THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1877.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4747, 2 February 1877, Page 2

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1877.

There is now apparently to be no mission to England, to protest against recent legislation, and to endeavour to have it reversed, and the abandonment of the project of the Otagp Convention seems to indicate that the idea of appealing to the Imperial Government ' against the Abolition Act has been finally given up. The reason which is put. most, prominently forward .for this course is, that the state of Sir George Grey's health .prevents him from undertaking a journey to - England at the present time. This, in our opinion, ■would hardly be a sufficient reason. If it 'were still deemed expedient and necessary to make an appeal to England, some other gentleman . could surely be obtained who would accompany Mr. Macandrew to London. •- The real motives for the abandonment of, the proposal of the' Convenvion are these : The Otago people have, to a very considerable extent, cooled down, and taken a practical view of: the situation,: and the. people of , Auckland have, from the beginning, declined to adopt the idea of a deputation to England. There is no question that the.Conyentib'n lately held in Otago included a number of men of influence, and that there "Was a considerable amount of public feeling in support of its action. But When it-was found that actually nothing could ! be done to avert the '.abolition of the proyitice, and that the only proposal Which could be made in. the. circumstances .was-.thatHthere should be an. • appeal- to England,' there was a. perceptible change. It w'as seen that, on the .legal .ground .there was very scant standing: roomj and .that any appeal to, the English ' Government to disallow the legislation of the New Zealand Parliament was a,veritable forlorn hope. It was quite evident -that the Secre- i tary •of ' State for the Colonies' would have told the delegates that the New Zealand Parliament - had full power to reverse the Abolition legislation if it chase. If the legislation had actually been ■ ultra vires there would have been some ground for action, both on the part of the colonists and the home authorities, bujt that question having been closed by the deliberate opinion of the Crown Law,. Officers, the appeal to England was simply a calling on the Home Government to interfere to reverse legislation which'- the "New Zealand Parliament had an absolute right to enact. ' It was clearly seen in I Otago that this course would never do. Then, Otago could hardly move without Auckland, and the people of. Auckland had determined that further'opposition was useless. Sir George Grey could not have appeared at home unless he had been requested to go there by a large proportion of the people of the province over which he had been Superintendent, and it was evident that such an authorisation could not be obtained. Whether its effect be good or bad, the Abolition legislation must now be tried, and all improvements .in administration must be worked out through it. This is the position which Auckland has taken up. The settlers of this part of the country will honestly try the Koad Board and County Council system, and in each seesion. of Parliament they will strive to have it improved, so as t6 make it what it is not at serviceable administration of local self-government. Mr. Macandrow, however, and those who act with him propose now to agitate for the separation of Otago from the re3t of the , Colony.'

It may be admitted, that the County system no* madfe' not workiSg so well as ite had hoped. At beat it is.'but. Me-sbift;r in? some; ;td 'be -too eipensifely in others, to- the erectip-a;;,of where rtheee bodies ; are not required, an(l wherathe useful High.way ana Eoao! Boards would, as;heretofore, perform--the work of the country districts with fair average success. The Road Board system has ..by ,np means been- the Counfaes ; ?but in jukny. cases the has reaUy added to the strength and vitality of Road Boards. ,Withtheuvpowers of local-self-government, still resting in the option of the people to construct Counties where these are desirable, and ipalities where it is showtftha't the "p'ebple think them; necessary a and expedient: with all this, to imagine that the Pa'rKa-. ment of the Colony, or the people wliich' that Parliament .represents, will consent, to the disintegration of' New Zealand, iby the establishment. of ■■ Otago as a new colony, is to imagine a vain thing, jof which even Mr. Macandrew's professed, enthusiasm can never hope to see.the realisation." Yet, in his letter to tlie President of ■ the Convention, which,, it appears, is still a living' entity, on paper, though under what constitu r tion it would be difficult for any .niodorn Abbe Sieves to define, he says : "It would be'decidedly the best thing for Otago, and indeed for New Zealand, for the former' to 'become ;a separato colony, in which case there would-be nothing-to--•■prevent; it frop ■uniting with therest of New'Zealarid for purely Federal purposes." Mr. Macandrew further remarks :' '' Should siich ; " an arrangement " be-.'deemed mutually advisable, I have no hesitation.. in saying that had Otago a Supreme Legislature of. its .own, the value of property throughout the province 'would be'materially ' enhanced:" .This '. sentence bespeaks a mental incertitude, if not an absolute'disbelief in the assertions of the writer. His scheme will never be deerried mutually advisable. People do .not desire a vitiety of supreme legislatures in the Colony, all possessing borrowing powers, arid all, like some of the new Counties, only too ready to exercise the power of-going into the money market. Neither the credit of such a colony aa Otago would be, nor the value of its property could be in any way benefited by the recreation of a congeries of small colonies to which the Imperial Government will not be likely to assent, and which would be entirely opposed to that growingprinciple of unity and consolidation of energy and power,which is now the moving principle among modern national and w colonial 'peoples.r It may be found expedient and beneficial that the Colony of New , should, be! separated into two.. Governments, each, island having a separate 'administration \ but such a project as!tKe separation ofi Otago frpm the rest:of the -colony has; very little chance of realisation,. ; \