SATURDAY JULY 6th.

Auckland Times, Volume 2, Issue 78, 9 July 1844, Page 3

SATURDAY JULY 6th.

A petition in favor of the instant adoption of the Distillation Bill was read and ordered to be printed. Some conversation then ensued upon the subject of '* Tke Condition of the Aborigines," which was proposed as part of Dr. Martin's resolution for the consideration of the Council.

His Excellency the Governor said that it would be w;s« to take time between now and thi* day week, to consider how far any enquiry was likely to be of service, he thought it was a question peculiarly for the Executive, and not the Legislative Council. The Local Government have constantly sent home large communications upon this subject, which might be laid on the table for Honorable Members to read, but were too voluminous to print. If the Honorable Member has the Maorie protectiou at heart, he need not fear just now, for the Governor of the Colony is accused of a Maorie mania, and perhaps, all things considered, it is just as well the mania has taken that direction. The following resolution of Dr. Martin was then submitted to the Council " 1. That it is of tko utmost importance to the interests of this Colony, that a constant supply of capital and labour should be maintained by means of emigration from Great Britain, and that in order to obtain the fullest information regarding the class of emigrants whom it would be moat desirable to introduce into this Colony, it is resolved that this Council shell order competent persons to be r xa» mined before it in evidence on the subject of emigration generally, with a special reference to the applicability of'the Wakefield or present system of Colonization fo the circumstances of (bis Colony; on the effects of the present system of pre-empti -ti over the lands of the Aborigines, and how far it might conduce to the prosperity of the Colony to modify or to abandon the same altogether-* And that, after such evidence shall have been given, the Council shall embody the same in a repoit lor the purpose of being as soou as possible forwarded by His Excellency the Governor to the Secretary of State for the Colonies."

The Honorable Member said, that although some part of this resolution might create a difference of opinion, it was impossible that any should exist as to the first part of it, namely, as to the want of emigrating capital and labour, and upen the necessity for some means, of encouraging these; our deficiency in this respect notwithstanding all the advantages of climate and soil which the Colony held out, was one of the most sure indications of the bad government we had been subject to, The present system of Emigration defeated itself, for charging a high price for land to the very few people who were simple enough to give it, it brought out labourers who had no employers. We want Capitalists here, whose means and exertion should be useful to develope the resouices of the Colony. All other Colonies from the beginning of the world to the present day have been peopled without making a charge for the soil they (the emigrants) were to go upon and to subdue from a state of nature. The Hon-. orable Member was desirious to have evidence taken by which the oonditron of the Colony might be made known to the Government and people at home, the real capabilities of the place, so as to induce people of Capital, and not the paupers we have had, to come among us. (The Honorable Members then attempted an history of early Colonies, but seemed to vs tittle acquainted with Ro I'm or any other respectable authority, The Colonial Secretary had occasion to remind the Doctor that Homer, who according to Dr. Martin was a Colonist, was born in four or Jive several cities.—-In short it was delightful to travel with the Honorable Members, before the sitge of Troy, backwards and forwards between Egypt and Gtcece.) The Honorable Member said if Colonization was left alone it would prosper, —there ought to be no such thing as arbitrary prices of land, such as Lord

Stanley fosters; nothing can be more absurd than the uniform price of 2o*. per acre, through half a dozen Colonies, as if there were no varieties of climate or situation to make one more valuable than another. At the time that the waste lands of Australia and New .Zealand were priced! at 20s, minimum, the price of better .landsin British North America, was only ss. 2d. per acre, and what was the natural consequence of this ; but to prevent the possibility of any emigration to our shore*.— The Honorable Member went at considerable detail into a criticism of the Wakefield system,—lamented as usual, by anticipation, the destruction of the dear Maories,' and concluded by urging the necessity of taking evidence upon tha subject generally, for the information of the Secretary of State. The Colonial Secretary agreed in many respects with the last speaker, the Vv"al:efield system was clearly riot adap'ed to the circumstances of the Colony, the great expense which attended the Company's system was a serious evil,' and the anticipation of their right of settlement tiad been fearfully, detrimental to the interest of their easterners and the character of the Colony. One thing was worthy, of observation, that never in any part of tha world % had there been so respectable emigrants as those who had It-ft their native land under the auspices of the sew Zealand Company, and it was not therefore by reason of any deficiency in this respect that Wellington was not prosperous. The .Hon. Colonial Secretary thought that the only way to encourage emigration and secure prosperity to New Zealand, was to give, or grant, at a very low rate, land to bona Jide occtipants,---it was clear that the present system, without raising any revenue, prevented all hope of emigration. He thought that taking evidence was unnecessary, as the Council themselves hnew all that could be told them.

Mr. Brown, Mr. Clifford, and the Colonial Treasurer, each spohe to the same effect. The Hon.'Attorney General said it appeared to him that the simple object before the Council was' to get rid of the 20*. an acre minimum land pric « Act, commonly called " Lord Stanley's Land Act."' and this would be most lihely effected hy a memorial from the Council, shewing the total cessation of land, sales, and pointing 1 oat the peculiar circumstances of the Colony,

The pretext for the high price of land was to ra?«e a fund for the importation of labour, but, with th* useful Maorie population we hare about "us, vrs do not require any such import, and till capital comes amongst us, we cannot afford to pay for it. Capital will not come while land is kept Up at the present high price. The Memorial should show that there are nineteen millions of acres of land in the posses* sion of the Maories, over which we have no controal, and that the land in the possession of the New Zealand Company and Land Claimants may any day be reduced in pricP, and consequently the attempt to enforce • ninimurri upset price of 20*. an acre by Government is injurious to all hope of emigration On the motio'r 0 f Mr. Brown, the consideration of the subject was adjourned for* weeh, during the interval a memorial is to be prepared. His Excellency the Governor desired that it might be observed that he had reserved his opinions upon the subject, and was desirous that it should be hnown that he had not in anv wav biassed or ioflttenced the opinion of any of the Official Members. The Distillation Bill was read a third time and passed.

[We were not present but we hav e heard that the Sergeant gave the Recruit a good Drilling upon this occasion.— Ed. Timbs.]