THE The New Zealand Herald. SPECTEMUR AGENO. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1876.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4372, 17 November 1875, Page 2

THE The New Zealand Herald. SPECTEMUR AGENO. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1876.

It is very pleasing to see the sudden access of patriotic fervour which the New Zealand limes and other Government journals have beon exhibiting. Until

lately they irere all for " practical b,us_i-; ness.'- , ' They wante'd Centralisation) it is truejjbut only because it ■would effect an immense saving in the expenditure of the J colony. They pointed the finger of scorn •■at ithe poverty-stricken Provincial Councils and at the annual farce of legislation approved in due form by a Superintendentj only to be "afterwards ignominiously submitted to the veto of the General Govurnment or the ultra vires of their Attorney-General. Cut them down —these Provincial Institutions — they are cumbering the ground, Tvas their cry. Then and then only should -we have a united New Zealand, free from provincial rivalries and resting calm, confident, and contented under the benign rule of a Legislature free from' personal objects arid composed of our noblest, most patriotic, and most disinterested citizens. These extreme Centralists have had their way. Everything favoured their designs. A Parliament, elected solely to perform certain public works and lo expend certain millions of borrowed money, and whose morale, was certainly not elevated in the process, thought fit at the end of its existence to take up subjects with which it was quite incompetent and not elected to deal. The servility that enabled Ministers to do as they liked for five years, a million and a-hali! being the " practical" recompense, as Sir Julius "Vogel openly asserted it to have been, is not the ruling quality one would prefer in a House that was to deal with the re-distribution of power and the liberties of the people. The blind, unreasoning majorities, which absorbed, this million and a-half of wasted debentures were ready enough to throw more power and more patronage into the hands of Ministers who had proved such kind and excellent' masters. The journals that owed t& Ministers or to Ministers' ardent supporters a precarious and painful existence, followed the majorities. By their aid the delusion spread that the Abolition Bill was ardently desired, and was receiving enthusiastic support from the people who longed only to see it carried through at once despite the efforts of a factious minority. We all know what followed and with how high' a hand it was sought to force this bill on the colony. We all know how energetic and eelf-deny-ing were the small band of men who felt they had the country at their back and were encouraged to continue on a course that led them to a triumphant victory. The bill was passed on condition that time should be given to the people to express an opinion before it came into operation. The first result of the delay is an expression of disapproval almost unanimous throughout the colony, and a glowing feeling in favour of separation between the two islands with a Federal Government, for purposes of joint concern, in Wellington. Much of this is the outcome of disappointed expectations. The great savings which the Centralists promised if the provinces were abolished, were found to be a delusion. The Colonial Treasurer is obliged sadly to confess that £30,000 would be the extreme sum he could hope to save. Everyone knows that even this is a very gross exaggeration, and that any possible saving would be more than counter-balanced by the increased cost of longer sessions to an Assembly sitting at £300 a-day in Wellington. Who can fill his mind with so paltry a sum when assured that this same economical Government could readily save £150,000 a-year if it would put its own house in order instead of occupying itself exclusively with the arrangements of the provinces 1 ■ The financial excuse for Abolition has broken down completely, now that the bill has been actually passed and the naked results made manifest. No one can dispute or deny this fact. The Ministerial party would gladly shut their eyes to it if they could. They are men prone to take a " practical view" and their idea of a practical view is confined to figures which they can manipulate or get manipulated as they like, and get passed current till they are investigated. This is just what has now happened. The figures were no sooner looked into than their deceptive character is unmasked and fully seen. There is nothing for it therefore but to abandon figures, and that kind of "practical business," and try what a dose or two of sentiment may accomplish. The New Zealand Times —ever the foremost and the most faithful of Ministerial journals—has sounded the first note. It is shocked at the " indecency" of Sir John Richardson's language about the Council as a nominee body. It calls him " the titled annuitant of a nominee Chamber." Sir John's annuity is only £GOO, a sum at which the friends and founders of the Times would raise their own proud noses in the loftiest scorn. However, with the same patriotic zeal that denounces this "titled annuitant" for daring to give a thought to the public welfare despite his annuity, the Times denounces the Separation movement as opposed to the unity of the colony. It cannot see that uniformity is not unity, bub is very eften its most deadly enemy. Uniformity hae not bred either peace or unity between England aud Ireland. On the other hand, the enjoyment of their own laws in Church, in inheritance, in lands, in educational systems, in marriage, in even trial by jury and the inedes of legal procedure, have made perfect and complete the union between England and Scotland with scarcely a shadow of uniformity between them. Entirely independent in all local matters, the Scotch are practically legislated for solely by their own members in the Imperial Parliament to whom all Scotch matters are left for decision. It is absurd to speak, as the Times does, of "local feeling based on selfishness." To its full play we owe the freedom of nations and the progress of the world, and there is nothing whatever in local' feeling incompatible with the most ardent devotion or tho greatest sacrifices for the common country when the welfare of that country is at stake. The Times need scarcely be reminded of the history of Switzerland, of the United States, and of other federations in support of this view. But it is j one thing to call for these sacrifices and for this devotion when the welfare of a country is at issue. It is another thing to do so when the only object is to subvert a Constitution by the meanest of intrigues, by a Government carefully fostering discontent and seeking to carry great constitutional measures by open bribery of the people with tho people's own money. On tho one side we have an Assembly which is entirely unrepresentative and ef which tho arrogance has become so great that its creatures have I acquired the habit of regarding the people as their tools and not their masters. Witness the constant and nauseous assertions of what "tho House" will dp or will or won't permit, whatever the peo'ple outside may think upon the subject. Witness, in the article of tho New Zealand Times to which we are referring, the allusion to ' Sir John Richardson aa "the titled annuitant of the Legislative Council," as though by accej)ting office he had become their property and was bound to regard their interests without reference to the interests of the people. On the °j;ker hand we have a public sickened of their old Provincial Institutions

through .the ipoverty and* .'humiliations they ' had; suffered to be . upon them. Tjie outlet is that •which has excited the 4 er J or . of-tlie New Zealand Times' and of all mere Government ""supporters : Separation between the two Islands with federation for external purposes, is a policy to which all alike, and Provincialist," inay" subscribe. We are satisfied that it will rally around it all who have" at heart the real peace and unity of the colony, and" who care not for party or for faction so that this peace, this unity, and the present freedom of the people from the hatreds and oppressions alwaye following class government can be maintained.

THEMayor of the Thames is, we believe, about to convene a meeting of the claimholders of the Waio-Karaka district to consider their position with respect to the drainage question. Wβ sincerely hope that his efforts will be successful, not only for the sake of the Thames itself, but of the city and province of Auckland. To allow the mines of the Waio-Karaka to become flooded, inferring of course, complete stoppage of worki would seem to us to mean something very disastrous to the Thames. It must be remembered that every day these mines are flooded serious damage is occasioned, even where the mining has been most carefully done. Only practical miners can realize the mischief inevitably occasioned to a mine by being filled with water for any length of time, and where there is a large extent of open workings, there might be such a collapse that it would be impossible to open up the mine again except at a cost which would make it "a doubtful matter if it would pay to do; anything with even a first-class mine. It ought also to, be considered that it is of importance to have these mines started again for another reason. The big pump is at present kept going by the money voted by the Assembly, and evidently nothing farther will be voted. In what position would the Thames be left if the money were to be exhausted while tbe WaioKaraka mines were standing, and when to oommence work again in them wouid infer a very, large expenditure? Mining at the Thames would become very much restricted indeed. We -will not enter into particulars as to how tha parties- interested should set about making an arrangement to start the pumps. The Waio-Karaka mines havehitherto had immense advantage from the operations of the Bright Smile, and they ought to be willing now to bear a fair share of the cost. The first object to be attained is, of course, to get the pumps started again, but the future ought to be looked to. - It is believed that these pumps on the Waio-Karaka might be entirely dispensed with, and iihe whole of the water lifted-by the machinery on the Imperial Crown claim, if a communication could be made from the bottom of the Pumping Association's shaft to the Waio-Karaka flat. To do this would of course be a work of time j but if the matter were set about at once, a complete arrangement could be made, and in no other way can the deep levels of the Moanataiari, Waiotahi, and Waio-Karaka districts be satisfactorily proved.

Iγ will be seen from our Alexandra correspondent's letter that the eldest son of the Maori King, Tα Tawhiao, is about to make a "progress" through Waikato, and then to come on here to ask Sir George Grey to go up and pay his father a visit. Our readers will observe, therefore, that the statements we have recently mads were well-founded, and that the Kingites realily look to Sir George Grey to effect a reconciliation between them and the Europeans. OE course, it may be that the projected visit will not be made, for some incident, which in our eyes -would ibe trifling, may change the current of their thoughts ; but it seems unquestionably their intention now, for the first time, to inaugurate a negotiation. The initiative has alwavs been taken by ourselves. The very fact "of the King's son coming to Auckland would be of the greatest significance and importance. It remains now to be seen what attitude the Government will assume. To judge by the tone of those who profess to speak his sentiments, the Native Minister would rather that the present dangerous state of things should continue, with all its great risks, and the certain hindrance that it is to the progress of the North Island, than that a settlement should be made by a political opponent. We cannot, however, believe that this i 3 Sir D. McLean's feeling, or that he is so entirely wanting in patriotism. He knows very well that if a settlement were come to, a large extent of fertile country would be open to the enterprise of Europeans, which is now shut up; and that the land now occupied all along the frontier of Waikato would, by a stroke, be most materially increased in value—increased in value to a greater extent than by any expenditure which it possibly could receive iu the way of making means of communication. But why should Sir D. McLean.interfere 1 The only reason that could exist for his doing so would be the fear that Sir George Grey would be successful. We confidently anticipate that Sir D. McLean will put to shame his injudicious followers, and cordially sanction Sir George Grey's visit to Tawhiao, instructing all the Government officers in Waikato to give Mm every assistance in their power.