The old question of Provincialism v. Centralism is again to be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives. The Superintendents, plumed with the pea cocks feathers of a petty Imperialism, have made a stand, and intend to demand from the Ministry full control of the money to be spent on the public works of the Colony ; or in the words of Mr. Curtis' motion, " that the duties of the Resident Minister and the General Agent shall, in respect to Provinces, devolve on Superintendents and their Executives." The true meaning of this is that the Superintendents wish to muddle away the present loan in the same manner that the previous loans have been by their predecessors. In Auckland, this question has been taken up, and a large public meeting held, at which over five hundred persons were present, but was adjourned owing- to the hangers-on of provincialism putting in a plea for delay on account of not knowing what their members views were on the subject. The Auckland Herald, an opposition paper, writes on this question — " There is no doubt whatever that the feel ing of the meeting was strongly anti proviucial, and though some favour was given to the plea of Provincial ists that the full significance of the political action in Wellington was not yet known, still the meeting in an emphatic manner decjared that information to this extent should have been forwarded to the constituencies. Captain Daldy, whose speech was most moderate in its tone, surrendered this ex. cuso at the outset, and the arguments employed were valuable, showing that as a financial proposal the scheme started by the Superintendents is wholly untenable. The Colony, as a whole, is the security for the public creditor. To divide responsibi lity is to dissipate the security for the

THE TARANAKI HERALD, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1872.
