The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 540, 18 June 1851, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

lie jii't nri'X fenr not Let all the ends tliou .ums't .it, bo tliy Couutiy's,, Thy Oou'ii, .Hid Tmtli's.

W EDNESDAY, JUNEIB, 1851.

By the ai rival of the Government brig Victoria we are placed in possession of our Wellington files to the 7th instant. We have also the Nelson Examiner to the J7th ultimo, the Otago Witness to the 3rd ult., and the LyiteUon Times to the 2-ith ult. The most impoitant intelligence relates to the proceedings of the General Legislative Council at Wellington, the meeting of which was not postponed as had been nunouied, but took place on the day onginally announced in the G'tic/le, — Monday, the 19th of May. There were pies* j nt at the opening, in addition to their Excellencies the Governor- in-Ciiikf and Lieuteiunt-Governor Eyre, LieutenantColonel MtCi.r-VKRTY, D. Waki-fii-li), Esq., (Utoiney-Goneial, New Munster), the Hon. IT. W. Pbtrb, (Colonial Tiea*urer,N. M.), A. Domett, Esq., (Colonial SeciecUiy, N. M ), W. Hickson, Esq.. Captain Smith, and S. Caukfrk, Esq., (Collector of Customs, N. M ) To this number were added, on subsequent days, the lion. C. A. Dillon and K. D Bfi.l, Esq., (Commissinneis of Ciuwti Lauds). Andriv.v Sinolur, Esq., and Whli vm Swu\so\, Esq.. (Colonial . t; ecietaiy md Atioiney-Gene-ral, New Ulster), G. Cunino, Esq , and W. O. Cautli-y, Esq. The Address delivered by the GovniNOß-iN-CmrF oa the opening of the Session will be found in cccenso m oui other columns, and will nu doubt be generally lead Avith attention, as cont;nnjn<; — unhke many of the Royal Speeches at home, winch convey but a \ague idi j a of the course which legislation may take — a sufficiently complete onlicipation of the puncipal pait of what vnll actually ba di>ne by the Council. As, howevei, the document is of consjdeiable length, it may not be unacceptable

to our readers that we should give, in this place, a lapid sketch of its leading features, — oar present object being, not so much to indulge in comments on this or the subsequent pioceedmgs, (for which theie will be tune enough afterwards, as no expression of opinion here could now affect (he decisions in Wellington), as to compress into our columns the substance of the information which our Southern contemporaries supply in detail. His Excellency's introductoiy remaiks refeired to the propriety of the assembling of the Council at Wellington, on account of the | special interest which New Munster has in the : chief matters to be considered, and also of the increase of importance, population, and wealth which the Province has acquit ed by the establishment of the settlements of Canterbury and Otago. He next adveited to the ha-ipy circumstance that, owing to the tranquillity and prosperous condition of these Islands, the task of the Council would be — not to devise means of averting immediate danger, — but to adopt measures for developing the resources and rendering permanent the prosperity of the colony. Amongst the mostimpoitant of those measures was that for the settlement of the mips lo land within the temu»y formerly vested in the New Zealand Company. Some valuable additions might, his Excellency thought, be made to the Bill for this puipose, which would be introduced. The chief of these was a provision permitting the holders of scrip taken in exchange for land, to fund it by the purchase of Government debentmes, bearing a low rate of interest. Many persons, particularly absentees, would probably avail themselves of this arrangement, and the effect would be to re-produce the land-fund, and to open a larger extent of land to arriving immigrants. The result to be expected fiorn the whole plan was "to place 211 a few months titles to land in New Minister upon as clear and satisfactory a footing as in any part of the w0r1d.". . . .Another important measure was an ordinance for regulating Waste Lands, which would foster the pastoral interests, and lead to large and valuable exports. . . .His Excellency next pointed out the nature of a Bill to enable the Governor, wheiever a Corporation may be formed, to place one-third of the Land Revenue at its disposal, instead of leaving it in the bands of the Wardens of Hundreds as at piesent. In relation to the Waste Lands, he mentioned that the Government would probably soon complete the puichase of about 600,000 actes of admirable land in the Hawkes Bay distuct -, that the completion of the Wanarapaioad, connectting those fine tracts of country with Wellington would be expedited ; that negociations for the purchase of the Pelotus distuct were m progress ; and that two thousand pounds had been appi opriated for a load between Kelson and the Wairau, passing through the feitile valley of the Pelorus. . . - His Excellency then turned to the Provincial Councils Bill, which he described as the result of his own long attention and personal examination of the various paits of the Colony, and as superior to any other plan that he could himself devise, or that had been presented to him, for the intioduction of Repiesentative Institutions in New Zealand. With refeience to the " General Council for the whole . of these Islands," a measure was to be brought before Parliament, by the Home Government, during the present session, which would create that Council ; and it, no doubt, would have "full power to amend and modify in any manner that it may think fit," " any subordinate measure for the constitution of Provincial Councils" that may be now passed.. The proposed Maniage Ordinance was next commended as likely to afford general satisfaction ..The measure for substituting fixed for ad valorem Customs' Duties was then referred to, and declared to be altogether based on a Report from a Committee of the New Munster Legislative Council... The Post Office rates might be considered, but the subject of the postal airangements between Great Britain and her colonies Avas now leceivingthe anxious attention of the Home Government, and His Excellency expected to carry out, in conjunction with the Postmaster General, a system by which letters may be pre-paid here to any pait of Great Btitain, or in Gieat Hntain to any part of New Zealand.. .A Bill for taking a Census of the population here, as in other patts of the Empne, during the present year, would be introduced ; also, an adoption of the recent resolutions of Parliament to put an end to the troublesome and expensive practice of engrossing Acts of the Legislature, and to shoiten the words used in such Acts. . .A Bill for the appropriation of the Revenues of the Colony would be brought forward.. .Finally, His Excellency declared that he saw no necessity for any new Laws specifically lelating to the Natives, as the existing Laws appear sufficient and are working beneficially ; but if. the Council could suggest any improvement, he | would cheeifully second their exertions. After this Address had been ordered to be I printed, the Council adjourned until the Thursday week following in ordei to afford time for the arrival of members who weie " expected from u distance." We shall bung togethei, so far as we can, the doings of the Council on that and its subsequent days of meeting up to our latest date, — doings which come within a small compass, as compared with diffuse and almost resultless sayings.

The Customs' Duties Bill was that in which most practical advance seems to have been made. Mr. Hickson, who had immediate charge of it, in proposing the second reading, described it as a measure which would be conducive to the inteiesls of both the Government and the Impoiters. In the course of the discussion, Sir George Grey stated that " he had received msti actions fiom the Home Government to abandon as far as possible all discriminating duties whatever;" such duties would be imposed only on the articles classed as "Miscellaneous," including Tea; but on the ! whole, he vindicated the principle of Free | Trade, and " thought it would be more becoming in them, instead of tin owing any obstacle in the way, to act according to the recomi mendation of Her Majesty's Government, that this great and new systt-m of Commeicial Policy might have a fair trial.", .When the rates wete about to be considered in Committee, Mr, Bell proposed that they should first be investigated in detail by a Select Committee. This was opposed by the Governor and others on the ground that it would only be a loss of time, — the duties having been calculated as nearly as possible so as to levy the same rate as befoie, only that it would be a fixed duty. Mi. Bell, however, pressed his proposition to a divi&ion, and lost, it by a majority of 12 to 3. In Committee it was agreed that Ale, Beer, and Poiter, m casks, should be subjected to a duty of 4d. per gallon (bottled beer being reserved for tutuie consideration). It was also sesolved that coals should be admitted free of duty : Sir George Grey said he thought coals should be admitted duty f ee, and the deficiency made up l>y an mcieased duty on some other article. lie felt satisfied that coals would become one of the objects of prime nccessi y in this colony ; in the intioduction of steam on our co.ists .in exteiibive supply of coals would be indispensable, and no coal yet discoveied in New Zealand was found to be available lor this puipose. Again, ii smelling woiks were conducted on an extensive scale in this eouiitiy, a l.tige quantity ot coal would be leqiusite; and the copper oie of New Zealand contained t,o small a propouion of metal as to render it ■ nnpoitant it should be smelted on the spot. Steam j machinery might also he used in different paits of the | countiy (or sawm<> tunbei and ior other ruiposes ; in fact so many mtnests depend on a cheap supply of fuel that it was cleat on hi:, own liuiid it would be necessaiy to take oil' the duty. It was furthei agreed that munitions of oar should be stiuck out of the Schedule, thus bringing them under the operation of the ]0 per cent duty. The duty on Flour was fixed at £1 per ton of 2000 lbs. It seemed to be the opinion of the Committee that several articles which pioduced only a very small amount of levenue should be admitted duty free. iSeveial others are meiely said to have been lated according to the Schedule, which we undei stand to mean as neaily as cou'd be ascertained at 10 per cent, on the value. Several others were left open for further discussion, amongst which was Tobacco for the purposes of sheep-washing, which it was strongly urged should be admitted free, provided it was so prepared as to be unfit for human use. The duties on anchors, chains, and chain-cables, and marine stores, for the use of coasters, were also reset ved for consideration, Sir George Grey laying down as an important ptinciple that everything should be done to facilitate communication between the neighbouring poits, and the revenue lost by a lemission of taxation on them made up by the duties on Spirits, Tea, Tobacco, &c. We must remark, however, that the conclusions actually arrived at by the Committee aic in some instances by no means clearly stated by our contemporanes, and that when we ha\e leferred from one to another of them for elucidation of points that seemed obscure, we have only been (as Mr George Grey said of an explanation made by the Colonial TRtAsuiniß, N.M.) " more puzzled than we weie befoie." We suppose Aye jnust only wait Avith patience until the details of the completed tariff shall be before us. A measure, entitled the Debtors' Writ of Arrest Hill underwent a good deal of discussion. The intention of the Bill (which is only an extension of the poweis of the Act alieady in existence) was to authoiize the detention for three mouths of a person attempting to leave the colony in debt, and to lodge the power of auest in the hands of the Registrar of the Supieme Couit where there was one, and in other places in the hands of the Senior Magistrate. A proposal, by Mr. Mickson, that every peison leaving the colony should be required to give 48 houis notice to the Collector of Customs, was not seconded ; while it was befoie the Council Sir George Grey observed that " the tendency of legislation in the present day was to discourage persons from affording too great an extension of credit by throwing on them a, proportionate lisk, and that it was not fair to put the whole community under disagteeab'e restiictions to encourage others to go into debt." The Act is to come into operation on the Ist of July ensuing. The AttorneyGeneral observed that " of late years there had not been much occasion for the exercise of this power, but inconvenience had been felt at Auckland during the Cahfornian speculation for want of a law of the kind." The second leading of the Marriage Ordinance Bill was postponed, the mover ol it (the Colonial Trxasurlr) expressing his dissatisfaction that it did not adopt the English punciple of exacting only the evidence of a legal contract, without pie&cribing any directions as

to the religious ceremony. Sir George Grhy denied that the principle of this Bill varied from that of England. It really required nothing more than registration, but it improved the English law by licensing for that purpose, not a building, but an individual, — a feature having " many merits in a scattered population in a young colony like this." A Naturalization Bill was in progress. The Schedule was, however, to remain open until a late period of the Session, in order that others hearing of it might have time to avail themselves of its privileges. The Land Fund Appropriation Bill was confided to the care of Lieutenant-Colonel McCixvkrty. On the second reading, Sir j George Grey introduced the question whether the Wardens should not be permitted still to retain a propoition of the funds raised within i their own Hundreds. "It was probable that sevpral Hundreds would be inchulod within one Coiporation. In the Coiporation of Auckland, for example, while the town would probably have five or six membeis, the hundred would only be repi evented by one member, and it would be in the power of the membets of the town, by a majority of votes, to take the whole of the funds produced by the sale of lands in the Hundied and apply them to impiovemenfs m the towu. He thought it would be advisable to enact tint one thiril of the thud ofthepiocceds of sales oi land in each Hundied should Le expended within that Hundred, so that not more than two thirds could be taken from them and applied to the gcncial purposes of the Corpoiation." This was proposed in Committee, but Mr. Bell moved as an amendment that one-half be left at the disposal of the Wardens, and (as we understand the report) the amendment was agreed to. Mr. Bell also pointed out that it was not incumbent on the Governor, to make the appropriation at all ; " what he wanted to see was an obligation on the Local Government to devote, a specific sum out of the proceeds of sales in any one place to the exclusive benefit of that place, and under the sole direction of the inhabitants themselves." Sir George Grey stated on this question, that all public lands vested absolutely in the Crown ; the Crown had, on his recommendation, sanctioned this appropriation ; the Council could only empower the Governor, to make these arrangements, but it might address the Crown to make the airangements permanent, and " he thought if a considerable number of Hundreds had the power conferred by this Bill, it would not be taken from them." The "Petition" from certain inhabitants of New Ulster, (Mr George Grey remarked " this was really a Petition from the inhabitants of Auckland") praying that holders of scrip should be allowed to purchase" land in any part of the Province, was presented by the Colonial. Sb.cRfc.TARY. We have now given in substance the chief proceedings of the Council up to Friday the 6th inst., when it adjourned to Tuesday the 10th inst. If on a repertisal we should deem any portions of the discussion sufficiently interesting to call for more detailed statement, we shall transfer them as they are reported by our Wellington contemporaries, The length to which this digest has extended obliges us to defer a summary of the general news fiom the Southern Settlements until Saturday. It does not possess any impoitance which would render the delay of much moment.