Paper Currency Bill.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 129, 25 August 1847, Page 3

Paper Currency Bill.

On the motion of the Colonial Treasurer the Council went into committee on this bill, which was further considered. On the commencement clause being read, the Attorney General moved that the blanks should be filleti up with Ist daj of January, 1849, which was agreed to. The bill was further amended, and consideration postponed till Thursday.

Slaughter-house Bill. On the motion of the Colonial Secretary the bill was fin ther considered. Mr. rtlerriman proposed «eferal amendments, which with others, were ordered to be printed, and the bill stood over for farther cousideration on Thursday.

The Governor said, that he had an obserratiou or two to make relative to what had been said by the lion, member, Mr. Brown, concerning the land claimants; and he would Hist remark, that according to the ligid construction of Lord Grey's instructions, these gentlemen had no claim whatever. A great many of them had purchased from the natives before the pre-emp-tion was waived, and thai in itself, according to these instructions, ut once placed them " out of court j" and moreover, the act of waiver itself, was illegal, and in the event of strict investigation, many of the claims on this account, would be found to have not the shadow of a basis to rely on. But there was another view, which had never been property put before the public, and one which, if the hon. member who seemed totuke such an interest in the natives, could only see in the same light as he (the Goveunor) did, would at once c<i ll forth his sympathies on their behalf, and lead him to acknowledge that they had been unfairly dealt by. The natives had ceded a right to the British Government, but they had not afterwards done to to a Governor, that he might transfer it to othen, and so leava them open to imposition. Now he was sorry to say that such had been the effect in many cases were large purchases were made, tie had frequently thought, and often said, that these transactions had not been carried on wittipioper respect to native interests, and the complaints of several natives made to the government to the same effect, had shown bun tlult he was not far wrong. In one instance, he hud been informed that the certificate waiver of pre-empiiou had been used as a threat, and exhibited to the natives as a warrant for their arrest, in case they should refuse to sell their | hind. Now, having so much knowledge of tlie ircumstan ces uuder which those purchase* had been made from the uatives, he could not possibly go further to accomplUh their settlement, than what had been done in the terms of the Minute, that he bad laid before the Council. Mr. Merrimun hoped that his Excellency did not mean to apply to all of (he claimants what he had just expressed relative to unfair purchases. He could assure him that although; there might have been instances of unfair dealing, yet he was aware of cases in which full value had been given for the land, and the natives quite content with the bargain. The Governor thought that he hud guarded hi* remarks so sufficiently, as not to he understood to have applied them to all the claimau's ; but this much lie would apply to all,— that their purchases had bien made without affording the natives the advantage of open competition. Thesa waivers were made iv favor of individuals, and the natives had no chailce of selling' to others. He confessed, that the more he thought of the whole system , the greater degree of shame he felt for having taken the step that he had ; he could not help thinking that distant observers must look upon the whole transaction, as an intrusion upon nativ« rights ; he had tried to divest himself of these feeling*, but really he could not do so ; and from the concesssons that he had made, he had no doubt but that if the history of the whole affair should hereafter be given, that he himself, would fall iv ior a share of the odium that would be attached to them. And indeed, if he had been in possession on the Saturday, of the facts that came to his knowledge on the Monday following, he believed that hit Minute should not have accompanied Lord Grey's instructions. Mr. Brown did not believe that any member of that Council, would wish that the natives should be unjustly deprived of their lauds ; for his own part, ha believed that the prices paid, in most cases, by the claimants, were higher than those paid by the government. And what better course could they pursue, when about to purchase, than first to ascertain whether the natives were disposed to sell, and having known their mind, then to apply for pcrniissfon to buy. The Governor said that there appeared to be a popular error abroad on the subject of government dealings with natives for land- The government in all cases had bought land from the natives tut trustee for the two races, and a considerable portion of the land fund had beeu appropriated for the benefit of the natives. He therefore could see no analogy between the two cases. Moreover, Europeans who had come to this colony, on the faith of pledged regulations, that all land within it should be ripen to "public and impartial competition, and have invested large sums on the strength of that faith, have been, deceived by these subsequent partial dealings. Indeed he had always considered the whole proceeding as illegal, ab imfto,-— and such also was the opinion entertained of it by lawyers in England and elsewhere. He was sorry that the subject had been again brought before the Council, it was one that always gave him pain when he reverted to it ; he had dove more than he now considered it was his duty at Governor to have done, and should the question be again opened, the only course that he could feel bound to pursue, would be to revert to Lord Grey's instructions, aiid abide by them. He intended to have modified as far as possible, the terms contained in biiowu minute,— such as by accompanying them with liberal squatting regulations ; and he had intended also to seize on an opportunity that would shortly be afforded him, to adjust these claims. He would shortly proclaim the act that repealed the Australian Land Sales Act, as* regards this colony, aud afterwards, before he should proclaim the New; Charter, while there would be no law virtually existing as regards the sale oi land, he should then finally arrange these claims. The Council then adjourned to Thursday next.