The Lyttelton Times. March 20, 1852.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 63, 20 March 1852, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. March 20, 1852.

Shagroons' letter which we published last week contains some straightforward questions which we will answer. He asks us (1.) "What we expected when we came out' 1 (2.) " How and by what means the end was to be obtained that the Association was to act * according to the wishes and directions of the Colonists.' " (3.) " What we pr.oss&» that the Association shall do now," (%.}" " How we reconcile the Canterbury Association and self Government." ■.-, We answer, (1.). We believe the/general expectation was that the Association would carry into action the principles of their scheme, over and over again published to the world, contained in one yrovdi.—rself-Governn},ent. (2.) It was not the business of the Colonists to prepare a scheme for transferring power to themselves. They may have been unwise to depend upon vague assurances, arid ought perhaps to have seen a regular plan for such transference. drawn up before they left England. We are now of opinion that they ought to have done so : but the fact was that they accepted the simple promise publicly made that it should beso. (3.) We propose that the Association shall . act upon its own principles, and shall transfer the management of all their affairs in the colony, in some way or other to the colonists. 4. We do not attempt to reconcile the Canterbury Association, and self Government, and yet we advocate both. If our correspondent had read our former articles on these subjects he would find thafc^we have steadily upheld the Association for what good it actually has done, and for nothing more. In that it violates the principles of self Government, we oppose it; for this reason, we have from the first, opposed its ecclesiastical policy, jln that it has nobly filled up a gap left in r the proper duties of government—that it has energetically colonised—we give it unlimited commendation. We have always spoken of the Association as a body formed in an exceptional manner to do certain work, and to disappear as soon as the work was done. That work has hitherto been performed in a praiseworthy manner in many respects, and whilst we see Lyttelton and Christchurch before vs —those two facts—we will not retract or repent of one word we have spoken in praise of the Canterbury Association. When " Shagroon" talks of " Colonizing Associations" in a disparaging way we much remind him that the Canterbury Association has no parallel. The New Zealand Company, to which we suppose he refers, was a joint stock company ; its directors were bound by their principles to look to a profit for their shareholders. The Canterbury Association has no interest in their scheme, and is bound by its principles to consult the benefit of the Coloinsts. This is the answer to Shagroon when he speaks of our ignorance of human-nature in supposing that the Association would give up as soon as its first difficulties were over,"" If it had an interest of course it woufti not, but if it has done what it professed to do, what it was constituted for, why'should it wish to retain its powers. But Shagroon ( goes further: he says, the minute of the 24t^ May, told us that we should not have any power iv our hands, but that the presence of Mr. Godley and the Bishop were to stand in the place of proper institutions. That is true, but the minute—goes on to say—

" But this is to be understood, not as meaning that these functionaries are to be relied upon as conveying their own unsupported views, but as expressing, as well as it can be ascertained,, the ge-

neral sense of the Colonial community^ on the matters of communication; and the Committee will take measures for requesting the Chief Agent and the Bishop to avail themselves of snch means as they shall judge expedient, and as they find themselves competent to adopt, by calling the Colonists together or otherwise, to collect and transmit their opinions and wishes on such matters. And the Committee, without making so full a renunciation of their own powers as in the former case, propose to act in these matters, as the ordinary rule, in accordance with the opinions so communicated to to them."

Nothing can be plainer than the principle laid down that the end in view, the object to be gained, is a deference to " the general sense of the Colonial Community." The Committee regret that it cannot be fullyacted up to at once. And they speak of "a renunciation of their own powers" as the ultimate object to be derived. But the somewhat irritating—l told-you-So—argument of our correspondent is best disposed of by entirely coinciding with him. The event has proved that the minute of the 24th May is eminently unsatisfactory, and the only excuse for its acceptance at all by the colonists, was, first, the insufficient attention which these matters gained at the time, secondly, the expectation that the separate Province and Local Legislature would be almost immediately obtained, when a "full renunciation of its powers'' by the Association would be made. If the colonists were to start again they would we are sure reject that Minute. But there was one other reason for accepting it: we mean the presence of Mr. Godley in the colony Mr. Godley was well known to be the staunchest friend, to Colonial Self Government of all public men; his letter to Mr. Gladstone, stating his views with startling boldness and clearness had been published in the Canterbury papers, and thus had been adopted by the Committee, and the colonists knew that his instructions on sailing from England, also published, were couched in terms which led them to believe that his judgment would be for the most part unlimited and unfettered. .

But" Shagroon" wholly omits to notice the most important circumstance, which is the new Act of Parliament, and the claim establishing a permanent Government by a nominated Managing Committee in the colony. No one can read that Act without coming to tlie conclusion that it is part of a policy which contemplates the Association in the light of a permanent governing body in England. This is the occasion of our breaking silence. As long as the evil was temporary and exceptional, we rested on the general principles which were to be acted on as soon as possible, but when that evil is made permanent, and the violation of the principle itself is changed from the exception to the rule—time is we should speak out in no doubtful tone.

lii the charge of inconsistency against ourselves, Shagioon ought to be condemned to head through our sixty-two previous articles—a fearful sentence—and point out one- single word inconsistent with the opinions expressed on the 6th March. We have achieved the feat, and our search has been unsuccessful.

Rexirbment of Mil. Jackson.—We hear on r good authority, that although Mr. Jackson's retirement from the Bishoprick of Lyttelton has not yet been publicly announced, yet it has actually taken place. By the nest ship we may expect to hear of the nomination if not of the consecration of his successor. The news of this arrived since the Church Meetings reported in another part of our paper, were held.

Mr. Beechey and Mr. Polhill have left at our office a specimen of the fibre of the flax cleaned from the gum and other vegetable matter. They state the process by which it is cleaned to be cheap, simple, and expeditious so much so, that thvee men can prepare a ton in a day—and that the fibre undergoes no in-

jury in the operation. We cordially hope that their hopes may be fully realized. The value of the New Zealand flax fibre as a material for manufacture, has long been acknowledged, the only desideratum is to prepare it so that it may be shipped, without danger of heating, at a sufficiently low cost; that has not hitherto been accomplished.