NEW ZEALAND BILL.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 4, 16 May 1848, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND BILL.

Deliberate and minute examination of the New Zealand Bill, which was read a second time last night in the House of Commons, only serves to establish its reprehensible and dangerous character. It has been introduced under false pretences ; it is intended to effect clandestinely a purpose which ha 1 ; been carefully concealed; and even though its provisions wcte uuex. ceptionable, it conies too late. It is introdflced under talse pretences. Governor Grey's objections to premulgntc the New Znland charter immediately, relates exclusively to the province of New Ulster —to that part of the northern ishnd in which New Plymouth, Auckland, and the liay ut Islands are situated. Aftet stating th it he deems it Ins duty to refrain from giving c it'ect " in the northern portion of New Zt aland" to " that portion of the instructions which relates to representative institutions," he adds, 44 all the other portions of my instructions shall be carried out as rapidly as possible." In a second despatch, indeed, Governor Grey hints that '• for the present the legislative body of oach colony should consist of one chamber, composed of the governor and oilici.nl and non-official members-," but lie expressly add-, *' the lath" of I' hum might, in the southcm colony, le at onCi ihctcii b., the people." In asserting, tint in the measure to withhold all shire in the election of members of the legislature from the New Zealand colonists for five y*ais, the wishes ot (invunoi Grey had becu complied with, the authois of the bill have misrepresented that j.'entlctnan. The bill is iuiended to effect clandestinely a purpose which his been carefully concealed. Jt was diseriberi by Mr. Labouehere as meant to suspend foi five year-, the introduction of elueti.e assemblies, with lull po»-«is of general local legislation. Not axvoid ioa\ jaid vf its being intended la alter I he franc fast. Yet, in the fifth clause, we find the governor empowered, *• by and with advice of the said legislative council [a nominee council!] to depart fiotn ihe said first-mentioned instruction* in so lar as the sune vciate to the natar.-and extent of the said un diticalioi!, and to make and ord un such other or Inrther rules and regulations with respect to the nature and eitctu of the qiuiiijicatmn fur burgess s tu the iatd municipal ihslnct*" as he inay think proper. This ia much the saint as it ihe Grey ministry, alter oanjing the Keluiin IStll, had, under pretext oi postponing the perioil at winch it was to come into opeiatijii, titdeavouied to smuggle i cluise empowering the cabuit t for tin. iiuu. hemg to alter the ten pound lrmchiv . L.i-M\, oen though the provisions ..I iK bill uvie unexceptionable, it come-, too lite. The t >iom>u iu alreidv aw 11- ot th. i.atme and e\lent ol tlu eon-tuu-tii'inl jnuil :i •< i-oiiU-jKil upuu them b\ th. act Iw the Utur ;-'v.imm nt t>l Nl». Zi..hud, and th-. Uttrrs ji itv'l.t !->u. <1 ill. I el' it. i he lu'tt •» i<*p'ii tin-; lit«' livb iti •> 1 . Mil') • to ill it H»1 isMIC whlk Jl «.1S ntnU-J til." eon m ii r.Uii'ii ut p itli.tiiK nt, h-ivt intm un d th* "> oj ihi-. Lvintho'iji tl-tv should not be of I'k i» 11. i n * and e\i.-ni rf in. ijiwiluie m thtir '-V.ai .•< i v hi, h (» \ i I Jn'i (i' >\ t'lllik-v lit -IV ihh', tl" ) Will le 11 it 11\ IliMialtniil tint ui't. fiat hj« l'< -'il.in tl. I l.u b.'t.'. pfr-viiit' - i le i- l.itiv.- l.od} t.tii-1-tc • , H "fin* tliuiitn.l vtnnpon I tin. .uulgllui ;! iiul un*

officii! members the latie>• of whom might, 'in the southern colony, be at once elected by the people." It cannot but create universal anH discontent among the white population, tvheu the cup which thot already feel touching their lips is dashed from them when, in momentary expectation of entering upon the exercise of their new franchises, the; shall bo told that a law is being parsed to withhold their c.tcrcisc for several tears, and, at the same time, to empower the troernnr and a nominee council to alter, at their pleasure, the electoral qualification. Is it safe thus to play rith the expectations of Englishmen? Or, ad* mitting its safety, is it ju»t or honourable? The settlers will be indignant at having the potter to elect members of the local legislature withheld from them after the governor has admitted thit it miy safely be conferred upon them; and to have the constituency narrowed when no complaint has b:en made that it is too extensive. And they are sharp sighted enough to detect this discrepancy between the provisions of the hill and the pretexts for its introduction :—Tilt natives of New* Zeala id, it is said, will be irritated by seeing the potver to tax them conferied on the whites; and Vt-reftre the power to impose indirect ta\cs by a provincial legislature is wi'hhcld from the nliites, while the power is left them by municipal council" s to impose direct rates for local purples, To crown the impolicy of these proceedings, the bill is to be sent out to New Zealand, not as a l itv finally pnssnrl bv the legislature, and sanctioned b\ the crown, in which, as in something inevitable, the colonists mieht j UV c reluct,mily acquiesced ; but *s a simple pr'jct dr lot respect in; which they may and will indulge the hope th: it, in its progress betond the second re id ins iu the lower house, something raaj occur to prevent its eter be' oming a latv. Had ministers sought to devise a course of policy by which thej might unsettle themindb ol the colonists and excite discontent amongst them, th-y could not have hit upon a course more e ure to lead to the attainment of their object than that which they are notv pursuing. The most extraordinary part of this business is the entire silence of those gentlemen who, in former sessions, professed to advocate with so much zeal the cause of the English settlers on Cook's Strait. Who can hive forgotten the eloquence with which they enfoiced the merits and the wrongs of those enteiprising colonists—hutr often, and with tvhal strength of argument, they traced great part of these wrongs to the wayward despotism of a governor, unchecked by a constitutional representation of the colonists ? And now, when a incisure postponing the enfranchisement of all the settlers, and empowering the governor to exclude from the elective franrhise parties to whom it tvas» promised bj an act of the British legislature, has been brought forward, of ill these impassionc I orators Mr. Aglionby ulunc spoke to (not a.jainst) the first and second readings of the disfranchising bill How is this change to be accounted for ? Have the interests of the promoters of New Zeahnd colonisation in this country, and of New Zealand colonists at the antipodes, become distinct and incompatible since the New ZeaUud Company have had their lands and a loan confirmed to them by act of parliament ? Some explanation on this head is assuredly due to the public by Lord Ingcstre, Sir William Molesworth, Mr. Charles Duller, Mr. Ag. lionby, Mr. Mangles, and other ci devout patrons of the settlers in New Zealand, for their conduct upon this occasion. And if th it explanation be not very satisfactory indeed, it is odds bat the suspicions now noro3d bocome stronger—that parties deeply imp'icated in person iing English families to remove their firesides to these rennte islands, bavin r grown tired of their hobby, are callously abandoning the emigrants to their fate; and that the members of the New Company, who were nimated by liberal and statesmanlike views of nati nsl advantage, having one by one seceded from it, a mere caput mortuunt of speculating shareholders remains