THE NEGLECTED PROVINCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11801, 2 November 1901, Page 4

THE NEGLECTED PROVINCE.

Mr. Seddon recently twitted Auckland Province with being "great" afc getting up petitions, the occasion being the largely-signed request that the Helensville Northward line be pushed forward more quickly. It is very true that we petition much, but it is remarkable that this province is compelled to petition and to pray for ordinary Government recognition which the South Island has thrust upon it and which the districts trading with Wellington have carefully provided for them even though they are in the North Island. A grievous instance of this is the absolute absence upon the. Auckland Provincial railway system of suit, able facilities for the proper carriage of butter. As the result of the pressing urgency of our members, it has been reluctantly promised that proper conveniences will be supplied during the coming season, a promise! which we may take as usual, cum grano salis, seeing that it had previously been asserted that the necessary cars would not be even now 1 , available. Suitable butter-carrying facilities are provided everywhere else in the dairying district# of the colony; only Auckland Province is excluded from the benefit, in spite of the fact that our butfeetl production is already very large and steadily increasing. In a year or - two, when properly constructed cars *' are in use, we shall have thensi pointed to as an instance of, the paternal care which the Seddon Administration exercises over our industries. Any who then remember that We were long compelled to carry on our butter trade without eveii these ordinary railway facilities and that we finally secured them only after pressing petition, will be denounced by the Administration as! wretched cavillers. This is an itstance of the average treatment' meted out to our Province, at thd very time that the Premier grandiloquently urges us not to indulge itt insular or provincial jealousies. We. should agree with him— we! belonged (,to his island, for then we! could only suggest to him that it might not be wise to so completely;, and so contemptuously ignore th«l needs of the growing North.