A SOUTHERN MONOPOLY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 68, 16 November 1914, Page 6

A SOUTHERN MONOPOLY.

[To The Editor Stratford Post.l Sir, To 'the electors of Stratford and the North - Island generally: Before recording your votes at the forthcoming polls, I will urge yon to take into your serious consideration the following facts and deductions:—' Should the Opposition and Red Fed coalition, either by an accident, or by misrepresentation, win the verdict at the forthcoming polls, the North Island will again be misgoverned and plundered by a South Island minority. That is to say, the majority of Cabinet minis'ters will, in accordance with past Liberal procedure, be selected by the southern baronet from the 35 southern Parliamentary representatives, who represent an estimated population of 470,000, whilst the norih possessing an estimated population of '.;77,000 and a Parliamentary representation of 45 (which should, on the basis of population, number two more and consequently the south two less), will, according to Liberal procedure and example, be represented by a minority in the new Liberal and Red Fed Executive Council, and as a matter of course, aiur precedent, tiie south will again -receive the lion's share of public expenditure, unless the electors of the north awaken to their responsibilities and power, and finally abolish at the baliot box this southern hereditary ministerial monopoly by returning Rerorm' candidates only.

Owing chiefly to the preponderance of southern representatives in the past Liberal Adrmuistration, the.south can at the present time boast of possessing 16Sii miles of) open railways, and the Parliamentary . .representatives" .from ' that favored, locality are continually clamoring for. more and .still- more,, as against 1227 .miles of open lines-.in the north. The annual gross and nonreturns from the northern lines exceed those of the southern by many thousands of pounds per annum., ;

The crowning act of wilful extravagance committed by the Southern ministerial majority, was the construction and continuation of the Christchurch-West Coast railway, which includes the costly Otira tun* nel. The , amount of money that has already been spent on this costly undertaking, would, have, been sufficient to have .constructed and • j equipped the Opunake/ railway, leaving a balance of a few thousand pounds in i hand for the upkeep, and the legacy of commitments" left by the present Opposition in regars to. thq, completion of this tunnel ahd.appTOafthes, will: amount to a sum j to have completed the, kura railway. • This important , lino wouldjnave been tlio, moans of opem 'nig up for settlement ; many ; thousands of acres of useftd'! Government lands, besides gjying an outlet to the mahv settlers, who will, in consequence, be compelled to "live for many years in isolation, whilst the Otira tunnel forms part of the connecting link*' between - Christehurch and the 1 defying West Coast, passing through en many miles of, land hill" tops: and'■dreary wastes. " '--

Notwithstanding that', jn the year 1902, the 'pqpulaitibn ; of' the," Nortli Island exceeded that, of the South by 55;000/ and-, ppssessed a. : parliament••'atry representation of two in excess of the South, tlie South managed to secure an excess of Cabinet Ministers to further their needs. As the population and parliamentary representation increased in the North, so did -the- Cjabin'efc representation correspondingly decrease, and gradually fall to zero, until the year of 1906, when Hie population of the North exceed that of tho South by 107,000, which numerical superiority entitled ' the North to a parliamentary representation of six in excess of the South and a corresponding representation in Cabinet, but instead, we find at that period, the South Island was in Mr Seddon's last administration, represented in Cabinet by six European Ministers, whilst the North Island was represente"d by one European,, one half-caste Maori, and one Maori (a member d the Legislative; Council) without portfolio, to safeguard the more impo'.tan;. interests of the North. This remarkable bit of Southern diplomacy or strategy, practically left the North unrepresented on the Executive Council; hence the . starving of the North, and the spoonfeed! rig of the South. On the death, i df.Mr Seddon in June, 1906, the Ha!!Jones\ Government assumed office, which consisted of five Southern representatives and three Northern, and tin. penalising of the North was continued. . On the resignation of the Hall-Jones Government two months later, tho Ward Government assumed office, and the North was again represented in Cabinet by a minority. This unequal .state of affairs continued, with but little variation, until the resignation oi the Ward Government in 1912, not-. withstandiri gthat, at that period, the population of the North exceeded that of the South by 171,000, and although possessing a Parliamentary representation of fcen in excess of the South, the South virtually possessed a Cabinet majority of three, which was, under the circumstances, manifestly wrong, and out, of all proportion in regard to population, Parliamentary representation and created wealth. The ."Mackenzie Government, which followed in the footsteps of the Ward Government, added insult to injury, by selecting six (one without portfolio), .Southern, and but four Northern representatives to make up the Administration. Mr Mackenzie, although elected to represent a Northern con- - 1 -.•"!!•■ ■• ''■■■''

and resided for so many years i" the South, had acquired and possessed Southern sympathies and bias for thai locality, which fact further redue.vi the Northern Ministerial representation and influence in Cabinet.

On the defeat of the Mackenzie Administration the Massey Government assumed the reins of office, whose. Cabinet selection fairly represents the electors of both Islands, and it will be much to the interests of the North Island to keep the Massey flag flying, so,as to save the people from being further exploited by the Southern members. At the present time, the capital value of the North exceeds that of the South by £84,000,000, and the estimated population of the North exceeds that of the South by 207,000, which entitles the North to a Parliamentary representation of 47, and the South 33, and further entitles the North to a Ministerial majority to save the taxpayer from any further exploitation by the Southern Ministerial monopolists, whose unsatisfied greed for office has now become chronic. The figures used by me in compiling this letter are approximately correct, and I have included and placed the Maori on the same political plans as the European. . If, in my endeavour to right an injustice of long standing, and if by reason, I have been successful m unearthing one of the many monopolies that has been created, and for so many years foisted on the unwary electors of the North Island, .and if, at the same time, I have succeeded in exposing to the public view, one of the I many political machinations of the Opposition and thejr predecessors, I shall feel well, repaid for my labor*, knowing that my appeal has not been in vain. In conclusion, I will again urge the electors of Stratford and the North Island as a whole, to turn down all Reds, Liberals, Independent Liberals, and other Opposition candidates of the same who will, ii elected,; help to maintain this Southern Ministerial domination, which has proved so detrimental to the interests of the North Island:— -I am ■, etc. I ,' ,".' f. j. jackson; Stratford, November 16 ,1914.