The New-Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 548, 16 July 1851, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

13e just an'l fear not: Let all the ends tliou aims't at, be thy Country's, Thy God's, and Truth's.

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1851.

We have said in a former article that the piincipal point of interest here, with regal d to the New Munster Land Claims Bill, was the arrangement which might be made for permitting the Taranaki Claimants to purchase land in this Province, with the scrip they may | obtain in lieu of those lands near New Plymouth, of which it may not be found practicable to put them in possession. Our recent reports of the proceedings in Council show with sufficient distinctness what was intended to be done in the matter. Sir George Grey intimated that a permission to purchase in New Ulster would be restricted, by an exclusion of the country " within a few miles round Auckland " fiom the exercise of the privilege ; assisting as the reason of this limitation, that otherwise the rights granted to the Wardens of Hundreds would be interfered with, — and public works would be stopped, the funds for which had been advanced by the Crown on the secuiity of the Land Fund. The bounds implied by His Excellency in the expression " a few miles round Auckland," were, we may assume, definitely described in the amendment proposed by the Attorney-General, which authorizes the Colonial Treasurer to receive scrip in payment for land "in any pait of the Province of New Ulster, not being within the limits oj any Hundred." It appears theiefore that it is designed to exclude the lands within the Hundreds from the operation of the permission. Now, having, throughout, done our utmost to aid the Taranaki claimants in obtaining the right to vest their scrip in the lands of thi s pait of the Province, we feel the more free to express our opinion that this resluction if, — on the whole, and viewed with lefeience fo the general interests of the Piovince — neither unfair nor unreasonable. The grounds on which his Exceiixncy jested it (in coiifoimity, it would seem from his language in Council, with the suggestions in a Despatch fiom Lieutenant-Governor Wynyard), commend themselves to the understanding and the sense of justice of impartial and reflecting ohseivers. It would not be for the gen ei al interest -as distinguished ftom ail merely personal interests — that the Wardens, or the Corporations as the case may be, should be deprived of the portion of the Land Revenue placed at their disposal for public works, to such an extent as they might be deprived of it were scrip available within the boundaries from which it is derived j or that works undertaken on the faith of a continued supply from the Land Fund should be stopped through a deficiency thus produced. Nor would it, .let us add, be expedient that such an encouragement should be afforded to speculation in scrip as would be given if the scrip were available in the immediate vicinity of the town. But we apprehend the restriction will not be felt oppiessively by the real settlers ; and let us say, it was on their behalf that, from first to last, those who memoiialized the Council on the subject felt solicitous, A few weeks since (in an editorial note appended to a j communication from a well-informed and intelligent correspondent who was strongly opposed to the granting of any permission at all to purchase in the Province) we said, — "Of those who now seek the pnvilege of selecting land in New Ulster, the majoiity are known as settlers altpady engaged in agricultural puhsuits, and desiring no more than to be permanently located in this Province." To such, however more acceptable an unlimited right of choice would nalu tally be, theie will be no very serious evil in being required to make their st lection outride- the boundaries of the Hundreds, whet c some of tha best land for their puiposes may be had. If there be those who, having no intention of becoming settlers, wished for the privilege meiely for commercial ends— in older to bring their sciip into the maiket and speculate upon its cash value — we should ceitrxinly not he] ourselves bound to advocate for them a piivilege which becomes free fiom pa\c objections only on the ground of its being des"<"rd for lonu jidc settleis,— s-ueh as we should be happy to retain in the Piovince ay sinews of its strength,

and such as we believe the Tarauaki Land Claimants to be. We are of opinion that the Attorney-Gentiml's proposition, — should it be found to form part of the Ordinance (as in substance it most probably will) — will embody, though not exactly the letter, yet the spirit of the request put forward in the Auckland memorial.