NELSON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 59, 21 February 1852, Page 6

NELSON.

Catholic Schools.—The second annual meeting of the Catholic schools took place on Thursday last at the Station in Nelson. The meeting had been appointed for Wednesday, but was postponed in consequence of the unfavourable state of the weather. The children were examined in Scripture, reading, arithme,t!m' P®°B'" lP»y. »™l grammar, by S.Stephens and T. W. Travels, Esqrs. Their proficiency in these different branches of education, and in writing, was such as to elicit the warmest ap-

plause from the examiners, and to reflect the highest credit ou the Rev. Mr. Garin aud the teachers. After the examination, a tea party was given in a large and tastefully decorated marquee, which was very numerously and respectably attended. The refreshments and arrangements generally were excellent, and all who joined iv the festival expressed the highest satisfaction.— Nelson Examiner, Jan. 10. New Road to the Wairau.—On Monday %§£, in consequence of a circular to that effect issued by his Honour the Superintendent, a meeting of the magistrates of the settlement ;; took place at the Court-House, to take into consideration Mr. Barnicoat's Report on the new line of road to the Wairau, by way of the Pelorus. Notwithstanding the absence of many of the magistrates fvom home, there was a very respectable attendance upon the occasion. The subject underwent a very patient and lengthened discussion, which terminated in an almost unanimous decision, as will appear by the results of the' following resolutions. Proposed by Dr. Monro, seconded by Mr. Saxton, "That this meeting, feeling satisfied that a bridle road to the Wairau by the way of the Pelorus and Kaituna valleys is practicable, and will be of much mutual benefit to Nelson and the Wairau, requests his honour to proceed, with the least possible delay, to the accomplishment of that object." To which the following amendment was proposed by Mr. Seymour, and seconded by Mr. Wither, " That the consideration of this matter be deferred until the completion of the road from the Wattohi to the Wairau" —Ayes 2, Noes 12, Majority 10. The original resolution was then put, and carried by a majority of nine—Ayes 11, Noes 2, Majority 9, one magistrate declining to vote. After which the following resolution was proposed by Dr. Monro, and seconded by Mr. Stephens, " That this meeting at the same time desires to put upon record that it does not consider the opening up of the communication between Nelson and the Wairau as at all standingin a position of rivalry with the originally proposed rokd from the Wairau to the Waitohi Town, nor its execution as a fulfilment of the promise made by Government, to render that town and port accessible, by constructing a road to them."—-Ayes 5, No 1, Majority 4 ; two declining to vote, and six having left the meeting previous to the above proposition.— Nelson Examiner, Jan. 17. The Examiner of the 241h January contains a leading article upon the decision of the magistrates here with respect to pasturage, in the case Dumpier v. Kaye. The article congratulates us upon the settlement, at so early a period, of a question upon which there was for a long time in Nelson no satisfactory decision. The Examiner says,— . " At Canterbury, from the first, the owner of land entered upon his property with a valid and acknowledged title, and, from the first, was in a position to enforce all accruing rights; and the late-case at Canterbury is neither more nor less than the assertion of those rights, and the admission and support of them by the Magistrates. " Here, on the contrary, we have been less fortunate. For ten years, and indeed until very lately, we have Buffered under every uncertainty as to Land Titles. The constant disputes between the New Zealand Company and the Government, have throughout this long period totally unsettled all the relations of property in land. Occupation has for years been the sole title which has benefited the owner of land, and upon him has been laid the entire burden or protecting himself, almost in accoi'dance with the old motto,' Those who have, must hold: and those may keep, who can.' Every owner of land has been compelled to share with all others the pasturage grown upon his own soil, until he could, if he could afford it, substantially fence it in ;so that he became safe in the enjoyment of it, not at all by any protection which the law afforded him, but solely by the defence of his own expensive fence. " To put the casn more strongly, we may suppose his property in land or pasturage to have been property of some other kind, say personal property, and that the Law addressed him thus: ' You will be permitted to take care of your property yourself. If you leave it exposed, it may be taken from you. If you complain of loss, we shall not attend to the , merits of your case, but we shall inspect your bolts, "*hars, and locks. If your money has been taken from you, we shall require your strong-box and Bramah lock, and if these have been broken open and are the best of their kind, and then only, we shall proceed to the detection and punishment of the offender.' " The injustice of this system has been so far felt, that it has at times issued in the cutting and maiming, and killing of cattle, such being often the only means left to the injured party of reaching their offending owners; and has been signalised by

innumerable altercations, and even scuffles, between neighbours engaged aggressively or defensively in settling, for themselves, the question of stock versus crops. " Under such circumstances there might almost as well have been no law at all, for bolts, bars, and locks are rarely broken through, if good of their kind, and any man well secured by these a.d good fences, might sleep in safety from thieves and cattle, while those who from poverty, or any other cause, were wanting iv these respects, could not otherwise but suffer severely. " Happily this state of things can now be remedied, for there is now no longer the same unsettled state of the question. All just claims have been admitted, and in a great number of cases, Crown Grants, and Pasturage Licenses have been issued, and all owners of land and pasturage are in precisely the same advantageous position as are those at Canterbury, There is now no more occasion for a man's right to depend upon the strength of his fence, than there is in the Victoria Plains, and if there be reasonableness and justice in this altered relation of things, we need not fear the result; the good tree will assuredly bring forth its good fruit, if we will only patiently await the issue."