Page 2 Advertisements Column 2

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 575, 18 October 1851, Page 2

maintenance of a revenue larger than will be sufiicient for the general purposes of the pros nice, strictly and economically witched o\er by the members of the Provincial Council. Certain endowments will be handedover to the Corporation immediately on its formation. Those endowments, it is true, so far as they can be employed tor general purposes, are small, bnt I believe that the Council, after it hns once entered upon its duties in a proper spirit, will have no difficulty in obtaining larger and valuable endowments. Auckland is clearly entitled to an equivalent for that portion of the proceeds of her lands which should have been expended in the formation of* roads, wharfs, and bridges, but which was applied to other purposes, and the extension of the Borough so as to take in the Epsom and Tamaki Districts enlarges this claim very considerably. It may be said on the one hand that the streets and roads that have been formed nuibl be taken as instalments on account of this claim ; but it is well known that the most productive Land Sales in the Town, the suburbs, and the adjacent country districts took place in the early years of the colony, the proceeds of which were expended for the general purposes of the Government long before these roads or streets were made, and that the cost of their construction was partly paid out of the revenue of the colony and partly from Parliamentary Grants. On the other hand it has been said by those opposed to the Charter on account of the paucity of endowments, that the share of the proceeds of Crown Lands, to be sold within the Borough, which has been made over to the Corporation, will be but very insignificant, and gradually become ex tint- 1; and that there is now no land 'in the town wherewith to endow the Corporation. Now it appears that the valuable (for Corporation purposes) of the Town Lands still remains in. the hands of the Crow n. I mean the under-wntcr allotments in^ Commercial and OOicial Ba.js. It is some of this that I should recommend the Council to ask for as compensation, and there can be no just grounds for withholding from the Corporation whatever quantity ol land it may reclaim from the sea in Commercial Bay at least . This would become valuable to the Boiough by affording the Corporation scope to erect commodious wharfs and docks for the convenience of our own trading vessels, and the occasional reception of the numerous whalers that frequent the Pacific which visit our port to refit. I do not see that there need be any fearful forebodings of grinding taxation under the New Charter. The members of the Council, I have no doubt, notwithstanding the no-propert> -qualification title to seats, will be men liable to be taxed more or less themselves, and there is no danger but the power of taxation will be exercised but very sparingly. Nor do 1 see any immediate need for collection of taxes within the Borough. The Wharf in Commercial Bay, which is in course^ of construction, will be completed with funds supplied on loan by the Government, and, notwithstanding that we are on the eve of the advent of our^ Corporation, several other necessary works of improvement arc being carried on by the LieutenantGovernor. The Wharf is the only costly work of immediate necessity that should be urged speedily to completion. When it is once finished, it win become a source of income to the Corporation of no small amount. Moderate taxation will no doubt be necessary, by-and-by, but even then the present voluntary tax-payers will be considerable gainers. It has been customary, when any local improvement was resolved upon, for those who took an interest in the undertaking to call on a few of the inhabitants to contribute towards it. Theie arc some generous men among us whose pockets have never been closed against demands of this kind. But this system of taxation has fallen very heavily upon individuals, while the community at large, although contributing nothing, have enjoyed equal advantages in the improvements made. This is a system which is open to many objections. It is very partial in its exactions, and seldom sufficient to the satisfactory accomplishment of the object in view. _ The following are the sentiments of Mr. Elliott, of the Nelson Examiner, when speaking at a Meeting there on the subject of Municipal Corporations, which expresses my own views on this subject so fully, that I adopt them and say, " that in the alarm at the prospect of taxation I cannot participate, believing that no amount of rating to which we should be subjected (by the Corporation) would amount to as much as has been given voluntarily, and we should moreover have the satisfaction of seeing all persons called to contribute —every one according to his means, and the money so raised expended wholly by the direction of the people themselves." On the subject of the suffrage my humble opinion is that the Charter has bestowed nothing upon the Burgesses of this Borough than that to which every bona fide inhabitant has in justice an undoubted right. For although there may be men among us who have not yet beep so fortunate or so provident as others to acquire property, yet that is no reason why we should assume that their interest in the Borough may not have extended before the next election, or even before there shall be any rates levied. Whoever has cast in his lot here intending to ryakc this country his abode should have a voice to be represented in its Councils ; and it is only those who take an interest in the welfare of the country that will be found exercising the power they possess in the return of members. Having now frankly stated my general views upon the subject of the Charter, I have only to thank you again for your offer of support, and to assure you that having in this matter the interests of the Borough chielly at heart, I shall freely release you from any obligation under which this requisition may have placed you, if in the interval before the day of election any other candidate may occur to you better qualified to promote the pros- | perity of the Borough, by the means which the Charter of incorporation will place in the hands of the Council i but should you, with other Burgesses, still think it proper to elect me I can only assure you that there is no private consideration or influence from any quarter whatever, that shall deter me from acting impartially and disinterestedly in the conscientious discharge of the duties of a Common Councillor for a Borough with which my interests are so fully identified. I am, Gentlemen, Your very humble servant, J.^WILLIAMSON. Auckland, Oct. 17, 1851.