AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1188, 5 September 1874, Page 10

AUCKLAND.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

The political fever is gradually getting to its full heigh b, and is certainly not likely to subside in face of the vote last night, which, from the silence of tho Government and the ahsence of any pretence to show that it is in the least degree favourable to the North J slsuid is regarded as absolutely insulting. The telegram announcing the division was received by the Mayor while presiding at the largest public meeting yet held here in the Choral Hall. Mi Firth was speaking when the Mayor handed it to him. The telegnim was read amid hisses and groans and vociferous cheer* for O'llorke, who has now a powerful body of ardent admirers, and, wlvitis of more value, of firm believes. The meeting was reminded, in stinging terms, of the contempt which this division carried, while it was known in Wellington that they were mot to consider the resolutions, abundantly showed. They were reminded that Mr Vogel w.us their member, and a coutiast was drawn between his conduct now, when only the welfare of his constituents waS at stake, and the same conduct when a debate was protrac ed three weeks, and the Luna sent to Dunedin in order that Mi- Tolinie might be elected and give his vote for the Ministry. It is very clear that some great change must come over public opinion hero if Mr Vo»el is to stand tho most i emote chauco of re-election. The idol of yesterday is to-day declared to bo a slum -a man ready at an'v moment to sacrifice the country to himself, and intent only on keeping in office, coute. qui coutc. There can be no doubt of the turn the cu' rent has taken, and as litile of its force. Those last resolutions came upi m people like a thundei clap, and wore felt by evoiy man as a personal insult. Whal had the North Island doie that it should be treated with this contumely ? Was it not as capable of governing itself as the South ? Why select it for experiment, and why make it prac-

tically subject to the South? Centralist and Provincialist alike raised the cry that it was an insult, and tliat they would he less than men if they submitted to it Not that the feeling hero is in favour of Provincialism on the coutrary, so far as at present manifested, Provincialism has become so poor that there is none to do it reveience. No one stops to ask who and what has made it poor; no one pauses to contrast with its simplicity, the gross extravagance and more gross pretention of the Assembly. No one pauses to reflect that the history of New Zealand is one long charge against the Assembly of mal-administration, miscalculation and reckless finance. No one pauses to reflect how the great expenditure at its command has already lowered tho tone of the Assembly, and how likely an increase of patronage and power is to be attended with an increase of corruption. The only thing remembered of Provincialism here is its poverty, its inability to do good, and the gain ou the other hand from the lavish expenditure during the last few years of the Geneial Govern men b. Yet this Province, bo penniless for any purpose of intei nal or social pro^ross, contributed £'270,000 last year to the Customs aud other general revenues. All gono, every farthing pretty well lost, and Auckland rebuked by the prudent and thrifty Premier with her annual '• attacks on the Consolidated Revenue of the Colony." Can you wonder that the people's blood is warming up here, and that they talk of a grand demonstration to-morrow — burning in effigy the members who voted for _ the resolutions, and oiganisiug an association which shall refuse to send auy member to Wellington unless pledged to see your land revenue made Colonial. They feel that if these resolutions oe carried into effect, and you keep your land revenue, they will be at your mercy. With a Southern majority the Assembly can tax the Worth Island exceptionally when they do the work of its extinct Provincial Councils. Thus they can save tho consolidated revenue from those annual "attacks" which the Pi cmitr so pathetically deplores. If ib be necessary 'to raise moie money to meet Colonial liabilities- as it is considered sure tc be — then the Assembly, with the aid of a Southern majority again, cau tax the whole Colony toV. make good the deficiency, and so Bave your lancT revenue as heretofore. Such are the views taken hero, and ib would be hard to dispute their force or their reason. The speakers ab the meeting at the Choral Hall woie all men of mark, aud chiefly, if not entirely, what are called Centialists in theory. They would have welcomed tho abolition of all the Provinces as a boon, but the selection of the North Island they regard as a deadly insult. 1 venture to foretel that if these resolutions ever become law, they will bo bitterly resented here, and wiil lay the foundation ot a bitter ill-feeling between the North and South. Their paths will diverge n:ore seriously than heretofoie. The South will feel itself the ruler, and the North the ruled, and between them, while that condition lasts, good fellowship will be impossible. In the interests therefore of the people of both islands, it is hoped that this unequal measure will never become Jaw. As a slight index of the public feeling I cut out the following advertisement fiom this evening's paper: --"Citizens, Mr Vogel and other of your representatives invite you to meet them tomorrow evening on the Barrack Hill at 8 o'clock, to escoit the-m in piocession, and afterwards to do them all the honour which their-distinquished services on your behalf demand." 1 presume this refers to the rumoured burning in effigy, aral for quiet, apathetic Auckland it indicates, in a very forcible way, the depth to which pub. lie feeling is stirred. Air Vo^-el probably thought he <vas dealing with a mere finance measure ; that it was only necessary to secure certain capitalists who pull the wires, and success was sure. He will find himself comWted instead with an angry people -a people the more indignant because they consider themselves deceived and cheated, and find that while their rulers aud a few favoured spots are growing rich, they, forming one-fourth nearly of the population of tho colony, and contributing greatly to its revenue, grow provincially poorer and more stagnant every day. I have prepared your readers for this frequently during the last few years. Ifc clearly could only be avoided by a reasonable concession of some part of their Customs Revenue, as a return for the lnml revenue which you enjoyed. It would not have taken much to satisfy them, for their institutions are on the most modest scale compared with yours ; but if a fair s-ettlement be defened too long, depend upon it the demands will inciease, and the strife over your laud revenue iv the Assembly become more bitter.

One of the most perplexing, and, at the same I time, most disheartening signs of thetime-i id tha excuse made for the Auckland members who voted with the Government. They say- and the Government supporters of all shades erho the asseition -that the prumi.su of re-enacting the Land Revenues Act of 1808 is all bunkum ; that they have the best authoiity for believing thut the Northern Provinces once abolished those of the South will follow, and the land revenue be made Colonial. Mr Keyuolds's official declarat on to the contrary is characterised as mere dust, Mid the disaffection of Air Macandrevv is quoted as proof of the soundness of this theory. If ho believed in the sincerity of Government would he vote against them V If the Government be notsiuceie, then, say these Auckland members, »vo m.iy well support, them Tina is the excuse circulated for Mr Header Wood and other of our members, but I am proud to say that it is indignantly repudiated by the people at laige. They refuse to believe sucli treachery on the part of Government possible, and, at all events, refuse to be in any way, directly or indiiectly, parties to it, "As Gladstone served the Irish Church, and will soon serve the English, so Vogel." say his extreinelely modest suppoiters here, " will deal with the Provinces." They forget that, in abolishing the Jiish Chinch, Gladstone based his action on justice to Ii eland, and certainly, did not seek the votes of English church meu by solemnly promising them a new lease, with the deliberate intention of violating that promise at tho fivst opportunity. No one pretends that tho abolition of the Provinces is a measure of "justice" to tho North, or conceived iv that spirit. I am almost ashamed to mention, the two events in the same paper, but the comparison is so constantly made by our Government supporters, and so continuously whispered into every listening ear, that I should be scarcely giving j'ou. a fair picture if I did not put it on the canvas. Every ouo of the new.spapeis, I may say in conclusion, is against the resolutions. Centralist and Provincialist alike declare them, in their present shape, an insult to the people of this great Province especially. Even the Cross, in which Mr Vogel owns the largest share, has been obliged mildly to protest in its leading columns. In its correspondence columns, the tone is often different To-day, for instance, speaking of the division list, the leader says, "It is clear fiom that list that the North Island Provinces have been sacrificed by their own members." Under the leader it inserts n letter headed "The Abolition Resolutions." The writer asks — " i^ir — If by carrying the famous Abolition proposals the North Island is to be chained to the chariot of the South, how comes it that the South are so mortally afraid that these proposals will be earned? — Vide the opposition of Macandrew, Reeves, and other influential Southerners " The Cross does' not, however, attempt an answer. If

it didj it would he obliged to confess that the explanation lies in the fact that our membeis who voted for the Resolutions believe the Government will sell the South, and that Mac.mdrew and others hold the same opinion. It is a des^ruding opinion, after the solemn asseverations of the Government to the contiary, but it is unquestionably tho solution of tho Cross enigma. y*> hat it will all end in no one pretends to say ; but everyone has made up bis mind that the North shall be treated on a perfect footing of equality with the South, and my own opinion is that they will not flinch at a tiifle in carrying that resolution into effect. The, strongest efforts arc being made to create division in the, camp, especially at the Thames, the member.* for which are circulating telpgrams from Mr Vogel, assmiMq them that part of the programme is to make, «oldfiolds revenue and gold duty local, and hand it over to local bodies for expenditure. Of course this is a great bait, and it may at first take with the Thames people, who ai - e strongly anti-provincial. But they will soon see that this goldfields rfiVfliiue. like the hnd revenue, will he required to supply tho» necessities of tlie General Government. The rotiivnce of people in the past on this subject is extraordinary. Privately every one is full of biles of this exh avagance, of the enormous establishments maintained V-y ministers at the public expense toe itch vofos, and of the almost incredible system adopted by tlie Assembly of voting lump sums t-y the extent of millions, to be spent almost entirely at ministers' discretion. But though thee are matters of evprv day talk, they have never been impressed O i the public mind, and there can br> no doubt of the effect if the delicacy which has hitherto restrained men is cast aside. Of this there is every symptom, as might be expected, and the political war which these resolutions must provoke, will not., any move than other wars, be carried on with reservation. lam inclined to think, however, t,be bait of the goldfields revenue dangled befoi'e the Thames, and perhaps beforo Coromandel, might be successful in gaining their adhesion to the resolutions for the present,