PROVINCIAL INSTITUTIONS.;

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3119, 9 February 1871, Page 2

PROVINCIAL INSTITUTIONS.;

(TO THE EDITOR OS THB INDEPENDENT.) Sib,-- On the eve of the meeting of the Provincial Council, the question whether our provincial institutions should be abolished or improved is one to my mind of the most pressing importance, and, with your permission, I will proceed to discuss the Bubjocfc in a tornperate and thoughtful manner, as, in my opinion, if these institutions are destroyed, without other and better are substituted in their stead, it will prove a public misfortune. At the present time, and under existing circumstances, a provincial parliament sitting at Wellington, and a parliamentary government such as wos constituted by the Provincial Council in its first session for the province of Wellington, are certainly not now, and probably never were required ; bufc the provincial system, established by the Constitution Act, and which might have been more simply and inexpensively worked, need not on this account he abolished 5 more particularly if, as recommended here, the whole of our affairs are henceforward to be administered either by the road boards or by tho Central Government. I am myself persuaded that it would be very undesirable to transfer our local affairs to the control of either, for tho following amongst other numerous reasons : — First as regards Boa'd Boards. They are not so popularly constituted as are the Provincial Councils, inasmuch as in the election of the first a plurality of votes is allowed to the owners of large properties, while in the election of the latter the richest landowner has no more votes than the poorest householder in the district. That may be a reason why our spurious aristocracy should desire the abolition of the Provincial Councils, but it certainly affords no reason for our working settlers to aid them in tho attempt. The Eoad Boards, as a rule, have not administered the funds placed at their disposal to tho satisfaction of the ratepayers 5 and it has been noticed that wardens are careless about continuing mombora of tho board when those roads have been made in which they were directly interested. They have been frequently openly accused of not having assessed the lands rated on any just principle. Having regard to the amount of population, and to the small extent of country over which they have had jurisdiction, they have given moro dissatisfaction than either of the members of the Provincial Council or the members of the Provincial Government. They are, moreover, not competent to deal with subjects which directly relate to another district, and in which thoir own is also deeply interested. They have not the power to decide in caßes whore the views of two boards or the interests of two districts are conflicting; and in many cases the road is- much less used, and, consequently, much leas damaged by the ratepayers in the district through which it passes, than it is by those living in other districts. Hence the necessity for a body having more extended powers and jurisdiction than mere road boards, which we have now in the Provincial Government, and which we might have in a County Council ; but in that case we should probably have ninety instead of nine local governments, and whatever might thereby be gained on the score of efficiency, certainly nothing would be gained on the score of expense ; and it is indisputable that it is to savo expense, with the view of escaping local taxation, that the abolition of the provincial system of Government is chiefly desired. It is certain that evon road boards, requiring paid clerks, collectors, and surveyors, would, in tho aggregate, cost more than the existence of a simplified Provincial Government would entail. Next as regards the General Government. It will not bo contended that this is so popularly constituted as the Provincial Councils, being virtually a standing committee appointed by the two Houses of Parliament, only .one House of which is elective, and that in many cases by very limited constituencies. Neither will it be contended that it has so administered the affairs of the colony, either as regards economy or efficiency, as to render it at all desirable, if it can be avoided, to transfer all tho departments which have been heretofore under provincial control to their administration. The mere transfer of departments from one government to another will not diminish the cost, nor will they be so likely to be efficiently conducted under a distant authority as they would be under the eyes of those resident on the spot. Having moro duties than it can properly discharge, will not the General Government become — as too-centralizing governments frequently become — a great mass of feebleness and officialism, neglecting its most importunt functions, and busy only in transmitting routine directions to distant and irresponsible agents, which are either imperfectly executed or not executed at all ? But as with the road boards so with tho General Government. Efficient colonisation is not regarded by thoae who desire to hand over our affairs to their control,if only a savingean bo effected, and local taxation be thereby avoided, but, asinthe former case, the contrary will be the result. There are departments and services now paid out of the general revenue which the General Government would not, ought not, and could not attend to, and the cost of which would have to be defrayed by the several localities out of local taxes if we had no Provincial Government ; and thus, when too late, we should find that in endeavoring to escape from the frying pan we had actually jumped into the fire. I have shown that neither mere road boards nor the General Government are competent to undertake all those various duties now discharged by the Provincial Government, and it would not be difficult to show that many of the evils said to have arisen from Provinchl institutions had really their origin, either in the physical and geographical character of the country, or in the legislation of the General Assembly. Those whioh have arisen from tho one cause will rapidly disappear under tho policy now being inaugurated by the Ministry, and those which have arisen from the other would also disappear if there was any prospect of the legislation on this matter by tho General Assembly being reversed. Even now, when most of the Provincial Governments have been deprived by the legislation of the General Assembly and the extravagince of the Genoral Government, of the larger portion of their powers and revenues, they still operate as an effective check to the centralizing tendencies of tho General Government ; they still constitute a' most formidable barrier to the establishment of insular separation ; and they thus tend to secure the good government and presorvo the unity of the colony. The time has arrived when tho Government of this province will have either to be remodelled or abolished, and if there is any force in what I have said, the former courae should have the preference. In raising my voice, however, in favor of provincial institutions at a time when their advocaoy can prove neither profitable nor popular, and in expressing my solemn opinion that if they are destroyed the time will arrivo when the working lettler will deeply regret his having aided in their destruction, under a selfish and sordid dread that by doing so they would escape j direot taxes, it must not be understood that I am either their advooute or the apologist of tho Provincial Govornment of Wellington. Its administration of tho waste lands has not been satisfactory. It hns not proved beneficial to the revenue, nor has it promoted colonisation and settlement. On other matters the Provincial Government has been found wanting. It has squandered away the public money, and contracted unnecessary obligations ; butits sins in this respect become almost transformed into virtues when contrasted with those of the General Government. It is possible that a Provincial Government is not so much wanted in Wellington as it is in more distant parts of the colony, and that tho borough and county system might hero be wisely established in its stead. But if so, let it be understood that nothing will bo savod by tho process, and that it is not by such menus that local taxation will bo avoided. Before concluding, permit mo to thank your intelligent correspondent " Viator" for his many flattering notices of my former communications. —Yours, &c, W. Wairarapa, Feb. 1, 1871.