Friday, February 4. EMIGRATION.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume I, Issue I, 30 July 1842, Page 84

Friday, February 4. EMIGRATION.

Lord Stanley moved ,'for leave to bring in a' bill to amend the act of 5 and 6 William IV., for regulating the carriage of passengers in merchant vessels ; and availed himself of this the earliest opportunity to say a few words respecting the question of emigration generally. In the last five years the average of persons emigrating on their own account from this country (except in 1838, when reasons arising out of the state of the Canadas interfered) was from 75,000 to 80,000; in 1840, 90,700; the first three quarters of 1841 it had reached to 106,475. The Passengers' Acts were consolidated in 1820: but the Consolidating Act was repealed in 1828, when cruelty^md fraud again abounded, and in six months after a more astringent act was found necessary, and still continued in operation. In 1833 emigration agents were established at the various ports of this country, and he believed that system had produced great benefit. The alterations he proposed were so much matter of detail, that he thought the house would not require of him at present to go into the matter. He proposed laying on the table the two reports of the Land and Emigration Committee before they considered the bill in committee of this house. The noble lord also moved for leave to bring in a bill for the regulation of the sale of lands in the Australian colonies and New Zealand. A great portion of the tide of emigration from this country was tending to these colonies. The noble lord then proceeded to show the great increase of exports from these colonies, while the amount of importations into them had risen, since 3 835 (when it was" £707,000), to £2,600,000, its amount in the year 1840. He proposed to apply the sale of land system to the whole of the colonies by act of Parliament. He proposed — not. sales by auction, nor by fixed prices, but, After survey by districts, that there should be periodical sales by auction of lands, divided into three classes : — lands for the sites of towns, lands in their vicinity, and the general lands of the colony, all at one upset price, below which they should not be sold. The two first classes he proposed should be always sold by auction; with respect to the other class he suggested certain modified terms. He proposed giving to the Governor of the colony in some cases power to raise the upset price, subject to the approval of the Queen in Council. He was not prepared to go the whole length of devoting the produce of the land sales to the purpose of emigration, as he thought the expense of surveys should come out of them, as well as an appropriation to the instruction and provision of the aborigines of the colonies, and also to the expense of roads and other primary objects of internal advantage. What he proposed was to apply half the produce of the land sales to the purposes of emigration, the remainder to be applied tq other purposes, to which he alluded. He proposed the limitation of the act to the life of her Majesty. The noble lord then moved for and obtained leave to bring in both his bills. In reply to a question, Lord Stanley said he could only legislate for sales to come. There could be no use in doing so where the money is already spent. Lord John Russell concurred in the general principle of the measure. He thought Lord Stanley had chosen the best mode of settling the much-disputed question of the proportion of proceeds to be devoted to emigration.