised in a manner quite as cruel and unjust as our own Otagan settlements have been. The Provincial Government has been in the habit of voting sums of money for expenditure by these Boards in works of local importance, but in almost every instance, we believe, they have never been handed over ; in other words, they have been like chained dogs endeavoring to clutch the tempting food which has been placed just a little beyond their reach. The simile is perfectly just. Of course, we are are not aware of all the circumstances which have led to the withholding of the sums so voted ; the Government may have had other claims upon the funds which were considered equally or more pressing; but that does not meet the case. The whole matter resolves itself into one of simple justice. We regard the case of the southern districts of Canterbury as precisely analagous to that of the northern portion of Otago ; the centralising influence of the capitals has in each instance operated most injuriously for the welfare of the respective districts ; and the tendency to grasp every penny of revenue for appropriation to other put poses than those of the districts contributing such revenue is becoming more and more apparent every day, showing with augmented force the imperative necessity of the adoption of a totally different system for the administration of public affairs. We have to heartily recognize, therefore, the efforts put forth by Timaru to secure her legitimate share of district revenue for local objects. It is to be regretted, however, that even she does not extend her protecting wings so far as is desirable for the furtherance of the cause of the southern settlers. While ' bravely contending for the advancement of the town of Tiraaru, she resolutely sets her face against a work such as the bridging of the Waitaki, a work calculated to work wonders for both Canterbury and Otago. An advocate of outlying districts, she opposes what would confer an incalculable boon on the settlers of those districts, laying herself open to the serious charge of inconsistency. The real cause, despite the arguments which have been employed, is not difficult to find. Timaru fears that Oamaru would, with the boundary river spanned, deprive her of some portion of the trade which now falls to her share, and rather than submit to that, she will oppose the interests of the settlers. We are not alone in our opinion. The " Lyttelton Times " in a recent issue had the following sensible remarks on the subject of the Canterbury bridges : — It is stated that the erection of a bridge over that river is of advantage only to Otago ; that it will positively injure the trade of Timaru ; that it cannot bo made for anything like the estimated ium— £20,000 ;

«nd that the bridges over the riven intersecting the ( Province ought to be made fint. The first two objection* are of a petty local character, and may be met by tho itatement that whatever facilitates traffic and intercommunication between the several Provinces of this island must ultimately result in the benefit of the people as a whole. The third objection may be met by voting a fixed sum, and leaving the onus of making tho bridge and providing the deficit, should there be any, upon Otago, the Piovince which i» supposed to reap the chief {advantage. The last argument loses most of its force from the fact that if the Government is satisfied with building bridges of humble pretensions as far as ornament and design are concerned, sufficient funds will be forthcoming before long to bridge all the chief rivers. If we are to spend £150,000 in building magnificent iron bridges over our rivers, we must be content with making a bridge once in twenty years ; but if we are content to sacrifice appearances to utility, the the same amount will suffice to bridge effectively every river in the Province. On this subject of bridges, there has been a Ministerial crisis in Canterbury. The Council has been equally divided, and the Speaker opposing the amendment, in order to leave the matter still open for discussion, the appropriation of moneys for this purpose was negatived. The Ministry, however, thought it right to tender their resignations, considering such an equality of votes tantamount to a no-confidence vote. After some delay in the formation of a new Executive, we observe that Mr Jollie has been successful in forming one, whose strength will be tested, we hope, by the introduction of the matter in another form during the present Session. The most absurd argument yet employed against bridging the Canterbury rivers is to befound in the columns of the "Press." There we find the following remarkable statement: — " As to the bridges proposed over the large rivers, we hardly count them as permanent works. At the sums which are placed on the Estimates, no bridges can be made over such rivers as the Rakaia, Rangitata, and Waitaki which will last more than seven years, if 60 long." We regret that such a journal as the " Press" should make such a rash and foolish assertion. It is not in this manner that the present cry for retrenchment will be strengthened. We have waited the result uf the debate until commenting on the action of our neighbors, imagining that anything we might have said respecting the Waitaki Bridge would have been set down as prompted by selfish motives. Now, however, we are free to confess our surprise at the narrow-minded spirit in which this great undertaking has in some quarters been regarded, and hope that the advocates of Southern Canterbury will once more rally, and, if possible, be more united, in the endeavor to secure so great a boon to settlement. If the country is to be trulv Drosnerous. if petty lo " 01 S™i™*ii><: are to be thoroughly eradicated, it can only be attained through the removal of all barriers to the traffic between districts, and the promotion of intercourse between settlers hitherto almost entire strangers, and such a result we humbly think would undoubtedly be brought about by the undertaking of such works as that more especially spoken of. It is unnecessary to consider the cost at present, as we are fully convinced that the revenues of both Frovinces, if wisely appropriated, would leave enough and to spare for the purpose. We 83e no reason, however, to doubt the estimate given by the Chief Engineer of this Province, that the river may be bridged at a cost of from L15.000 to LI 8,000.