The Western Star. (PUBLISHED WEEKLY.) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1874.

Western Star, Issue 50, 24 October 1874, Page 4

The Western Star. (PUBLISHED WEEKLY.) SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1874.

The vote of confidence so readily awarded our representative in the Assembly—Mr. M‘Grillivray—when be appeared before bis constituents at the ‘Marine Hotel will, we have no doubt, meet with the hearty concurrence of ninei tenths of the electors throughout the district. Indeed, the only matter about which .much doubt, could possibly, have existed was the -vexed question of the Abolition of the Provinces ; and the clear exposition ef his views given by our representative upon this subject, if if did hot carry the m hole of his, hearers with ■him to the entire length which he himself was prepared to go, it at least rendered evident to all that he was earnest and sincere in the course betook. There Is no doubt but that the time is fast appreaching when the Provincial system of —not only in the North Island, but in the Middle Island also—will have to be abolished, in order to make" room for a really united and prospefoua colony. But for ourselves, we candidly confess we are not prepared to go in for quite so sweeping a measure as that at. the present time. We give our representative ail credit for his sincerity, and our best thanks for the .action taken in, the Assembly upon the matter’so far asit has gone, lu giving his support to'Mr, Vogel’s resolutions, in respect to the Northern Provinces, we think he did well; but it should' be understood that that was but a preliminary step. The main question is, in a double sense, What is to follow ? And till we are further enlightened upon this point, we consider that neither our representative nor ourselves are committed to support it. Because the Northern Provinces, have, notoriously failed to fulfil their, functions and been a heavy drag upon their sister ; Provinces of the South, We consider that a very fair a prori reason why they should be abolished—that is to say if anything better is proposed to supersede them. For the very opposite reason, viz., that Canterbury and Otago have their functions, we least, in the meantime—they should be let alone.

As' regards the -other matters touched upon by Mr. M‘Gillivray, we are glad to say we are entirely at one with him. As regards the system of absolutely free immigration, .we had an impression that some mouths -ago instructions had been sent home to limit its application almost entirely to nominated emigrants. The large shipments, hswever, thxt have recently arrived, and the most recent letters sent home by . Mr. Holloway, seem "to make it pretty clear that if such-in-structions were-'ever sent, they have been Ike too many others that preceded them—entirely ignored, .. We may refer to other .points in a future issue.