THE POSITION OF AUCKLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 13, 28 May 1868, Page 3

THE POSITION OF AUCKLAND.

(From tho Daily Sou hern Cross, May 8,) H<iw in th« Pfoviiwial Qovoruinont to bo hindoreilfrom running the jwo- 1 ' vinco i'urtlior into dobtP It ia Jiving on credit at tho prouont moment, oaoh flucceHHivo day adding to our liabilittos, Aro wo to comfort ouruolvoa with tho

thought ilifit thoao aro novor likoly to bo paid ofF, and that therefore tho amount mattera lifctlo — that wo 11 fly «a well bo hung for. a sheep an a lamb ? Or does the Provincial Govornmonl; boliovo that, if the provineo bo handed ovor to tho care or tho Gone ml Govornmont, tho General Govern muniwill accept all tho provincial linbilitieti with it, ftfl ft mattop of courao ? There id huclj a thing m voekoniug without iono'a hoeb. ''■.' Wo can norfootly understand thfc '(Ifca of recklGflßiieaß with which pro'vincefl, like individual**, aro likely to bo Boi/,od, when on tho vortjo of a declaration of inaolvonoy. Wo onn porfactly Inppvoeiato thoir oagornotis to bog or borrow •, to got hold of money linyhow, or of monoy'ti worth unpaid for, in anticipation of 1 a bronlj-vij) IwhflH 0,11 liabilities, ifc ia nsHumod, mu»l. ho thrown into hodi-pofc, and provided Tor by tho oolony, "We m\ iliuUu'flland that thoro should bo n. raco nmoiitf tho provinces, moanwhilo, for tho »pnil»— !who should get the moat of whnt will proflontly bo " only cotontal maiwy j" I and wo can oabily aiippoHO a «!««« of' politicians who would think fchomwlvoH to \\MQ (lone flomothing oxcojwivoly plover, and congrfltoltato tfrt(>in«olv(wj upon having "brought no tmwU mow mouoy into tho provincoi" But an wo hftVGflOmfl littio regard for tho '. crodit of our proving, AtKl ll«ve no doflii-o to proB» upon our noighbbura, m Wtf UftVfl ourselves a reputation to lo«o, wo canhot 1)0 ozpootod to countenance such broceodingtf, , Wo aro not speaking at random, or, Indulging in gonoralitioa. Otngo haH boon Booking pormiaflion to borrow largely on tho ploa of tho devaluation of tho floods— in othor wordfl, bo«auH« tdio ia loqb aolvont than nho wan, Murlborougli has boon unfortunato with tho GhjhflWll Government about ovor- 1 drafte, which of course could' nob bo! pormitted, intimating t that, untatKtauj overdraft woro aanobionod, it would become no<!Of)flai'y to opon tho gaol and lot loobo tho prinonora, Whereupon tho Gonoral GovornmonMtill rofuwing to supply monoy to bo donlt with at pleawuro, voluntoerod to defray tho oxponfjoa of tho gaol, providod that the vouchoro woro aont up to thomHolvoa Thift propoflal cortainly doos not square in with Suponntondontal notiona, and iff a fiovo blow to tho provincial dignify ; but it ie oloar that tho General Govornmout cannot vonturo on tho riak of unauthoriHod oxpondituro without boing aaaurod, to a certainty, that tho monoy advancod ia «pont only upon services of absoluto • noeousity. Wo MQ given to undoratand thnt Auckland has not been behindhand jn tho raco; that tho Suporintondont han fliuloavoured to borrow a nmnll mattor of flvo thouaand pounds from tho Gtonoral Qovornmont to enable- him to carry on until tho mooting of the Afiaombly, proposing to ropay with tho ohanco of somothing turning up— n 1 kind of soourlty which wna vOHpoafcfully doclinod. And what is thia chanco of Homothing " turning up M P Wo say unhoHitatingly that thoro is nono, Doom our Gtovernmont roally oxpoct to got anything moro out of tho South next HOHHton ? Not a stiver moro| wo can ongago to nay, Tho majority oftlw South, at tho prompting of tho Gtmtifdl Qovornmont, and in Bpito of our Otngi) ft'kmdfl, bohavod. last HCHaion with tho grefttOßfc gonoi'Oflitv j but it was well undoretood that the adju«l;iri<jnt wan, to bo considorod flnali A furthci 1 " demand would oxasporato tho wholo oi the Southr-ovon tho boat atfbetud towardfl ouraolvos. Doos one Govern mont roally oxpeot anothor Otago Godflond—anothor twontjr»flvo thousand Pj whole of which, by tho way, might httvo boon obtained for tho immodiato übo of tho p'rovimw hud not our muddling JBxocutivo thrown nnj obfltaele in tiio way of Mr iiobort! Graham'a motion W M«o Houao— that tho whole bo' scoured by hvw to lint] oompJotion of tho railway, ] : T>oqh it oxpQofc , to roeovornny back: dobte from th« G«rwr«l (Qovornmont f 1 Tho balance ia unforfcunatflly ttw> other 1 way. Or, finally, doos ifc oxpod) to bo «bw to appropriate to its own purpoao» tho oxpoyt duty on. goW ? w& w«ro told authoritativoly last Ho»»iott titat tho Oantorbury and Otagogoidflt)ld» do not} cqvqv fcho exponao of their own lulininifttmtion, which, if we include tho cost of public workw that mu«t havo boon oxocuted whother fcho g(»ld was thoro or not, is possibly truo. But, whothor or not, this wo ctm uudortako

to &nj f thai; ho suroly ns iho rovoouo doi'ivod from tho Thamos goldfiold ih oxpond«d boyond tho limits oi' tin; Koldflold, bo Buroly will tho mining population petition tho Asoombly to bo mado a County, aa did WoHlland with saecofls lusb aosaiou. Alroady line l;ho quofltioit-bpoii agitatod'thoro. G-ivo but a Hub»ti\ntial gi^i<)VA»»«o, and tho tnovomont will got paot roflisfcnnco, So much for tho ohanco of soinothing tui'iiing up. Wo havo no doubt ihitt 'Audhltvtid will rfl<JOV«i', presently to bocojno stronger than hlio w»w in hor palmiost days; but not by any flulco, Hor prosperity will comp with t-ho prospority of tho country dietrictf, in tho logifcimato way of fllosv growth, but tho stabler on tlmt account ; to he l.ypiflod by tho oak, rathor than by tho ijourd of a muU iliglit It will oomo, but not in timo to rbliovo tho Provincial Govornmonfc from tho fivtnl ooiiHoquonooa of it« own miamanngotnonli,