The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 398, 30 August 1856, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Saturday, August 30.

We cannot to-day give any lengthened account of the proceedings of the last month at Auckland. The most important items of intelligence are that His Excellency has assented to the Amended Land Regulations, which are to come into force on the 15th of next month; that it has been definitively settled that the next session of the General Assembly is to be held again at Auckland ; and though last not least, that a new Customs Tariff has been passed and is law at this present moment.

With respect to the place of meeting of the General Assembly the [New Zealander says:—

§ HislExcellency, it will seem, lias at last settled the question as "to the next place of meeting of the Geneva! Assembly—and just in the manner that might be expected froia him. The House of Representatives being so evenly balanced in sentiment, and having refused to vote the money that would be required to try the experiment at Wellington— and the Legislative Council having so decidedly declared against the necessity for any change,—the Governor has fixed upon Auckland for the next year's sitting ; leaying the future to take care of itself.

As to the new Customs Act, it has taken us completely by And we think that this is the general feeling in the South. We publish it in extenso to-day, as it is a measure of vital importance to every coml munity of New Zealand. Such a measure ought not to have been given notice, of and passed into law between two visits of the steamer to the south. No interest but

Auckland's would appear to have been consulted. No opportunity has been given to the South to express an opinion upon the subject. The act has been brought into force at once 'without giving time for merchants to make their arrangements to meet it. The Officers of the j Customs are not prepared with the machinery necessary for carrying the new measure into operation. Above all, this is not a time for introducing a change into the principal source of Revenue. The Estimates were framed upon the old Revenue. We are not prepared at this moment to go into the question of whether the Customs Duties under the new Act will be equivalent to those which might be raised under the old one; but we are satisfied that the moment of introducing an extensive financial scheme for apportioning the public burthens is not^the one for experimental legislation^ upon the means of raising the largest portion of our Revenue. These are a few of s the objections which immediately struck us]| on hearing of the New Act. We are far from saying that the old "Customs Law did not require amendment, (all New Zealand^ knows how faulty it was,) but we do say that the Merchants and men of business of the South should have been consulted as well as those of Auckland; that the principal source of revenue should not have been made a subject for experiment at the close of the session, especially at such a crisis in our financial affairs ; and that such a vital measure should not have been so unexpectedly passed into law, as to take all the Southern communities by surprise. An examination of the details of the measure must be postponed to another occasion. As to the personel of the Government, we understand that Mr. Sewell is to return to England, with powers to negotiate the loan. "He resigns his office and his seat in the House of Representatives, but retains a seat in the Executive Council. Mr. Stafford succeeds him as Treasurer, and resigns the Superintendency of Nelson, Mr. Richmond remains Colonial Secretary, and Mr. Whittaker Attorney General. A writ for the election of a member in the room of Mr. Sewell will probably come down by the next steamer.

His Honor Mr. Justice Wakefield has given judgement in the long pending case of Campbell v Fitz Gerald, The event of the trial has been such as we always expected. The case was argued at great length by Mr. King for the plaintiff, and Mr. Gresson for the defendant. His Honor made the rule absolute to set aside the verdict and enter judgment for the defendant, as in a case of non-suit, with costs. We will publish His Honor's judgment on Wednesday.

While we are suffering from, the lowness of prices for agricultural produpe which~now exists, the present busy sea^ for farming operationsj deserves particul&f notice. About two months ago, the LyU telton limes offered ," some* f practical suggestions to farmers, to the following effect: —Hitherto, a very^ high! price foe grain" has only been a fair return to cultivators for the expenses of first settlement, the buying, fencing and clearing of wild land, and , the great expenditure on labour, from the scarcity of supply consequent on the Australian gold-diggings. Now, however, this state of things is altered. This year's low prices give no return for last year's heavy expenses, but the expenditure for this year may be reduced so as to fall below the probable returns of the year, to come. We cannot calculate on high prices for our grain in the Australian markets, but we have pur fields fenced and cultivated, farming stock ready for use,^ and labour within ■reasonable boundsj consequently, to_ the

best of our knowledge and calculatiqn,_wheat can be produced here at such a price as to command a fair profit at the average rates of the market. Since this was written we have been attentively watching the-progress, of agricultural operations throughout the country. It has been with no little anxiety that we have tried to discover how far present difficulties and [bad prospects may unite to impede and discourage efforts for the future among that industrious class on whose exertions .'so much of "the material wealth of this settlement depends. We are "•lad to say that we see no symptoms of discouragement. So far as agricultural operations of the present year have yet crone, the course pursued by the farmers of this province has been quite in accordance with the views propounded in this paper, in the article to wh?ch we refer. Our own observation, and the information which we have received on the subject, go to show that there will be a very considerable increase in 3 cultivation above former years,

though not, of course, in proportion to the tv advance made in '54 and '55. We see as -^lara-s a breadth as ever of growing wheat, of o-ieat promise, 'even on those lands which have suffered most from floods. We see fields being sown with \ oats and barley, perhaps even more extensively than before. We see the plough going for all kinds of root crops. Even improvements are not stopped. Alone every road we can remark new builduigs°and fences, fresh clearing and cultivation 3 and other evident signs that farmers are not broken hearted, This is all practical proof of the soundness of our argument. Farmers have their land, their implements, and their seed ; they have either their own labour or they can hire it at more reasonable rates -their subsistence for the year will be le°ss expensive than formerly, exactly in. proportion as their produce has fallen ; and the soil that they work is at least as fertile and as well cultivated as ever. Under such circumstances man who is even with the world now may be pretty sure of reasonable profits at the year'sj>nd> even at present We have said that labour' will be had at more reasonable i-ates. We are quite sure that the workman will not be the. worse for this. There is no rule so simple as that which lays down that the labouring classes are at least as well of when prices are low as when they are high ; and we think it can be .easily proved that a farm labourer may save as'much now at 6s. a-day as ever he did at IDs. We may take this opportunity of giving a bit of sincere advice to workmen. Don't be too anxious to setup for yourselves. If your wages support you and leave a profit, be content for a little longer and lay by. Consider that with the outlay in commencement you cannot make the same profit from low prices that established farmers can. If you can buy land, do it at once; there is Ja:)H to be had now many miles nearer the market than any that will be open in a few years hence. But take your time to settle upon it. Your labour is as valuable to the community, and, as far as we can judge, to yourselves, when you work for others at fair wages, as when you work on your own account. We think independence an easy as well as fair reward in this country for a man's toil, but short cuts to ifc are dangerous. Men qught to know when they are well off. *

.-■ To pass to the general prospects of the settlement. It must not be forgotten that the export of wool is a certain and increasing revenue, .enough of itself to maintain a small amount of agriculture, and to circulate money through the pimince. There is not more than enough cultivated land now in the settlement to supply our own wants in wheat, .oats, barley, hay, potatoes, root crops auc| pasture, even if the

export of grain ■to Australia was to be entirely cut off, and we had to pay for all our imports with wool, tallow, hides, cheese, butter, and salt provisions; and these are not more than enough of persons embarked in agriculture to make fair profits under such a state of things. This would be our worst condition. Looking then to the strong probability of the Australian market being always open for our grain, and to the almost certainty of occasional high prices, we cannot be gloomy in talking of the future; and, in the case immediately before us, we thoroughly commend and admire the way in which the farmers of Canterbury, under depressing circumstances, make their exertions belie their desponding words.