The Auckland Chronicle. Thursday, November 28th, 1844.

Auckland Chronicle and New Zealand Colonist, Volume 2, Issue 69, 28 November 1844, Page 2

The Auckland Chronicle. Thursday, November 28th, 1844.

In our Coteniporary's (ihe ** Southern Cross,'V Articie last week, on the subject of the Property Tax Ordinance, we know not whether to admire mo.t his assumed intimate knowledge of the Governor's views and attentions on this subject, or the curiously fine distinction he endeavours to draw between the '* Government," with whom—he tells us in one sentence, is the fault, if the," Experiment" •' fail this year," and the " Governor 1 * who Vie are assured in the next, has done all he could to benefit the Colony by his measures. We confess our inability to comprehend the difference presumed between the Government, who it seems have not ** appointed Collectors in time," and the Governor who is so anxious for the success of the measure, and so determined to do all in his power to make it answer eventually, should it fail in the first instance. Why, it is notorious that every act of this government is the act of the " Go. vernor" himself! There is not, we believe, an officer of any rank, with perhaps one or two exceptions, who, on any important subject, dare think or act for himself. We are sorry that Captain Fitz Roy should have such officers for we are convinced that more independence, and less servile concurrence. less assentation on their part, would prevent him from doing many foolish acts, and save the Colony from the necessarily disastrous consequences. We fancy we understand 4

the motives which induce our cotemporarj to applaud the acts of the " Governor' in one breath, and malign his government and his officers as a class in the next. He must indulge his miserable and vindictive spleen in personalities' and wholesale abuse, although from prudential motives, he feels it necessary to " soft sawdor *' His Excellency. With regard to die Tax on Property we can only say that we are assured the Customs were averaging £20,000 a year a; the period of their abrogation ; and when this country will realize a quarter of that amount annually from the present Tixes we are uuuble to predict. We a<ree with the ** Cross '' in styling it an and we humbly opine that like any other experimental measure it will be abandoned when found inadequate to produce the result contemplated at its enacunent.

A statement will he published on Saturday next, of ail those who have sent in Returns of their Income, shewing ibe amount at which they are severally aed.and the gioss amount of revenue liseady (ye cannot say co-lectedj paid mi to ttOvWomeiri under the recent Act. ■H e sliAll then Ue lietler <»l)!e to judge of the feeliWsgeneraiiy of our fellow townsmen on (fesUubjeCt.