ANOTHER CONSTITUTION FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 3, 9 May 1848, Page 4

ANOTHER CONSTITUTION FOR NEW ZEALAND.

(From the Spectator.) The last new Colonial constitution is waste paper— Governor Grey has "suspended" the constitution of New Zealand, and Ministers are asking Parliament to register his edict. The workmanship of that great piece of lawgiving is emphatically claimed by Mr. Labouchere fur Lord Grey: it has befuie bttni imputed by o rumour to a gentleman now ** on leave of abience ;" but from this prompt revocation, if we judge by prec-dent, we should bay that thj work is Lord Grey's own—one of hit* " pentimenti." The conduct of the whole business, from fin-t to last, has been most cunuu>ly abturd. A constitution more pragmatically regardless of existing circumstances was never offered by Siejci for the refusal of the French Dictator; but Governor Grey was duly " m- f structed' J to carry it out. Governor Grey obeys about) as much as Suit a Anna obeys the gove ntnent at ico—he derhnes to carry out the law ! And x.o sooner does good Lord Grey receive the strictures of his naraesake, than he sets to work " trying again," patching up a modified constitution in the hope of pleasing that able and absolute Governor. " Better luck next time" is the motto of Lord Grey's diligent experimental legislation on the colonies: if he live long enough, he may at last hit upon a successful measure, as treasure seekers nt last rejoice their grey-haired indigence with a golden discovery. We Buy in the hope of pleasing Captain Gey, b.-cause Lord Grey's new bill is merely a response to Captain Grey's objections—a literal response, and not a new act ot original legislation applicable to the new light thrown oa the subject. Captain Grey's objection to the constitution sent to hiui by post i 6 He objects to a system of representafTve government for the whits colonists, that it Huuid empower tbe wh.te minority to levy taws which **otitd be | ,ud by the biairk mjjority, and according to hio account, that black majority not only possjesco ttie iiitellin-tac to fti.l such a political wrong, but also the eneij!> to «indicate its rights vi it at mis Captain Uivy dreads certain Black Hampdena aud EiiuU, and declines to play the part of a Ctiarles the Fi.at in ike Britam of the southern hemisphere. Assuming that he is iijjlit in his view of Maori intelligence and patriotism, we think lv* objection is sound; but the stitioiiL-. on wlnch it is founded are not of recent dis-i3u-iv *nd Lord Giey should have taken them intu arc. urn wfjie. \u£ \.v as n-jt •: that the bi'l mtroJWd by Mr. Lubjiickere for Laid Grey n.tcts the diihuilty. h simply i-boltfUci th- p ir; of the previous .\hich went to esubh&h a representative government; ti-v.- ohi ejun.il, to ipi -int a repre*emali\tf body, or to authorize th..'utect< iirf oue: in saort, it delegates to the Gvfrj t h Ch.uh-i 'tlV'tof S.ird.in: tV Lufisli tvlomst* a-e t ■ ... it -.'.- j of t'i ir local severe ijjn «9 rati;., r . .- i'i-: i'rubii-i'is Oi I'te-'iiontPge have n„it.V. i; ;j bv J ou'ik-l by rnor l ." cpmpi'CU(.d. ljun-

gling. Lord Grey sends out a grand " constitution :" Captain Grey finds a flaw in it; whereupon incontinently Lord Grey tears up his constitution, and hands the decreeing pen to the Govenor! Is this decently respectful to the colonists, or to the authority of Parliament? Uit decently intelligent Hi the application of a specific to a grievance ? Nothing is alleged atjainst the expediency of securing to the ilritish subjects in New Zealand the enjoyment ot their customary right* of representation ; hut the allegation is a special difficulty in giving the representative body a right to tax the aborigines. Clearlv that special difficulty is to be dealt with specially, by impos ing a rorreßpouding limit <m th<; power of taxation : which might be done ir various ways. Fur instance, taxation uU tin- whites were delegated to a representative assembly* the right to tax the aborigines might be reserved to thi- paternal authority of the Governor in Council; or thu aborigines migh r be altogether exempt from taxation, except ns a rotiHu'uii to tlieir being admitted, at their own desire, to the rights of British citizenship. The attempt to withhold representative ins f ituthns from the British colonists until the aborigine shall be Anglicised is absurd, not only because it is inappoMre. but because it is impracticable If I ord Gn.y succeeded this year in carrying his Bill by favour of the other suhjects which distract pailiametiia'y Hitenti.m, the will havti to briug in a third Bill next year, once more to undo his handiwork.