POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4207, 16 November 1900, Page 4

POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

in an ideal Commonwealth 1 brie ia in political geography. The uiemhera of the Government may come from anywhere and everywhere. No I liing in lin " things matters except i lie jit ness el each one of the Cabinet for (he oflicentrusted to him. Unhappily. Ja-v----ever, there is no ideal Commonireai; n in actual existence- in ibis cmiii’rv. There ia, o.n the contrary, a sordid -mi n or localism, which views politics from the low local standpoint. In the days of (ho old narrowing provincialism tins spirit attained its zenith, and the ro.-nl> was the political geography, ll>c itr-a rule of which is that every dislri: 1 mu < be represented in the Cchinel. directly or indirectly. It is a wirt-hod politic d Gospel, with nothing truly polil ical in it. It ignores talent, turns its heel,, on experience, makes nothin-: of all •c qualities which between I In-in spell r-ut a, man’s title to groatne;-,:;. >ri-; iln- mein inte.rer.ts of the country hanoath the iron heel-of local jealousy, which is Ibe word evil in the political world. Tine abolition of the provinces, which was largely outcome of this spirit of narrowness ann discord, gave it a heavy blow’. it <["• ■■ hard, however, and may he sani 1 e t.c alive yet with, in one place at all even! , much vigour. Auckland is the be-' stronghold of (he local spirit. Aia-1.-land stands up unashamed, and .e-.k for many scats in the Cabinet. Auckland lias for some years had three mom hers in the Cabinet, and was era ■'■■op Ay disappointed, when the now Minister wa gazetted, that it did not get a leurth.

As a matter of fact, Ukiv are menMinisterial aspirants in the, Aav'.-.hisy ranks than in all the. other arc'tens el the House of Represent at i ves tak'm together. A,t. the other extreme sd -nds Vwlnnyton. Welling! on has at h art nincii right, if there is any political rigf.t the matter, to have a inesihcv m tii" Cabinet as Auckland lias. I d ,' hcu. in tne face of the fact that there i - no 'Ai il:;!"lon representative? in the t.’bioH, l.pnow appointment was made h'or.i *■ I• - where. Wellington came lor.’.vrd and gave iho now Minister the ly-i ra ;r----that has ever been given <c any man in this country under similar circurn.tauccs. 7ho banquet to the lion. t M.lh was largely attended. every iioere.st was well ropresented, everythin;; was wen done, and nothing was let I lo bo regretted. The new Minister, i must bo recognised at the same tiivo, docs not represent any one locality move than another. The Northern Sound-', which gave him the bulk of in's politicd support, form a constituency which hw no political geography. The only evasion on which it can wear peliticallv Southern complexion is the rare ec.vision upon which the representation of iincolony is readjusted. Such an occa si on

is at hand, but the rapid adv-'.nco :;i the North in the last iuicrcei; ;v. perioo makes the result a foregone cenclu-at'ii. Mr Mills, therefore, who war. ro wanulv welcomed by a city which for the on. turned its hack on political geography, has absolutely no political geography. The combination is as it shou'd be. ami i is therefore a powerful argument against [the relic of provincial barbarism winch still serves the Aucklaud cuustitocnc;for a political fetish.