Original Correspondence.

New Zealander, Volume 2, Issue 89, 13 February 1847, Page 3

Original Correspondence.

Native Population our Wealth — Large Proportion ik Northern District-— Old Women not to be Despised — A Great Result fhomt Humble Means.

To the Editor of the New-Zealander. Srri,— Our friends nt the South have frequently urged their larger European population (as if it will always be so !) as a reason why the Capital should be with them, and their (may they never be our) friends at home have also urged, that our larger Native population is a. reason why the Capital bhould not be with us— ergo, we are next to nobody, and our friends, the Natives, arc worse than nobody, But this " populous solicitude," by which wo are surrounded, will, I appnliend, bejihe very cause why Auckland remains as the Capital, the Homo Authorities determining it so meanwhile for political reasons, and ourselves, 1 trust, confirming it eventually and permanently for commercial reasons : for who does not see the all—" importance of Auckland as a depot for Native trade," and can any one " overlook that circumstance?" The Natives 'tis who are our great consumers, and we have it in our power to make* them enormous producers, and by as much as we can encicase the quantity of their exportable products, by so much will we oncreasc the demand on their part for our importations, and the sooner will we establish * legitimate and profitable return trade with the Mother country. Our Native population is our very life blood, the vital fluid, which freely circulating through every part of our system, supports our healthy existence ; tut cherish it as such, and would not lose one single drop, but " hoard it a' wi miser care ;" however much it may suit the New Zealand Company to preach and practice, the great advantages of Native phlebotomy, we can assuie them, our watchword is repletion, not rftplption. In my last letter, I hinted at the necessity for th« formation of "An Association, to encourage and promote the preparation of Native pioduce for exportation," and now I will just point out the amount of material which such an Association would have to work upon ; and endeavour in the present and subsequent letters, to shew a few of the channels into which the streams of Labour might be profitably directed. The Northern District is allowed to contain threefourths of the Native population, (of the North Island), estimated by the Government census at 109,550 souL, which would give us 82,000 as our share of this "populous uselcssness" in the eyes ot Ihe benighted Company. Now, suppose we take the most useless of tho " uselessness," and say, out of our 82,000 soulb there was one -sixteenth of them old women, (and heaven forefend the proportion fchould be so great) who, I think, it will be allowed (and no disparagement is meant toward them) a.c not a particularly useful poition of the body corporate, unless as garrulous members of it, we would have 5000 pairs of hands, which I will shortly shew we could put to profitable labour, and a species of labour which would allow the owners of the same every scope to indulge in ganulous propensities to their heait's content— a labour in every way consonant with their habits and feelings, and admitting of the dear old crcatuics bitting at their ease the whole livelong day, and luxuri ding in a whiff of the pipe whenever they chose ; for our friends out of tho Colony must know, the New Zealandcrs from eight years old to eighty, without respect to sex, use tobacco. Now, tiien, in order that wo may plainly see, admire, and rcilcct upon the inestimable advantages which would arise to us from the aforesaid 5,000 old women being put to work, I will just make* rough calculation, and with the aid of a few figures, prove to what an incredible extent the old folks would benefit themselves in the first place — us settlers in the second place—lha Colony generally, in the third place — and that in tho fourth and last place, Great Britain herself would come in for no mean share of the advantages resulting from tlieir labour. ~ " It would only be a matter of amusement for a Native to scrape of l?lax lOlbs. per day, more especially our friends, the old women, who are first-rate hands at it ; and 5,000 of them producing 10lb». per day for on© year, oi" say 300 days, and give them the other G5 days to spend in the fulfilment of domestic duties, at the end of the year would yield a produce of 0,696 tons, 8 cwt.* 2 qrs., 8 lbs, which delivered in Auckland, might be fairly valued at £12 per ton, and thus in one item would we encrease our Exports by the sum of £80,357 2s. 9d. ; beneiitling the producers by giving them, at the aforesaid price, an income of £,\(> each to spend ; bencfttting the settlers as being spent among them j benc fitting the Colony, by so immense an encrease of trade; and bcncfilling Great Britain, by requiring her shipping to remove the produce so raised. But, suppose 1 put down a few items to shew tho money which would be put in circulation by my 5000 old women. We have first of all, then, the value of the raw ar-' tide, viz.—

Now, as I can fancy a smile beginning to flit across the countenances of some of my readers at the map: nitude of my " old woman" calculations, and hear a few whispers ol " where is the Flax to come from for the second year 1" (as if another 1-1 Gth of the population could not cultivate it, and have plenty of time besides to grow their requisite supply of food) I will be content to divide my calculations by five, and then we will have uo trilling sum lett, viz., £20,(iQ7 8«. (id, of which jClBj6'B7 Bs. Gd. is as pioducc expoiled from our Colony. And can we not call into operation the labour atone thousand of our Native Population, wiih such a result before our eye s ? Why, I would almost volunteer to do President of a " Native Old Woman Flax Scnping Company," than not see it accomplished ; for I can see nothing at all derogatory in securing the preparation of an item in our exports to over £18,000, whether by old women or young men ; nnd trusting that this, my iirst practical hint, may not be thrown away a» regard* the branch of exports to which it alludes, I will reserve for a future occasion Borne others, and meanwhile cea^e TIIE VOICE OF A SETTLER. Auckland, Pel. 11th, 1847.

To the Editor of the New Zealander, Siir,~The present sickly state of this town impera- | tivcly calls for Police Regulations which may in some degree assist in averting' the sad calamities which must result from the filthy condition of the lower town. One of the greatest services the Governor could render the public would be to take a tour of inspection through the most crowded neighbourhoods, and above all, the butcher's yards in the vicinity of the Crescent ; and although the visit would be to him a momentary disagreeable one, yet he could afterwards better sympathise with those who are obliged to reside continually in the vicinity, and breathe the air, of such noisome places. The beach too, over which the Police have direct control, is strewed with fish and the bodies of animals in a state of decomposition. That cases of typhus fever exist about the town is an nlarming fact, and Auckland will be accounted anything but a healthy place, if nothing is done to improve the air, and remove the lion id impurities with which the mos>t crowded quarters are filled. The only object of this brief communication, is to call your attention to this important subject, and to beg of you Jor the good of the community at large, to assist in removing the evil of which every one complains. I am, Sir, Your's obediently, A TOWNSMAN. Auckland, February llth, 1847. fWe have frequently endeavoured to direct the attention of the authorities to this subject ; and we do trust that the Grand Jury will not permit the next sitting of the Supreme Court to pass over without making a presentment of these abominable slaughter house*. — Lu.]

C p. d. Flax, produced ns above, 6,fif)6 tons, 8 cwt., 2 qrs., 8 lbs., at l'2s. . . . 80,857 2 5) Pressing and packing for shipment, 50 Natives required for 300 days, at Is. 6d. each 1,125 0 0 Carting to and from Stores, and shipping 7,700 tons, at 3s 1,005 0 0 20 ships, of 350 tons each, would expend on an average in piovisions when loading, and for the voyage home, £50 each 1,000 0 O rhere are many more items, but my result would be too staggering, so will add those now accumulated, and all of which arc genuine, and the same as items of Export giving — — 83,487 2 9 r,OOO tons shipping require to freight the produce home, at £5 per ton . 35,000 0 0 Brand Total of money circulated by 1-lCthof our population employed as above .0118,487 2 0