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Otago Daily Times, Issue 4170, 30 June 1875, Page 2

MR BRADSHAWS SPEECH! TO THE EDITOR. •- " •• Sni —Might I ask the favour of your allowingme to makeafewremaEksonyour criticism of MrBradshanr's speech toTSs constituents at Kox— burgh ? Anticipating your permission, I wouli observe that you have done that gentleman but scant justice. He could scarcely have been, otherwise than "judiciously reticent" on 3. subject on which the Government had observei a similar reticence by only disclosing half therescheme. He svisely thought that the scheme " should be submitted to the constituencies " when fully matured, and that the peonle should be called upon to decide the question. 11 draw from his. speech, inferentially,- at least, that soonerthan seethe North Island Provinces abolished, and; "their administration, placed in the hands of the Central Government, which operating upon the impecunious Provinces of the South, might injuriously affect the Provinces of Otago and Canterbury, he would support a scheme of total abolition— provided, of course, that local government -was respected. :-^;:- - is here no attempt tom&be "a jagßfe but of two wrongs." Mr Bradshaw, avowrng himself a Centralist, asserted that the Provinces had a right to be heard before they -were abolished. As to his voting for the abolition resolutions of the hist session of Parliament, 16 is well known that many members voted foe them as an indication of a desire for the substitution of another form of local self-goveni-inent for the existing form, and because theresolutions gave a promise of the retention. o£ the Middle Island Land Fund by the Provinces concerned, reserving, as some explicitly said, aright to vote hereafter on a matured and well defined plan, as, on consideration, they thougESr right. As to Mr Bradshaw's not having " thrown much light" on the subject, I -would, ask how he could be expected to do so whin, the subject at present is'without form and void i Has anyone, Press or people, "thrown any ligfafr on the subject? I must say that, if they have, it is but a fiickeiing ray, scarcelydiscernible. The old Centralist party desired to foster to the utmost extent the introduction: of a local system for the Provincial systen^ with its two-fold Executives and Legislature. It never was a* part of their creed to reserve all. power in the hands of a Wellington JExecutiv^ ITie Timaru and Gladstone Board of Worfcs was a partial development of their policy, and will doubtless become a portion of the coming policy. For myself, I think the Provinces, will recognise that Mr Bradshaw has spoken very decisively—where he had standing ground —his "attitude of hesitation" is the proper position of one who is without a light from without to indicate surrounding objects.—l ant, &c, . Justice.