MUNICIPAL CORPORATION.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 56, 1 April 1843, Page 223

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT, OR THE TYRANNY OF AN OLIGARCHY. To the Inhabitants of Nelson. Fellow-Colonists— The apathy displayed by the majority of the inhabitants of this settlement, in the case of the approaching meeting for the purpose of petitioning for a municipal corporation, is certainly a singular feature in a colony which, in general, evinces such activity in all its other affairs. Does it result from a diffidence in your ability to govern yourselves, that you reject the advantages at present within your grasp ? or, is it (as I am more willing to believe) that you have been hitherto almost completely ignorant of the extent of these advantages ? It must be evident to every one who gives his afifaiss a moment's consideration, that one of the chief reasons for his being here — one of the principal motives which led to the establishment of colonies at all — was to avoid the very great anxiety felt at home with regard to the means of providing for himself or his family, to ward off, in many cases, the actual fear of starvation. Now, from what does this fear of starvation in England solely arise ? Is it from a general want of money in the nation at large ? No : England, as a nation, never was so rich at any previous period. It arises, in a very great measure, from the sundry and innumerable monopolies — from the privilege of governing and the power of taxing the many being in the hands of the few. And have we not already the seeds of these monopolies of power and taxation within ourselves ? and, unless we speedily rouse ourselves from our lethargy, are they not about to " grow with our growth, and strengthen with our strength," until they finally wax to such a height as to be intolerable ? By our coming to a place possessing the capabilities of this settlement, we have insured, for the present, at least, the power of supporting ourselves, so far as regards actual bodily wants. Why, then, neglect the means of insuring the still higher privileges of selecting and maintaining that form of government which will, in after years, be the most effectual security for the well-being of the colony ? This is a question which affects all of you. You may, perhaps, not be aware that, under the Corporation Act of New Zealand, by the payment of one pound, the poorest man amongst you, although he may have arrived but yesterday, has an equal voice in the selection of those persons who may be empowered to tax you and administrate your , affairs, with the largest holder of town allotments, the greatest man of property, in the settlement. Up, then, and be stirring. Show that you are worthy of this privilege, that you are not the abject slaves to allow this power to be wrested from you without a struggle. Let not this hitherto prosperous settlement become in future the seat of discord and anarchy. lam aware that there is a considerable body banded together for their own ends, to resist the introduction of a corporation. What are the exclamations of this party (for reasons they cannot be called) ? That you are not able to govern yourselves ! ! From whence did this feeling of modesty arrive? Will it be pretended that, amongt the 3,000 merchants, mechanics, labourers, and others, now in the colony, an equal amount of talent, of intelligence, of bodily industry, of perseverance of purpose, and of freedom from extravagance, cannot be found as amongst any body of a similar number in England ? Will it be exceeded even by that found in a similar number of the inhabitants of that most aristocratic of aristocratic parishes, of St. George, Hanover-square, itself — that residence of the scions of the " twice two thousand," ; the select coterie termed the world, the mono* polizers of power and distinction, the ruling few? No, fellow-colonists, I can confidently assert it will not. A few others of this anticorporation body assert, firstly, that the sums (if any) raised by a corporation would be, under their management, spent extravagantly ; secondly, that the New Zealand Company, or the Government, will spend the sums required for any improvements necessary in the town, without recourse to individual assessment. Now, with regard to the first of these assertions, those amongst them who know anything of political economy, know very well that such extravagance would not be the case; they know that in those states where the power of raising and expending money is vested in an executive chosen by the majority, there the greatest economy and frugality are displayed, there the greatest number of eyes are on the alert to check the extravagance of individuals; that where a similar power is possessed by an irresponsible few, there is the most lavish and un-called-for expenditure. As .to the second assertion, with every wish to give the New Zealand Company full credit for their desire to promote in every way the welfare of the colony, and for the very judicious expenditure of their money in the improvements in the town and surrounding district, by the construction of roads, bridges, drains, &c, I would still ask, what guarantee have you of their any longer continuing to expend money in town improvements? or, if so, then for how long? With regard to the Government, it is almost unnecessary to say you have but little to expect from that quarter, beyond the appointment of a few constables, the funds for whose maintenance are gathered from amongst yourselves. Hitherto Government has done nothing towards the improvement (quere ?) of your town, or the general advancement of your interests : that it will display any more maternal care in future, I do not conceive the most sanguine amongst you anticipate. Do not suffer yourselves, then, any longer to be led by the nose, or gulled by any such assertions as those I have just quoted. • That you have not sense enough to select your ■ own corporation officers, is almost beneath replying to. As well might they term you so

many children at once, and in the same puerile strain tell you " to be good boys, blow your noses, and take care not to catch cold." Well might the author of the letter signed "An Enemy to Despotism " warn you that now is the time to exert yourselves; that, within a very few months, the arrival of a Tory underling may place the power of local government beyond your reach for years to come. There is a great probability that he will be right in his prophecy ; at all events, there is a glorious uncertainty as to the nature of the instructions' which for 16,000 miles he may bring with him. And is not this anxious uncertainty one of the very evils we seek to abolish by our present attempt ? Again, then, I say to you, Inhabitants of Nelson, be vp and stirring. Be " wide awake" to your own interests,. and by your own right hands, when called upon to vote, manifest that it will not be by your own deeds, or rather by your own negligence and backwardness, that you will be depnved of your own rights. Let your conduct on Saturday the Bth of April be a specimen of your determination in every instance to have a share in the selection of your own rulers. I shall be there to observe your efforts ; and, with every certainty in your success, I remain, your obedient servant, March 27. Spectator. To the Editor of the Nelson Examiner. Sir— Your leading article of last Saturday has cooled the zeal of more than one " Friend of Local Government," and caused many to suspect " something rotten in the state of Denmark," something in the question of statistics, which would not bear rigid examination, and which, if brought before the public on the eve of the approaching meeting, would turn the tables against you. But, do you imagine that the people of Nelson are to be bullied, cajoled, or mystified into the demand for a corporation (the powers of which are, after all, unprecedentedly limited), without having some idea of the expense it' is likely to entail upon them ? Are the habits and dispositions which all experience proves to be most conducive to the success of private undertakings to be thrown aside contemptuously in the conduct of our public business ? No, that would be a very bad way of commencing the management of our " local affairs." In the determination of this, as of all other questions of public advantage, we assert the prerogative of judgment, and reject with contempt and indignation all attempts to influence us through any other channel. We admit that a corporation is desirable in the abstract, but we deny its appropriateness to our existing circumstances. Show that thej latter position is false : prove it so, by such facts and demonstrations as reasonable men have a right to demand, and you are at once triumphant. If you cannot, give up the effort candidly. But, in the name of mercy and good taste, do not again affect the oracular, to lapse into the unintelligible, nor attempt to cushion, by the aid of flimsy declamation, that which must be decided by sober, matter-of-fact argument. We are as fully alive to the advantages of self-government, and yearn after independence as impatiently, as you or any man living ; but we must not be blinded by passion or sophistry. Does the corporation invest us with either ? What are the powers which it confers ? Let the ordinance speak for itself: — " The council shall have power to make and keep in repair all roads, streets, squares, causeways, and bridges within the limits of the borough ; to excavate, construct, and maintain wells, waterworks, conduits, and other like works ; and to take order for the prevention of fires, the prevention and abatement of nuisances, the establishment of markets, the construction of market places, the watching, paving, lighting, and cleansing of the said borough ; and for all such purposes as they may deem necessary for the good order, health, and convenience of the inhabitants thereof. " 6. Whenever the limits of any borough shall extend to or comprise any harbour on the seashore, or any navigable river, the council shall also have power to construct and maintain all such docks, basins, locks, wharfs, quays, piers, and landing-places, and to set and erect all such buoys, beacons, land-marks, and lighthouses, and to execute all such other works, and do all such acts as i may be deemed necessary for the purpose of rendering the navigation thereof safe, easy, and commodious." Such is the charter for which it would be a sin to " stint our dross ;" one of those " blessednesses " not to be weighed with gold ! I must confess it does not excite my raptures. " Man never is, but always to be— blessed." Enriched with the corporation, we should still be as dependent on the Central Government as we now are in all that relates to legislation, administration of justice, and revenue. To talk, therefore, of the corporation rendering us " independent of this, that, or the other man's caprice; free, self-governed," and so forth, is nonsense. We believe that the corporation, notwithstanding its very limited powers, is yet worth having, if not too expensive. This is a point on which we look up to you for enlightenment; and surely you cannot consider the expectation unreasonable, when you reflect that the question is not of transitory interest, but one that will affect our remotest posterity. We do not consider the pecuniary view the only one to be taken into account (as you generously insinuate) ; but we do maintain that no man in his senses can be blind to its importance. You have, no doubt, made some calculation of the necessary and inevitable expenses of the corporation, and of the requisite borough rate. Publish your data this week, that we may have time for deliberate examination before the day of meeting; or else, however specious may then appear your statements, we shall be compelled to adopt the safe course of voting for another half-year's adjournment. . A True Friknd or Local Government.