PARTY GOVERNMENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1212, 24 May 1895, Page 28

PARTY GOVERNMENT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —-As Parliament is close upon us, I think it a fitting time to give the thoughts that arise within us with reference to its objects and its revolutionary tendency. I am an old colonist of over fifty years, and have seen and experienced all the changes of Government that have taken place since 184-1. And now a feeling prevails that the present form of Government has seen its day and generation, and that Party Government must give way to some other and simpler form of Government. I have seen no form of Government I like so well as Provincial Government. Let us revert back to Provincialism, and let each province absorb the many boards and trusts that are scattered all over New Zealand. I would also advocate the abolishing of the Lower House, and instead have a strong Executive Government, half Imperial and half colonial, with the Governor as chairman. My object is to do away with the wretched wrangling and log-rolling that takes place every year, wasting good time and money. The result of my proposal would be that the country would easily* be ruled, as each member elected by the people would look after his own province and no other province as they too often do. Each province would simply mind its own business, and, if it chose to get into debt, that “province would only be responsible. The advantages would be many, whilst the disadvantages would be few. Logrolling has been the bane of this our present system. Mr Vogel declared at the advent of the colonial Public Works policy that 10 millions of money would build the railroad from the North Cape to the Bluff. But we have spent something like 17 millions and the work is not nearly finished ; and it has only enriched large landholders, who do not cultivate the land but simply fence it in for sheep, employing little or no labour, excepting at shearing time, and the land has improved in value enormously. These are the people who benefit the most. The various provinces could send their delegate to confer with the executive in different months, say Otago in January, Auckland in March, Canterbury in May and other provinces in their turns, so that there would be no possibility of neighbouring provinces meeting, and thus we should avoid log-rolling. Therefore, I say, do away with the present form of Party Government; get back to a Provincial Government suitable to our advanced time; have a strong Central Government, with whom the provinces could communicate at various seasons. This would facilitate Imperial Federation, and would I think bring about that desirable Home Rule which is so much talked about in the Old Country. It is the Lower House that balks everything. It is useless having a Council if it is to be at the mercy and criticism of another province. Trusting’ that some abler pen than mine will take this matter up, I am, &c., Home Ruee. Wellington, May 16, 1895. ;