MR J. C. FIRTH ON MR MACAN DREW.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2228, 18 December 1875, Page 3

MR J. C. FIRTH ON MR MACAN DREW.

; ' : "Let me paddle my own canoe/ : ' ■■ . • MrMacahdbew, % . iSiB,—I have.read your pamphlet and speeches with'sincere regret- Stripped of its very, flimsy covering! your proposal that each Island shall provide for its own peace, : order, and'good Government; by constituting two' or four provinces under one' Federal Government, may be summed up in one word-^Selfishnessi;'Apart from its utter selfishness your experience bf the ourrents and tendencies of New Zealand politics ought to have convinced you that: the carrying into effect of such a proposal .would, after a long'and'• costly struggle,, inevitably develope a similar result to that which you deplore. The very subjects you propose to place under Federal con- : trol, together with the certainty that the most accomplished men having the greatest legislative ability, would gravitate-: to the Federal Legislature, would utterly deßtroy.any merely provincial or insular legislatures/but with the. great, disadvantage that- the narrow selfish spirit, oharacteristio of ; all merely local or provincial administrations would be much more developed than now.. Possibly you may deny that any such narrow, exclusive, selfish spirit exists at all; permit"mo to point out to you one viz the appropriation of ; the de jure land revenue of the colony—to the use of Canterbury and Otago.; Gould there, possibly be found a greater anomaly than that one portion of a colony:Bhould have an overflowing rev'enuei whilst; another, and the larg'er.portion, is destitute, of'tbe means for providing for one of the greatest wants of a community- education ? One instance will, I think, be sufficient.: The other day the Auckland Education Board asked the modest.■ sum of: : £20000 '.to' ; provide, iri some sort, school-houses for [ the whole province, whilst ;during : the: last two years '£32,000 had ; actually-been ; expended on providing three pchool-housies in the city of ChristQhurch alone. You will prubably'reraind; me that whilst" the so-called ) compact,' by which' the 'land revenue was diverted, from, its original channel, of colonial revenue, was under strenuously^opposed it. In that you did well; you then displayed thetrue legislative faculty, and gavo evidence, of the possession of the fare and lofty.,qualitiesl.characteristic.of a true 'statesman.'; "How is it, then, that you .have since learned another and a meaner philosophy? Can. it beithat the long possession of; thfse ispoils degraded you to the rank of a merely local politician —a superintending beadle of a parish,--

oareful only; for Lief own di6tri6t,>but v - totally regardless of the welfare of the . colony at largeP Has- Otago becomo, to.,.::'■ you more thau.New Zea,landP. If so, you supply a striking andniejanolioly instance - f of the dwarfing and demoralizing effeots of tho Provincialsystem}and offerinyour own, person;'a warning that cannot safely-.. be disregarded; '^'h' : to the deploriable' ; ;-- results*which; niay hi, expeptod' to follow'" the restoration of ilie Provincial writ large which you : propose, permit me' ■• to commend, with,;great';respeqt|:these. : ° considerations to.your careful attention V,;.' Notwithstanding the evident evil infiuonoe' Provincial administration has had upon your naturally high qualities as a. states*. , man; I donot care to believe thafcyou will, ' after all* decide to paddle your own canoe rather than assist in navigating tho ./ colony through the stormy and difficult period which probably awaits her. i : :• cannot believe that yOu will deliberately dismantle and then'break up our noble ■-■ colonial ship to fit out a fow provincial privateers, which, before'.long, may be expected to turn : their guns against each other. In/: any- case I think there is enough good sense and true statesman* ship in Otago and the colony at large to; prevent the perpetration of, so suicidal an aot. ■; It is not for 'the ; advantage of this colony that it should . , be broken up into sections. Otago , has~ been largely governed by the Scotch, .'. and Auckland as largely by the Irish. f Otago was rescued to some extent, and ' .beneficially so, from what used.to be oal». : , led the "Old Identity," by the irruption; of what was termed the'"' New Iniquity" ■[ ; in. iB6O, 'Now, no one .will deny that Scotchmen ppssess'manyvaluablequalities,' - : !'' and Irishmen many brilliant ones. But--it will not be asserted that either of tkeso, ■'■; nationalities in the long ages of the past"' : have alone developed those grand Imperial; ■ characteristics, indispensable for. the"crea-','. tion of a'greatnation. But, fused with the ; ,[ , solid and generous qualities of tho English! /' race, itself a fusion of Celtic, Epman, and : Teutonio blood, I see no reason to doubt ' that the three-great strains of English,;; Scottish, and Irish blood-will ultimately, raise this colony to the rank ; and power of a great nation, 'Such a* result is;what every sensible colonist; yourself included,., desires lo ,se.e.._ Should, however,' your.'; . narrow Provincial predilections influence''•' you so far as to impel you 1 to break; up the" Colony, in order that you may continue selfishly, to appropriate, the land revenue which you admit to be colonial revenue de' jure, I warn you that you will, be defeated., For the coming elections will show even . you that the red herring cries of Separation .or Federation will not any longer avail to keep the land revenues of the colony for the exclusive use of Canterbury and Otago. The greatmajority of the.eleotors of Auck* land, Wellington, Napier, Taranaki, Nel*' son, Marlborough*. audWestland mean at last to have their rights of which'ttiey have been long unjustly.deprived.., In the coming straggle, there ■will be but one plain .issue to be settled, '.'Onp Colonyj- One Eoyenue.'/'; That/is; the'question which '■ the great majority-of the/electors of;tho colony will decideagoinstyou; in- accordanee with common sense, common justice, , and sound/policy,—!:; 'Sir; your obedient servant, J. 0.-FiBTH.- : - :