Provincial Jealousy.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 5043, 15 December 1887, Page 2

Provincial Jealousy.

The Auckland people cannot understand ,he Governments proposal to take away he local Naval Defence Force jusb at the

time that Admiral Fairfax is visiting that city. The 4 Star ' says : •' In the proposal to concentrate at Wellington the men belonging to the Torpedo Corps now stationed in other cities of the Colony we can plainly see the cloven hoof of centralism. Admiral Fairfax will bo in New Zealand for some months, and the outcome of this visit no doubt will be the fixing of the

naval head-quarters in this Colony. Interested officialdom in Wellington sees the necessity of making a bold display before

the Admiral, and so, if possible, biassing his judgment in favour of the windy city.

If any such display if* riepcssMry — and we have nothing to aay against it — it ahould take place in Auokland, which is the most important port in the Colony from an Imperial standpoint, and which Sir William Jervoia had clearly demonstrated would probably be the first point of attack and therefore should be most stronyiy defended. We doubt not that Admiral Fairfax will ba able to arrive at a fair and just conclusion, despite all influence and intriguing that the official barnacles can bring to bear. In the meantime, however,

Ib behoves our representatives at Wellington to ascertain the reason of the Defence Department for selecting Wellington as the rindetuoui for the Torpedo Oorp3. if it does nothing more, it will let the intriguants see that the citizens of Auckland are alive to their manoeuvres. "