THE COST OF PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT.

West Coast Times, Issue 355, 12 November 1866, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE COST OF PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT.

A return laid before the House of Representatives, furnishes us with some very useful inCojmatioa as to the cost of Provincial GoveiMineat iv the colony of New Zealand, and it may perhaps a-ibrd us a clue to the reason why this fonU of government is so popular ■« Ith a certain class of persons. We have so fVequcntly s.aied our opinion that Pirov' icial Government is a clumsy aud rolten. system, that we sha 1 ! not go over that ground at present. Waat we should ralher propose to ou "selves to do is, 'o show ihat a la.'ge class of perjons in the various p winces are somethi lg like toe aolive vesL'y men of the London pa ishes. They make a veiy handsome yearly subsistence by talking provincialism to the general public. Altogether there are 200,000 souls supposed to be in. New Zealand. Taking the usual estimate out of this 200,000 there arc 50,000 adults, aud taxpapers in the general sense. To govein these 200,000 persons there are ten separate and independent governments. For our present purpose we must leave out the tenth or general government, and assume that it does not exist. So then we have nine separate and independent governments. These governments are in the northern island four, employing 276 persons, at a cost of L47,500"in round numbers. In the southern island five, employing 282 persons, at a cost of L 77,200 in round numbers. Or giving the gross totals of 554 persons dividing amongst them L 125,000 of the taxation of the country. This, it will be remembered, is not strictly the cost of the Provincial government, for we know that it costs somewhere about double ihe amount, leaving out of the question what it cost indirectly by the withdrawal from their legitimate pursuits of something like 1000 persons for mere official and legislative duties of no possible value to the public. The province of Taranaki is a notable instance of how the public is hoodwinked and humbugged by this stupid and rotten system of provincialism. A province not containing so many persons as West ward No. 4 of the city of Auckland, employs no less than 22 individuals, at a cost of L 4772 annually .to administer its affairs. The equally extensive province of Hawke's Bay employs 25 persons at a total annual cost of Lsllß, while Wellington, under that impersonation of provincialism, Dr. Featherston caps the lot by employing 76 persons at a cost of L 15,071 9s annually. The province of Southland, having a population numbering about 2500, requires 31 persons, at an annual cost of L 6360 to keep its people in order. We need not multiply the-e instances . of scandalous ex'u avagance. To men who take the trouble of reflecting at all upon the matter, it must be evident that these officers and offices arc not required, or if they be required, then we do not require a General Government. But as we have now disposed of the petty nialversators of toe public money, we will proceed to take the greater delinquents. Those who come nearest to each other are Auckland, Canterbury a-id Otago. Auckland has one hundred and fifty-three persons engaged in her Provincial Government, who divide amongthem L22,6o2 Ms 9d; Canterbury

has seventy-four at L 21,833 ; Ofago one hund-ed aud twenty-threo at L<38,538. Thus Auckland pays her officials oa average of Llll 2s 7d each yea ly. Canterbury L 285 Os 9i, aid Ota^o no less than L 313 5s lOld." Who will not go in for provincialism after this ? Any man who gets put into a piovincial office iv the Northern Island is suvc of a yearly average of L 172 2s 9Jd. We prefer the Southeia Islands, however, where the average rises to L2Y3 15s 1-Jd. The average on the whole colony being L 223 2s s|d. If here is not a s'roug argument in favor of provincialism we should like to find one. Nine governments and nine legislatures — these legislatures passing in five years some two thousand five hundred laws, many of those laws being different in each of the nine proviuces. Never was there any legislation like this. It beats the patent egg-hatching machine, where they put in fresh laid eggs at one end, and bring out t'ussed chickens ready dressed for table at the dher. — Auckland " Penny Journal."