AUCKLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 349, 5 March 1856, Page 4

AUCKLAND.

The fifth session of the Provincial Council of Auckland met, in the Council Chamber, on Monday, the 28th of January. It being the first meeting after the election of the new Council, considerable excitement prevailed, and the gallery was crowded with spectators. All the members were present. The Superintendent, in his address, entered fully into the several local questions now occupying the public attention of the province. We give below extracts from his Address on the amendments to the Land Regulations, on the Native Land Purchase Ordinance, and the Beer Bill, together with his Honor's remarks on the present condition of the Province. TUG AMUXDKP [,AND RKG CLATI'iN'S. "It is to be presumed that the Land Regulations published in the Provincial Gazette, will occupy a large share of your attention. In framing them, the following objects have been mainly kept in view : — "Firstly, to insure absolute fairness ar.d impartiality, without the great expense and cumbrous machinery of a hand Board. You will perceive that the clauses which bear upon that object are drawn up with great minuteness of provision, for the purpose of embracing every possible contingency; while the remaining clauses, on the other hand, have been studiously kept simple and uuembarassed by details, so ns to allow a< much room for latitude of action and exercise of discretion, as will enable those who shail carry ihervi out to provide for unforeseen contingencies. '• Secondly, to allow the choicer lands to fetch their value j,y free ;UK j 0 ,.,, n comoe ,j_ t;o::, iii.-tead of leaving them as prizes'in a lottery. " Thirdly, when laud shall be of an inferior description, not worth ten shillings an acre, to cause the re;i i va ] 11(; to | )ftco . nfJ a !unU(M ." o! seHViidjustment, instead of being arbitrarily deeded by Crown Commissioners. ••i'ounhly. to discourage sperulation, from the efferis of which this Province is now so severely suffering. " And Fifthly, to avoid class legislation : on 1h... one hand, by proieclin- Ihe Ixnui /</fl>.rdi:i^rs of smuil means "from be-in" o\f whelmed !)y (he capital of the speculator and on the other hand, by refraining Com placing temptation in the way of the purchasers ot .mail rn^ii,*, in. the "(orm of special

facilities for acquirement. The natural tendency of all claws here is to burden themselves with more land than they can use, and although this error he th« cause of embarrassment to all. to the less aillucnt it too often becomes a source of real hardship and privation. " To these ends several important modifications have been mnde in the system originally introduced by Governor Grey. It remains for you to consider whether the desired objects have been attained in the Regulations, which will be submitted to you at the expiration of the term required* by law. '• The necessary auxiliary to Land Regulations, without which they must rennin inoperative, is the Surveyor's stafF. No effort has been spared up to the present time, by the Provincial Government, to advance the surveys, so as to prepare for putting the Reg-ulations at once into practical operation, should they ha approved 'of*,1 by the Council and by his Excellency the Governor. "It might be objected to the Regulations that no provision for Immigration is contained therein. But it is a matter of grave doubt, to say the least, whether our lands are disposed of to the greatest, advantage in free gift, or loni credit, or in the issue of land scrip to immigrants. Those who originally labored for waives in this Colony, but have now raised themselves to the position of employers, have a right to expect that the supply of labour from the mother country, upon whicji they place their natural dependence, should not be drained away from them by the Government. A certain supply of labour i> indispensible to the advancement of the Province; and it is not for tiie Government to induce the poorer but more valuable class of immigrants to withdraw themselves from the labour market, by the allurement of land in distant portions of the Province. It is only just that they should take their turn, as the great majority of present employers did before them. " There U also another objection to providing for immigration exclusively by means of land grants. It is my duty to warn you of a danger that lies before us—the temporary exhaustion of our land supply. When the Waiukuand the Wangarie blocks shall have been dispose 1 of, there will be nothing for a time but remnants to fail back upon. Nor is there any reason to expect that new blocks will be shortly open for selection. It is well known tiirt the General Government is unable at present to effect further j_ur-cha-es from the natives, for want of funds, and that great difficulties will he felt in even completing- the engagements already entered into. k' The question remains, whether disposing of land in Ivigland. having scarcely enough tc> mpply our own acquirements, be not an injury to those already in the country, who arc not. as yet provided. When it becomes cheaper and hotter to pay for the passages of immigrants in land, then; will be no hindrance to our doing so. I iic Land Regulations will of course require i:iri'iiiicafio;i from whi c to while, and it is for ourselves to see that they he kept in accordance throughout with the circumstances of the time. Until then it. seems prelcntbic by far to carry on the present system of a-sHied passages, with certain modifications that will presently he proposed for your sanction ; the cost to' he defrayed from a sum borne for that purpose on the ma'es. " The final so ticment of the Pre-emption Ciauns —a measure of justice too lung delayed,-- is naught with legal difiicullius, amoag which tin; undefined and uncertain power of the Provincial Legislature is not tllti !<'"»!• Sh-mld it be found possible lo ov^coine them, a Pill wil' be submitted to you,\;un-e.sj L >u;;ding a^uearly as the difference

l,7twi-fM General ami Provincial Legislature* will allow, with that winch passed tl.e'ii'cond reading in the House of Repre-pciit-itivi'S, but owing to the shortness of the SPSB i.,ii and the press of other business, hud finally to ho abandoned." NATIVE LAND PURCHASE ORDINANCE. " Yon will be invited to consider the expediency of repealing the Native Land Purchase Ordinance —so far as regards the Province of Auckland. This Ordinance aup ears not only to be needless, as a precautionary measure, but even to be dangerous as depriving us of our only permanent and substantial security against native outbreak. Considering the present, state of JSurope, when no man can way what the morrow may briny forth, we must not disguise from ourselves the possibility of the troops being withdrawn from the Colony. We cannot depend upon a military force for the preservation of pacific relations with the natives, nor ousrht we to depend upon that force, even were we secure of retaining it : our only effectual hold upon the Maori is upon his'interests. If native interests be linked with our own so closely that all must suffer alike, in the event of any serious disturbance the surest guarantee for quiet is obtained. But. the simplest and most natural partnership between Native and European, the paitnership which is most effectually barred in the Native Land Purchase Ordinance, is that in which the latter brings stock, capital, and knowledge to the common account, while the former, out of his abundant superfluity, finds the land. From this the passage to joint stock associations in mills, steamers, or in general commercial enterprises, is rapid and easy. " We may confidently assume that no native, however turbuiently disposed by nature, will become a party to the depieciatiou of his own shares in the money market. Should you be indisposed, however, to repeal the Oidinance. another consideration still remnins, namely, whether it does not stand in need of amendment. Its present operation is partial and unjust—even liable to serious abuse. For wl.iUl a oortiaveutiou of the Ordinance is punishable, by a line of £100, the infliction of the pen.dty is dependent upon the pleasure of the General Government. Yet what can be more self evident, than that t qual justice should be meted to all alike r" UEHH KILL. " The sale of spirits is one of the subjects which the Provincial Government has felt most difficulty in dealing with. There is. unfortunately, no doubt that the vice of intemperance is advancing among the natives by fearful strides, and that it threatens, unless some timely check b ■ interposed, within not many years to leave "* but a remnant, demoralized and enervated, of the ouch so powerful Mauri race, ihe law as it stands is utterly ineffective to hinder them from obtaining this deadly bane; the saie of spirits to natives is almost without disguise; and even where the Kuropean stands (inn, the Maori resorts to snuggling. The only present effect of the Oidinance is to habituate the native to a systematic defiance of the law. In my opinion it should either be repealed or rendered far more stringent in penalty. '>'it intemperance has never vet been effectively repressed by law, nor is there it'iy substantial ground of hope that it ever Wl'l. The true remedy, if any such exist, "his; be sought elsewhere. ' A l>ecr Bill, legalising the sale of malt liquor only, on payment of a trifling license '(' c. is under consideration. Among the tnuny _ advantages expected to be derived ir°n> it may l>e enumerated the impulse given to the brewers; the inducement to Produce what might compete for general consumption with the imported article; and we new opening that would be afibrd'xl to

the country settlers, who mi[>ht yet reap those advantages from the growth of bailey which that of the polatoe will no lunger realize." PROSPECTS OF TIIK PROVINCE. " Let us estimate our present position by endeavouring to lead the future iVoin the past. " In 18.38, 1839, and 1840. New Zealand carried on an export trade with the adjoining colonies, almost as extensive as that which she has been able to command since 1852. In consequence of the sudden increase, of emigration to New South Wales. and the formation of two new colonies—Port Phillip and South Australia—a similar demand for our agricultural produce arose ; while at the same time there was a far greater demand at our timber ports than now. ljokianga sent away monthly a timber-laden vessel of 500 tons burden. Yet what took place within four years? Australia grew her own agricultural produce, supplied herself' with provisions, and housed her own imtniirraufs. The market for the surplus produce of New Zealand was lost. The same resuUs. consequent upon a precisely similar state o* things, are now being brought about. The two pages of colonial history are analogous; what took place in 1838 was repeated i:i 1852; and the position we held towards Australia in 1813 was that which we must invetably hold again—probably before the end of 1*856." "It is for us to provide against the coming j>eriod of depression with such means as are at our readiest disposal. It is clear that the energy of our settlers must be diverted into new channels of productive labour ; but such a change cannot be made upon the instant. A gap of time must necessarily intervene, which cannot be better employed than in making their services available for Provincial purposes. The crisis may be successfully met by liberal expenditure and the energetic pto>ecutiuu o^ public works, which may now indeed be executed upon terms unusually advantageous." The Address, on the motion of the Provincial Secretary, was ordered to be printed' The reply to the Address, moved by Mr. AK. Taylor, gave occasion for a most intern perate debute, distinguished by personal vituperation. Several times during the debate the Speaker was appealed to to restore order. The opposition were the chief speakers ; the Government party observing a guarded silence. An amended reply was proposed by Mr. O'Neill; but the House dividing, the Government carried the original reply by a majority ot one. We extract from the Sou them Cross the following remarks on the " lie^r Bill lately brought before ihe Provincial Council of Auckland. "jiThe proposal of a Beer Dill, legalizing the sale of malt liquor only, on payment of a trifling license fee, has given rise to animadversion, not only among some of those who ore conscientiously devoted to the cause of temperance, but also among those who make use of it as a stalking horse, to cover political designs. * * On the question of the temperance movement, we declared ourselves fully and explicitly long since. We stated that we were ready to support (he cause of temperance by all such " cans us would be of a really practical and effective nature, but expressed a fear that legislative prohibitions, on the model vi" the Maine I jaw, would be productive oi' more harm than irood. * * Among the European portion of our population, the mischief arising from excess may be lessened in no small degree. A certain quantity, we suppose, must still continue to he consumed. But in estimating the ill ofleet of excess, not only the quantity, but the quality of that

which is consumed must be considered. It makes all the difference—even upon national character in course of time — whe'b<jr the beverage in ordinary use be distilled or fermented liquor. And whatever tends to substitute the consumption of the latter — no matter in how small a d«gr«e—for that ol its more potent and fiery rival, advances t»s a long step forward in the temperance cause. It. is the dram drinking that has to be combated, as every cool-reasoning man well knows, —every one save a few of visionary temperament, who are resolute to accept nothing less than their full demand, — whose pass-word is '' ail or none," who would refuse an attainable mitigation of the

evil, lest it should lessen the prestige of their cry for an unattain'-thle cure. * * * It has been rather hastily concluded, from the Superintendent's suggestion of a Beei Bill to the Council, that beer shops upoi the English system were to be scattered over the country. We believe that the mail features of it are likely to he as follows :— That Eatinir Houses and Boarding houses should be licensed to sell (fermented) malt liquors to be drunk on the premises, but to be supplied to such persons only as order other refreshments. That all houses so licensed to retail malt liquors, should be open to the inspection of the police ; and that all persons applying for such licenses should produce certificate of good character, signed by a certain number of neighbouring householders. That any person manufacturing malt liquors should be allowed to retail the same, provided they be not drunk on the premises. That any person producing sufficient certificate of good character, should be licensed to retail malt liquors, not to be drunk on the premises, on payment of a small license fee. Whether in the case of road-side houses, leave should be given \o consume the liquor on tiie premises, seats beinir strictly prohibited, requires a careful consideration."