The New Zealand Herald.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1979, 23 May 1870, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald.

SPKi.TKMUU ACKMin. "Cive every n;:in thine car. lint few thy win'; _ Take cacli lnan'seensnre, lint reserve thy judgment. This ahovr all, —To thine own self he true Ami it mn«t fi>llmv, as the niiilit the it-iy, TIIOII cans't n< t then he faUeto iitiv mall." MONDAY, MAY S.i, 1870. ]>* reviewing the progress of the various provinces of .New Zealand, a superficial observer would most probably arrive at very incorrect conclusions. lie 111 i^ht; take statistics from the reports of the Registrar-General and show the progress as regards agriculture, for instance, and conclude that Auckland must be deficient in some qualification or oilier which was possessed by, say Canterbury and Otago. ITe might even travel through these three provinces, and see evidences around him in the paucity of good roads and bridges in our own Province, and the comparative abundance of such evidences of progress I in the other two named provinces. He might also look at the educational | endowments for grammar and common schools, and refer to the thousands of acres of laud set apart in Otago lor the endowment of a University. The funds expended on High Schools, | the recent advertisements for professors for an Otago University, would also be adduced as striking evidence of the spirit and prosperity of the two great Provinces of the South Island.

But if his enquiries stopped short here, wo would be led to most erroneous conclusions. lie would have to go a step further, and enquire how it was that Otago and Canterbury, for instance, should be a-head of Auckland in respect to University, Grammar School, and elementary education, and also in regard to railways and common roads. The history of tlio war would have to bo read, and that

table of the statistic* of IScw Zc.il.md studied, which allows the receipts and disbursements by the Receiver of 1 and Kevonue, for the several provinces of New Zealand during any given year, and for a series of years. By doing this he will not only perceive abundant reason whv Otago and Canterbury should make much greater progress I than Auckland, but he; will probably ! conclude that, all things considered, it is really surprising that our pro- ! vince has inarched along on" the road of progress at even the pace which she has done. . A desolating war, which ruineu hundreds of fanners : which_ drove | ! them from their homes; left thenhouses and farm buildings to go to ! decay ; their cattle to wander 111 the ! bush" and be lost : which left their ! crops nngathered in the ground ; the ■ land uncultivated, and, in fact, i ndul ! the work and expenditure of years— ! had its powerful cfleet in checking ' progress. But the rumours of wars, i even to this very day, the marchings '•and countermarchings of rebels 'through a large portion of the pro- ! vince J the location of the King and ' his party in our midst with detachments of sympathisers open and dis- . Umised living around and about our • Thinly populated .settlements, and the , ! massacres which have been perpetrated among us, all prevent settlement in 1 ■ the interior ot the country, and i effectually bar our progress. And yet ' in the face of all tlie.se great evils, we • arc constantly sneered at by the politicians of the South—the Superinten- ■ ' dent of Canterbury even not being ! proof against the weak temptation to I say bitter things ot the -North Island. llt is high time that the rth Island, land especially Auckland, took a manlv - 1 stand against the sneers of these gentle- | men who talk of the blessings and advantages of war to the North, they themselves being perfectly secure irom anything ofthc kind. The consti: uents . I of "Mr. itolleston can tend their sheep, ! and sow their grain, and reap their harvest undisturbed. Xn wholesale mid- ! night massacres, no dread ot molestaj tion by Maori savages, have troubled si their thoughts and dreams. Thev have perfect peace and security—-the • very conditions of progress, and without which no country can really advance. The Government ol Mr. 5 liolleston were so alarmed at the dreadful consequences which might I happen to the people of Canterbury • iby having a score or two of Maori j prisoners even confined in their gaol. that thev positively declined to touch I the unclean thing, and to have 0' it among them even in s;ich small quantities, and under such .-afeguards as abovenamed. We will not insinuate anything about the courageous spirit, - or the contrary, which t !)•■■• great divad of a few Maori prisoners from the North evoked among the people; of

Ciiiitorbni-y,I I tif Mr. Kolleston andhi; friends really believe that it is for the advantage of Auckland ami other pails of tlio North Island to have perpetual Maori wars in their borders, win" should not Canterbury not only permit a lew Maori prisoners to be located anions them, but even take measures to ob'ain a sullicient number to lie a perpetual terror to the fanners and. rimhohhrs of the province, and so be able to enjoy those blessings of war which the North is :■ Ito enjoy

si) much mi lto profit so greatly by. j Putting :i!l this apart, however, our : inquirer wotiM need. as we Lave saiil. ! to examine the statistics as to the j amounts reeeiveil tor revenue irom the j Crown lands of the colony before In; \ wonlil be in the position to form a ! correct opinion on the relative rates of progress of t!ie three great provinecs of t lie colony. , \\ r e find that during the two years onlv, 1S(!7 and ISOS, the sum of £ IDS, 111: lias been received by the l'rovincial Treasurer of Canterbury, [ and by the L'rovincial Treasurer of Otago, on account of , lands belonging to the Crown which | have been sold in that period, or a total of £100,71 F. In addition, thou- ; R'tnds of acres have bci n set apart as endowments for schools and universi- , ties. The receipts for Crown lands sold in the Province of Auckland find their way to the Colonial Treasurer, the Provincial Treasurer not receiving a penny from such sources We presume that, no matter-how this state of things arose, the Provinces which enjoy such an enormous income from public lands, nominally belonging to the Crown, but practically belonging to the colony, must be considered to be peculiarly fortunate. The amusement really takes so much Irom what would have been the revenue ; of the colony, applicable to the purposes of the colony, and the ordinary ! taxation would have been so much less 1 than it has been, and than it is, did J this arrangement not exist. The Auckland province then, as also all the lesser provinces, but Auckland more especially, have been for years paying a much larger amount of taxation than the}' would need to have done had this land revenue remained with the colony. We have been taxed then for the benefit of other provinces, especially for the benefit of Otago and Canterbury. The General Assembly will soon meet, and we trust the Auckland members will take these matters seriously to heart, and that they will unite to work together . harmoniously in reference to these i questions of finance. The divisions ' among our members are our ruin, so i far as Parliament is concerned. On whatever other points they may differ, : nothing should bo permitted to cause ; any difference on certain financial 1 arrangements that will have to be ! discussed. We ought to go in boldly , and determinedly for the repeal of the - Act which charges on this province • some £27,000, as interest on a charge , admitted to be unjust; our members I ought also to be united in demanding ) that the Busby Award should be t satisfied out of the colonial chest; they

mgbt also to insist, U nstalment of justice, tha ' >ouu lands in the province now &] icld bv the colony, should De ft landed over to the province; botliwaste land in the country dis- B Wets, and also the Albert Barrack t , .round and Britomart. And m ad- n toion we ought to have the colonial b guarantee for a loan to enable us to iry on the Waikato Eailway, an-1 £ also for at least a portion say one- Q hilf of the sum required lor the s construction of needful docks in our harbour, while, as a work of defence, _ b necessary for the peace of the No} tl : s Island, a large system of road-making , c should be undertaken at the cost ot , * the colony, and as the principal part of its defence and war expenditure. j "We trust that we shall not again see , a the interests of this province wantonly r sacrificid to the private feelings ot m- ; t dividual members, or to their careless- ; ness Personal feelings and differences . 1 must be sank, and union must taice i « the place of division, if Auckland is , ] ever to have justice at the hands ot . ( the Parliament of the Colony. Union j ] and boldness will succeed, while dis- • , union, self-seekiog, and timc-serymg ; . will simply betray once more llie best ; 1 and most Tital interests of the Prou'nee, and leave us at the mercy ot , others, suppliants for the crumbs from j the Parliamentary table, rather than j persons demanding and determined to j have their rights. J