Wellington Independent WEDNESDAY, 14th MAY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3804, 14 May 1873, Page 2

Wellington Independent WEDNESDAY, 14th MAY.

If there was any reason whatever to I attach importance to the agitation for separation, got up by a few persons in Wanganui, we could advance numerous arguments to prove its absurdity. But as the movement contains within itself the elements of dissolution, and as there is not the remotest possibility of its being successful, we do not think it worth while to occupy the time of our readers, or that of ourselves in a profitless discussion. We have, however, to mention a fact which affords an illustration of the folly of the Wanganui movement by a reference to results in another part of the colony. The County Chairman of Westland is now on his way to Wellington for the purpose of conferring with the Hon the Premier upon the financial position of that County. Westland is now on the verge, if not of absolute bankruptcy, at least of inability to carry on the ordinary functions of government, whilst its parent province is rolling in superfluous wealth which, but for the severauce which took place in 18G7, would have been employed in developing the resources of the Western district. We have received many private letters from the settlers outside Wanganui, and their tenor is that the separation agitation meets with no support from those who are most largely interested in the settlement of the country. The whole of the surroundings of the movement are such as to deprive it of serious consideration, and we think our readers will agree with us that it is better to leave the Wanganui separationists to amuse themselves after their own fashion. Their meetings, and the spoutings of stump orators will do no harm to anybody. At the same time we are bound to say this — that the system of local government proposed by the Provincial Government lacks one important feature, and that is — that a certain proportion of the territorial revenue should be set aside for purely local administration. It is all very well to found a system of local government, giving the inhabitants of districts the power to tax themselves, and to administer their local affairs ; but the system is incomplete without handing over for division amongst the local bodies the surplus revenue which may accrue after the general liabilities and necessities of the province as a whole have been provided for. In Otago, this appropriation takes the shape of an allowance of provincial revenue in proportion to the taxation locally levied. In Canterbury the same system is observed, but there is an exception in the case of the Timaru and Gladstone district, which is endowed with a fixed proportion of the land revenue accruing within that district. The Provincial Government of Nelson have introduced a bill for the constitution of local boards on the goldfields, which includes a provision for the distribution of a fixed proportion of the territorial revenue, in which is included goldfields revenue amongst the boards to be created. This is really the direction in which the Provincial Government should direct its legislation, and some arrangement of this kind would probably allay all ground for dissatisfaction.

The tenders for the purchase of New Zealand Government debentures will be opened at the Treasury to-day at 12 o'clock, in accordance with the advertisement which has appeared in our columns for some time. It is expected tha+, the Hon the Premier will before the opening of the tenders explain the object and intention of this financial operation. Of course we are not aware of the probable extent of private applications, but it is expected that a large amount of the loan will be required for various Trust Funds. On the 9th inst, tenders for about half a million were to be received simultaneously in Melbourne and Sydney, but as the Albion left on the day previous no information of the result is forthcoming.

The telegram received by the Govern- j ment yesterday from the Waikato was from Major Mair, who reports that no answer has been received from the native meeting atKuiti, which had not concluded although several of the chiefs who had come to Kuiti to attend the meeting had left for their homes. " Major Mair states that tho Hauhaus are becoming nervous and fear that strong retaliatory measures will be taken against them. Some of the best disposed of their chiefs have conveyed to Major Mair their opinion that Government should adopt quiet measures for the capture of Sullivan's murderers. The whereabouts of Purukuru and his band is known, and it is said that he has received no accession to his numbers. The excitement amongst the fron-

tier settlers is gradually subsiding and confidence has been largely restored by the protective steps taken by the Government * _