THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, 4th MAY, 1905. THE OTAGO LEAGUE AND SOUTHLAND.

Southland Times, Issue 19551, 4 May 1905, Page 2

THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING Luceo Non Uro. THURSDAY, 4th MAY, 1905. THE OTAGO LEAGUE AND SOUTHLAND.

At a public meeting held in Dunedin on Friday night the Otago Langue was constituted “ for the purpose of promoting and assisting by every legitimate means public movements for the advancement of the intel ests of the people of Otago.” A short time ago, in reference 1 to the visit of a Dunedin deputation to Roxburgh, we alluded to the disquietude that prevails in Dunedin with regard to her commercial position among' the chief centres . as furnishing at once an explanation and an excuse both of the breach of good manners and of fair dealing, of which she was guilty on that occasion. This same disquietude is responsible for the Otago League and for a good deal of wilful misrepresentation or obtuseness on the part of die Lun-, edin press and some Dunedin public men. It explains, for instance, why the Otago Daily Times is puzzled to account for “ the ability of Southland to export mutton more largely than Otago does.” Anyone capable of making a brief but calm enquiry, could easily resolve the - puzzle into a simple demonstration. But the Otago Daily Times, utter all that it has written, would lincl it difficult to explain why the Otago Central has not made Dunedin the premier wool and mutton exporting centre. That is the zeal puzzle to those who accept as truthful the purple press pictures of Central Otago. To those who have seen Central Otago for themselves there is/ of course, no difficulty. As far

as trade is concerned Central Ctugo, or that part of it which'the notorious railway traverses, can be ignored, at least until Mr J. A. Milan's soaring .visions of irrigation are realised. Then something- may happen, but we doubt it. In his speech at the Dunedin meeting Mr T. Mackenzie; M.Hr.R., boldly published some unpalatable figures, among Which wete comparisons between tile Bluff and Dunbdili id respect, to the Wool and mutton export trade that “ puzzled ” the. Otago Daily Times, and probably astonished riiany in the audience. Mr Mackenzie also demon* Strated that so far as trade is concerned Dunedin has receded to a position among tho secondary ports. Since 1878 the trade of Wellington has increased from £2,312,U00 to £7,287,000 ; while that of Dunedin has decreased from £5,087,000 to £4,941,000. In his address to the annual meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce a short lime ago the chairman made some comparisons extending over recent years that also showed Dunedin in anything but a favourable light. Taking the trade of the principal ports the following results for the jiriod 1901-4 were given '.—Wellington increased by 31 per cent., and Auckland by 21 per cent., Lyttelton decreased by 3 per cent., and Dunedin remained stationary. To these figures we may add those for the Bluff: The trade of our port in 1901 iVaS £1)029,920 ; in 1904 it was £1,107)337—an increase of 7 per Cent. 1 hose are the figures and the trade phenomena that have caused heart searchings and heart burnings in Dunedin, and produced, among other things, the hothouse agitation for the Law-rence-Roxburgh railway, and tho mental obliquity which is unable to see that the Otago Central railway was a gross waste of public money, and that the Lawrence-Roxburgh railway would repeat it. r l licse movements in the commercial tides have also so greatly perturbed the Dunedin people as to render them totally incapable of tracing causes. Nearly all the speakers at Friday’s meeting delivered homilies on the perils of somnolence and dissension, and the latter part of Mi' Mackenzie's oration was a philippic to tho people of Otago that appears to be thought well merited. But we do not suppose that the rise of Wellington to a position of ascendancy is due to the activity and unanimity of the Wellington people as compared with the apathy of the Otago people. Wo have not heard of the existence, much less the monumental achievement of any Wellington league, and as fax' as our own observation entitles us to speak we should say the citizens of Wellington are much less public-spirited than those of Dunedin. Neither is the formation of the Otago League going to iccover pre-eminence for Dunedin. Any hopes that may have been formed of attaining that goal are doomed to disappointment. Mr Mackenzie might have placed side by side wi'h bis trade figures those showing the movements of population. We take the following from the year book :—

Perhaps these figures are also a “ puzzle,” or the stagnation of Dunedin as compared with the rapid growth of Wellington may be due to the “ apathy and somnolence ”of the people of Otago. No, luncdin must accept the inevitable. Iler position is not to be compared with that of the other chief centres or with that of Invercargill, and we do not hesitate to prophesy that in other things besides wool and mutton the port of Bluff will gradually eclipse Dunedin. Dunedin has nothing to compare with the Western District of Southland, and the Roxburgh and Catlins districts, from which she expects much, will eventually feed Invercargill as certainly as the trade that peculiar circumstances placed in her hands many years ago has now passed to Wellington. Organisation and political agitation may effect much—they may even perpetrate such a. monstrosity as the Otago Central railway—hut they cannot change creation, and outside of America they cannot ‘‘lick’’ it. We shall be ready to examine with some curiosity the trade and population ieturns of the next few years, and if the complexion of them has been, materially changed we shall bo prepared to acknowledge that light estimate of the value of the Otago League has been proved an error of judgment. But the formation of the League calls for attention from the business people of Invercargill and Southland. Bast experience has taught us_ the kind of means that will pass muster in Dunedin as " legitimate,” and where the Otago Central was possible the Lawrence-Roxburgh may be possible also. It therefore behoves the public bodies and public men of Southland to further their own district and its interests by every means. legitimate means of course, in their power, to meet agitation with agitation, and to expose wherever they find it misrepresentation or misinformation. Southland has happily no occasion to apprehend any experience like that which has overtaken Dunedin. .'Ter trade and prosperity will increase by the sheer vastness and variety of her resources. But something of these resources may be filched from her by unprincipled neighbours, and therefore the Railway Leagues, the Bluff Harbour Board, the Town Council, and whatsoever body has a. shu.ro in the supervision and promotion of its interests and welfare should fc.el themselves constituted guardians or committees of vigilance to resist any invasion of their rights or their territory—such an invasion, for example, as that which, in regard to the Molyneux valley trade, the programme of the Otago League undoubtedly contemplates.

Census 1891 Census 1901 Increase number Increase percent Auckland & suburbs 51,287 67,226 15.932 31 Wellington ,, 31.190 49,314 15,154 44 Christchurch ,, 47,816 57,011 9,195 19 Dunedin „ 45,869 52,390 6,521 14