The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, 4th JANUARY, 1889.

Southland Times, Issue 10055, 4 January 1889, Page 2

The Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, 4th JANUARY, 1889.

Dk Hodgkinson is one of tbe most thoughtEal and most intelligent of our politicians. Some people thiik him a little slow, and talk aa if he had fallen behind the age and got oat of touch with the aims and opinions of his contemporaries, This is not by any means the case. No New Zealand representative takes a keener interest in paasing events, though there are few observers less liable to be carried away by the fleeting halfformed opinions of the hour. It is the habit of his mind to view the projects and suggestions to which the political world gives birth in the light of fixed principles. Hence, for instance, his supposed or alleged antipathy to what is called localism. The Doctor knows aa well as anybody that the world would Boon come to a standstill if local affairs were habitually neglected, and men only occupied their minds with questions of colonial or Imperial interest, To get along in anything Jike a satisfactory trimmer, people must first of all mind their own business and the business of their respeptive r districts, and then the larger business which the statesmen of the time put into shape for them. All these distinct kinds of business may of course be attended to at the same time. What we mean is that no sensible person would ever think of neglecting Ip3al politics for the sake of colonial politics ; and as the member for Wallace is^an eminently sensible person, it may be itiken fo? granted that* he would never think of doing anything of the kind, Put the Doctor holds it to be a fundamental principle 'that local affairs should as far as possible be managed by local authorities. To ajlow the Parliament to deal with itheru is jn hjs opiniop to open the way to all B.ortjj of ,cor r t-optiOß- He bejieves,in a word, that ion*;,'-** ** tbi! w»» » &*»* 9 f M T

colonial politics, »nd that it is answerable for most of those evils which hare made New Zealand the " avrfal example" among British colonies. And be is probably right. There can be no doubt at any rate that there would have been much leis extravagance^ mach less waste, and much less borrowing if the several districts had been directly responsible for their expenditore. It is thus really in the interest of local affairs that the Doctor wishes themv remove^ from the control of the Parliament; At present a ; irepreiiehtative^ is little" more than a political agent, sent up annually, and ; sometimes twice a year, to get the 'greatest possible share of the plunder .for his own district ; and his character ■as a politician rises or falls according to his success or failure in that not very noble enterprise. Why not manage our own local business? asks the Doctor, and allow our representatives to attend chiefly to matters of colonial importance. But as long as there is 'anything to distribute the old customs and\practices are likely to prevail. Dr Hodgkmson has accordingly always opposed the Vogelian policy of borrow, borrow, borrow, whether there is any reasonable prospect iof repaying or not. He is evidently pleased at the thought that there is to be no more borrowing for two or three years, and probably not much for a good while after that But he would do almost anything to banish localism out of our general politics. He says, for instance, that he could not accept the Hare system of choosing re presentatives in its entirety ; bat for the sake of the object which he has so much at heart he would accept the modified form of it which the Government, in despair of producing anything original out of their own united headpieces,stuck into their .Electoral Bill last session, "For tbis end too he supports the present Ministry through thick and thin, tbe dread of another Yogel Administration, with unlimited borrowing powers, being too much for his equanimity. Sir Julius Vogel's last attempt at conjuring was however such a miserable failure that the Doctor might really cease to frighten himself with that bogey. The author of the public works policy and the Ashburton manifesto was nevertheless greatly missed last session. The present House seems to, be incapable of originating an idea ; and a more dismally dull session than the one just mentioned never dragged out its weary existence to the disgust of the New Zealand public. Little as we trust Sir Julias Vogel's judgment, we 'confess that we do not share Dr Hodgkinson's alarm at the thought of his return. No kind of Parliament is more dangerous than one without ideas. It is the dullards after all and not tbe genuises that we have to dread. The Doctor again brought forward his proposal to sell the railways. This would probably be a mis take, though we understand that a good many men of judgment and experience who need to scout the very idea of such a measure are now doubtful whether it might nob be tbe right thing after all. It would seem at least to be the only way to get the lines decently managed ; and there is much truth in what Mr Peter Dalryraple so often tells his fellow colonists, that the company or syndicate who should buy them would be by far the best immigration agents the colony ever had. Still there are grave ©bjections to the proposal, to say nothing of the fact that it is almost certain that they could not be sold to advantage at tbe present time. It is very doubtful moreover if the proposal is quite consistent with Dr Hodgkinson's horror at the borrowing propensities of New Zealanders. The moment they found themselves lightened of a good part of the heavy burden they had borne, they would be almost certain to say to themselves that they might surely borrow a million or so for this that or the other good purpose ; and, habit being second nature, they would most likely repeat tbe process which had done them so much harm, but this time without producing an available asset against the evil day. Better to keep the railways than ran each a tremendous risk. They are in a manner our best safeguard from the venturesomeness of unscrupulous politicians and the folly of the public. There are some other points in Dr Hodgkinson's address which we intended to notice ; but for the present enough.