The Auckland Chronicle. Thursday, December 19th, 1844. THE CRISIS.

Auckland Chronicle and New Zealand Colonist, Volume 2, Issue 72, 19 December 1844, Page 2

The Auckland Chronicle. Thursday, December 19th, 1844. THE CRISIS.

The time is near at haud, when His Excellency Governor Fitz Roy, will be imperatively and emphatically called upon to discharge an absolutely necessary and Important public duty towards Her Hajesy Queen Victoria’s subjects, residing in the colony of New Zealand, Our Cotemporary the Southern Cross , in the last two numbers has sounded the if* note of preparation.” He has broken the ice by telling his readers of the probable intention of the Governor, to make a revision of his officers at the end of the year, and reductions where practicable. We ask our Cotemporary why he did not say where these cases are in which His Excellency was called upon to make reductions and to point them out as was his duty as a journalist to the Governor •* whilst he had his hand in ?*’ We anticipate one reason for his omission, and which if properly and truly explained, we think would be because he was afraid of incurring the d ispleasure of a few of those who are interested in the affair, hitherto his readers, subscribers, and supporters. He ought, setting aside his own feelings, his private interest, to have spoken out honestly, boldly, and fairly on the subject ; seeing as he must do the unpleasant situation in which the Governor will be placed at the end of the year, when the government officers salaries become due —and when tradesmen of every calling will expect their quarterly accounts discharged, the Governor not having sufficient funds to meet the demand.

The Editor of the Cross has merely sent out a feeler , and looking out for the alarming symptoms it is likely to produce. We tell him plainly, that though he had not the courage to hell the cat , we shall not shrink from doing our duty, risking consequences,

In the report of the Legislative Council proceedings, Sept. 26,1844, we find these words, spoken by the Governor, ** His own opinn n was, that£.o,ooo would, for

several years, be sent to the Colony by the Home Government, and that 16 or £IB,OOO would be the most we should have to raise. He would not estimate the Colonial Revenue, from all sources, at more than £14,000 for the ensuing year, to which we might add £IO,OOO more from the Home Government; if that proved to be the most we could raise, further reductions must take place. He was sure, before the end o? the year, to receive instructions on the subject—until then he could not say what would be done. * v We expected the “ Gas Light Man” of Lower Queen-street, would have put us in possession of information before this time as to whether the £IO,OOO or the instructions from home have arrived, for certainly he must have official notice from some quarter or he would not so positively have told his readers “ that prosperity was sure to follow,” We fully expected he would have told us what had been collected and the deficiency to meet the demand, if any 1 In the event of no dispatches having arrived from the Home Government, and supposing also that Che expectation of the Governor has not been realised touching the amount of revenue raised. We most respectfully beg to direct the attention of his Excellency to the Legislative council’s report of June 0t.h,1844, in which he will find the following i’ems; we solicit his serious consideration, be* lieving as we do, that he will be compelled to make great alterations before the machinery of the government will work either to the satisfaction of himself, or or the general benefit of the colony : “ For defraying the charge of the government of this colony, for the year 1844, the sum of thirty-five thousand nine hundred and ninty-one pounds and one shilling,” was required according to an ordinance passed the 6th of June, 1844, We ask on behalf of the public whether the sum of £1,135 for colonial Treasurer’s establishment is not too much considering the depressed state of the colony of late and at present ? We want to know whether there is labour or services relumed correspondingly to the money paid ? Perhaps some friend will inform us of the very laborious work there is to be performed in the Treasurer’s office. Whether an ordinary Clerk in a mercantile office, or a Banking establishment, or a Cashier in some of the large towns in England, does not perform as much work for less than half the money paid for the office of the colonial Treasurer of New Zealand. Whether our public officers at the Treasury commence early in the morning, and remain at business burning candles till eight or nine o’clock in the evening; or whether they reach the office frequently after ten o’clock, and leave again at four o’clock in the afternoon, and seldom, if ever after. If such is the case, we beg to remind his Excellency, and our public officers, that many farmers, merchants, tradesmen, and operatives who have to pay the taxes, out of which such large salaries are paid, have to rise with the sun, and continue to worK much harder than they do, till the sun set s again, and they render quite as beneficial services to the colony—if not more so, than they do. The next item attached to the list, at which we feel not a little staggered is, “ for the board of Audit £325. It is not for us to depreciate the abilities of the gentlemen in this department. Still we hold an opinion, that if such business had to be done for a number of merchants in Auckland, that they would very soon procure an accountant, who would consider himself well paid, if he received half the sum paid for auditing the government accounts. We shall continue this subject in our next.

By the Look-in,” from the Southward we have received Wellington papers to Nov. 30th, and Nelson papers to Nov. 23rd. The inhabitants of Wellington are justly indignant at the childish policy pursued by onr Governor, Captain Fitz Roy towards the natives. From these papers it would appear that for some considerable time past, the settlers in ihe Hutt district hive been constantly annoyed by the natives, and indeed to such an extent that the settlers have had to abandon ground, crops, houses, and all to save their lives. During (lie late visit of the Governor to the South, lie made arrangements with Te I vauperaha and Rangihaeata, on eondi.ion of their receiving £4OO, which was given them, that the natives under their control should be immediately removed from the alley of the Hutt, but no sooner does the Governor leave than they refuse to quit the district! So that after receiving £4OO of the public money, the natives continue to hold the land in the Hutt and annoy the settlers. But we have often repealed our disgust of the mode pursued by { aptain Fitz Roy towards an ungrateful set of beings as the natives are. Our cotemporary at Wellington agrees with us as to the failure of the Property Rate and says “ Let the Governor call around him intelligent men from all parties in the colony, and in the real spirit of sincerity collect their opinions. He would find that his penny an acre proclamation is both illegal and insane, that his abolition of the Customs’ duties will injure (he Maories and benefit nobody except the sellers of spirits and tobacco, and that his Property and Income fax will not produce more than perhaps 10 per cent, on his estimate. Capf, Fitzßoy may, perhaps, despise this advice as emanating from a set of ship, chandlers, land jobbers, et id genus omne> not fit to come between the w ind and his nobility- We care not how much he despises us, if Ire would but govern us ; nay, we care not how mad his Government is, if there be but method in itt madness.”