COLONIAL NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 66, 10 April 1852, Page 6

COLONIAL NEWS.

WELLINGTON

The following is the Memorial to His Excellency drawn up by the settlers of Wellington and the neighbouring; district on the subject of the Lands' Chum Ordinance and Pasturage Regulations. The Spectator publishes the whole of the names attached to it, amounting in all to 777 signatures. "To His Excellency Sir Grey, "We, the undersigned Settlers and Land-owners of Wellington, in the co^ny of New Zealand, heg respectfully to express to your Excellency our strong sense of the serious evils to our interests, and injury to the colony, arising from the Act to regulate ihe affairs of certain of the New Zealand Company's settlements, passed during the last Session of Parliament. " Under the New Zealand Company's Land Claimants' Ordinance, passed by the General Legislature of the colony, the different, questions arising of these claims were arranged on a liberal and equitable basis, and Crown Grants weie offered to the Land Purchasers and holders of land under the Company's Compensation Scrip, which tjave them a va id and unquestionable title ; whereas, the Grants offered to them, under tiie Act of Parliament referred to, are of so qualified a nature, that no land purchasers will agree to accept them, while serious doubts are entertained whether any titles can be issued under the Act of Parliament to the owners of land selected under the Company's Compensation Scrip. " The Act of Parliament revives the Terms of Purchase and pasturage of laud, issued by the New Zealand Company in Wellington, and in force at the date of the surrender by the Company of its charters to the Government, which fix the price of rural land in this settlement, in blocks of 25 acres, at 21. per acre ; the effect of these terms, when in force under the Company, was such that no rural land was sold in this settlement. But since that period so much additional land has been granted in compensation to resident and absentee land purchasers as to reduce the price of rural land, except in particular situations, considerably below 20s. an acre. The attempt to fix the price of land, therefore, at 2/. per acre would, we believe, be absolutely to stop any sales of laud by the Government, while the terms of pas'urage are such, aud the tenure of the land so precarious (being annual leases terminable at any time by six months' notice, and no allowance being made for improvements), as altogether to prevent any settler from investing his capital in pastoral pursuits under them ; and these terms appear in a still more unfavourable light when contrasted with the liberal pastoral regulations issued by your Excellency, and which were superseded 1.13- the present Act of Parliament. " For these and other weighty reasons, we respectfully beg your Excellency will, by suspending the Act referred to (except such of its provisions as relate to the Tru-t Funds at. Nelson), relieve the settlers from the serious evils which would result from its operation ; and that you will cause the arrangements under the Land Claimant's Ordinance to be immediately revived, and the Pastoral regulations issued by your Excellency to be again jmt in force, and a uniformity of management of management to be established of the Crown Lands of the Colony under the Australian Land Sales Act, and the charter and royal instructions.

" We strongly protest against the Imperial Parliament legislating upon matters affecting the daily transactions of the settlers, except upon the petition of the colonists. From the distance, the imperfect means of information, and the rapid changes which arise in colonies, it is impossible that the Home Government should be aide to adapt its measures to tiie state of tilings existing at the time of their coming into operation. As far as we have been able to observe, the general tendency of such interference has been either useless ov injurious."

"In determining the amount to be paid to the New Zealand Company, we hope her Majesty's Government will take care that the amount of kinds granted in compensation to its purchasers, and otherwise alienated by the Company, together with such other expenses since necessarily incurred by the Local Government, as may be equitably charged to the debit of the Company, will be deducted from the gross amount, said'to be due to it ; and we protest against any attempt to charge the settlers with the payment of interest on the debt alleged to be due to the Company, as they were in no way consenting parties to such an arrangement, while any attempt to charge this amount on the Colonial revenue would, in our opinion, be in the highest degree unconstitutional and unjust." ,

A copy of the Wellington Independent of vlie 3rd of April has been sent to our office, from which we extract the following article: ——

Our fellow Colonists of Canterbury have taken alarm at the rumours which have for some time been afloat, that Mr. Godley's resignation of his office as Agent had been accepted by the Association, and that Mr. Fox was coming out as his successor. We trust that these rumours .will prove unfounded, for we couhl quite as ill afford to dispense with Mr. Fox's presence in England during the present Session of Parliament, as we could to lose Mr. Godley's invaluable services in the colony. Mr. Fox, we conceive, would be deserting his post at a most critical period ; and the testimony of the Canterbury Colonists is sufficient to prove that Mr. Godley's removal at present would be a sad blow to the settlement, which, in spite of no ordinary obstacles, he has succeeded in establishing on a solid and lasting foundation. We certainly would not envy the position of any one who might be sent out to take Mr. Godley's place; for it is abundantly manifest that Mr. Godley has entirely won the confidence and support of his fellow colonists, and that his disinterested exertions in their behalf are most warmly appreciated and acknowledged. In truth, we cannot bring ourselves to believe that the Association can have any intention of superseding Mr. Godley, unless he has himself for some reasons not yet explained, perempto-"" rilv insisted upon their relieving him from his office. There is a mystery about the whole affair, which we trust will be cleared up satisfactorily at the approaching meeting of die Canterbury Land Purchasers. There is one tiling quite clear, (and we heartily rejoice at it,) that the Canterbury settlers are quite as little disposed to submit to the management of their affairs by an irresponsible Association in England, as they are to acquiesce in the present system of Local Government. They are evidently determined, in both cases to maintain the principle of Local Self Government, and for this they are entitled to our support and admiration. The minute of the 26th of May, 1850, will no longer suffice; but the Association will be compelled to delegate the functions and authority to the body of actual colonists And we are especially glad to find that the land purchasers themselves have come forward to propose the dissolution of their own "Council." and the formation of another, composed of all classes of settlers, whether they be land purchasers or not. Their making such a concession voluntarily before the question had apparently been ever mooted, speaks well for the purity of their motives, and augurs well for the success of the present movement. We have received the Wellington independent of the 31st March, and the Spectator to the 3rd instant. We learn by them that Government has decided that the'best site for the promised lighthouse is Pencarrow Head, and that the lighthouse is to lie an iron one. A tender has been accepted for reclaiming a part of Lambton Hay- a. hour for £1,030. It is the south-western portion which is to be reclaimed from the sea, extending 3t>o feet in length by 100 feet in breadth The. work is to be completed in nine months, and thr ; reclaimed land then sold for building purposes. The Iniependent is very sanguine as to the advantages which this reclamation will confer on the town. We quote from the Spectator the following remarks upon the sailing of the " Midlothian : The Midlothian sails this day for England, with a full cargo of New Zealand produce, the most valuable, probably, that has left this Port, the declared value at the Custom House being £21,290 2s. od. The most valuable item, which indeed forms the hulk of her cargo, is wool, of which there are 1,555 bales, weighing 419,716

lbs. This affords very satisfactory evidence of the increasing amount of wool giown in this Province, and no doubt in a few years it will form the staple export .of the colony. The Midlothian has also several passengers, many.of whom intend returning again to New Zealand, and from the excellent sailing qualities of the vessel and seamanship of her worthy commander there is no doubt the "good ship" will make a speedy aud prosperous voyage. The departure of the ""Midlothian" has induced us to throw together a few rough notes on the progress of the colony, aud to publish such information connected with this subject as w* have been aide to collect from authentic soij/ces. The cargo of the " Midlothian," consisting chiefly of wool, of itself -affords satisfactory evidence of progress, and when the restrictions imposed by the recent Act of Pail'lament are removed, and Sir George Grey's Pas-toral-Regulations are again brought into force, and Crown Grant's issued to the Company's purchasers, the colony will advance still more rapidly, and general satisfaction be established. The Government have purchased from the natives at.Ahuriri, through the Commissioner Mr. M'Lean, three extensive blocks of land, viz., Hapukti's containing 270,000 acres, the Ahuriri of 288,000 acres, and the .fviahaka of 89,000 acres, making together 642,000 acres of first-rate land ; on these purchases the first instalment has been paid, on the Ahuriri purchase only another instalment is owing, on the other two the payments extend over three years. A Town is laid out at the harbour at Ahuriri, and the preparatory surveys.for the reception of settlers are in a forward state. From Ahuriri to Wairarapa the native population is estimated not to exceed 1,000 souls to each million of acres, to the north of this the population is more numerous at the Wairoa the natives are estimated at 3,000, in Poverty Bay the native population is 2,500, and from thence to the East cape the population is still greater, carrying on a large Coasting trade with Auckland. Negotiations are also in progress by Mr. ,^l'Lean, and the arrangements almost completed of another extensive purchase from the natives of the Ruataniwha Plain between Ahuriri and Wairarapa, containing about 5)1)0,000 acres, and extending inland as far as the Tararua range. All these districts consist of the finest pasture laud. About 1,000 acres have been given up by the natives at Manawatu for the goods paid them by the Company, which will enable the Government to put the settlers in that district in possession of their land. In the Middle Island the arrangements for purchasing from the natives all that part south of the Outgo Block, have been completed by the exertions of the Commissioner, Mr. Mantel! ; this purchase embraces neatly a fourth of the Island, and contains some of the finest pastoral districts of New Zealand, while it extinguishes, with a few inconsiderable exceptions, the native title in that Island.

A statement is printed below of the principal exports from Wellington, for the last three years. The wool shows a rapid increase, and this year's produce will be much greater than that of 1851. In the articles, flax, cordage (in which is included wool lashing), and timber, there appears a great diminution compared with 1850, hut this is acounted for by the fact that in 1850 rope and timber, particularly the latter, were exported to a large amount to California. The flax trade appears also on a com- . parison with ISSO to have declined. Although the export of timber beyond the seas in 1851 appears inconsiderable compared with the previous year, 30(1,000 ft. have'been sent from Wellington coastwise, chiefly to Canterbury. In 1851, the exports were, of wool, 442,800 lbs., of 'icordage and rope, 193 tons. In the town o't Wellington signs of improvement are visible in quarter. The hospital at Thorndon is competed, and is an ornament to that part of . the town, while the improvements on Lumbton Quay and the Goal have just been commenced. The School House at Thorndon and the numerous extensive buildings in connection with the Roman Catholic mission add to the appearance and increase to the importance of that part of the town, while private dwellings are springing up in every direction. In the country districts equal signs of improvement are everywhere met with in extensive clearings, a greater breadth of cultivation, and new and commodious buildings the result of the energy and improved circumstances of the settlers, and a judicious and liberal administration of the Government. The greatest wants of the province are a more

extensive immigration and local steam communication, and we hope these wants, especially the last, will be vei'y shortly supplied. The following are the exports referred to: —

ww. Wool . ,£11,5:51 Flax . , .451 Cordage and rope 15b'6 Oil, sperm . 1511 .Do., black . . 2515 Timber . . 875 Whalebone . . 1019 Curiosities . 43 !• -Wellington Spectator, At !•!, 185(1. £ 12,981 2019 4,344 650 995 3547 38 91 pril 3.. 1851. 717 3219 f)57 955 105 634192