MEETING TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSAL TO CREATE NELSON AN INDEPENDENT PROVINCE.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 575, 18 October 1851, Page 3

MEETING TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSAL TO CREATE NELSON AN INDEPENDENT PROVINCE.

fl'ioin the " Ni Uon r.x.iiiutipi," Sept. (!.] On Tuesday hM, a Public Meeting was held in (lie Court-house, Nelson to consider the jiro|>omil lately made by tbo Governor lo oieate this Hettlernent inlo an independent Province; J. Saxton, Eatj., wan ie(|iiested to <n k g tliu chait. Tbo Chairman briefly stated tbo obj"ct lor wVuh Uio meeting liave snmiiioiiod, and lcrnarkcd on its unportanco to tho community. Mr. Ti.iverH Haid that as his own n.imo stood at the head of ilju lCfjui^itioiUHts who h.id i;.ill.'(| the meeting, )in felt bound to lirui^ tlio <jiiPhti<jn they bad met lo diHcim at orue undei debate, and would theielore move as a Resolution — "'Hi it in the opinion of Him Md'tnit;, .my fuillni divisum nl I lie (olony of N''\v '/ii.il.nid into I'idmiiih l)y iln tiiiiinnol the s< (ll( irictit <il Nolson into ,1 si p.nalc I'ioviiu i , willi .1 vn w to tin 1 I'Hl.ilillhlinii nt (if I'mvinuil I,'oiuiLiK, Ilifuiii, iiivislml willi Fill ll Illlllll'l pi>VV(IS.IH ,111 111111111111 l 11. Ill' J'IOVIIH I ll (IOIIIK lls' Ontin.iiHi id uitly 1 11.11 toiliy llic hi nisl.ilivi <'onin il «) Nnv Ji^l.il Hid, is inexpedient <md 1111111 iii.ilili ." To show the inexpediency of the fmlhfi division of the colony into province"), he wou/d bey to tefci to the

.lljllllll'llls IIM"II>\ lllt> I l( 111 l 'l lilt (|O\»'1I1'>I \\ 111 111!)' I'mMiM lil ('nil ii< .Is 1 < /i<l in mi c n is ■) n lli I ills- u^ ion m llie I, ill- sitli.i^ ol I lie (ii'Mi i.d ( uiiiii il ll had been 111(1, lll( olllC'ls ol I 111' (IOVCIII lie 111 111 \dsOl| Would piifoim the dulies w Inch the pi opiised im ,wuic wouh' uti j Ft>-»i* upon them witlionl .iilililioii.il pay — but tin I*,1 *, lie ih nu.'lil| w .1^ <in iigumi nt .i';.nnst the iniouiil of . il.mcs lhe\ ui'ie'tl (iicsi ill icci iviiii; I his piomise, l.owevoi W (ill I' l, lie >• H(l ( SOOU JIIOM' '\ (II IIISIOII. 'I lII Olill (•!>> 11l (| in si ion ill I "Jit lii) :i li!l le w liilr (on si nl Id I In 1 mi ioisi> til woik imp'ist'ii ii|i(Ui them. In. ( hi' believed (lii \ w< uld not loii» consent !o j •»« 1 1< ii in .ulililioiuil Mini responsible diiiiis without iii|i>iiii>g .in angini i) i nl I'jii el lln'ii sllmi s. lln I'ioMiK i-I (Councils' Oidm.inci' had hoc n di < I wed In llic |n cpli ol this settlement to hu an eul, .mil he could not m•• how .i i»ii!liplic.it on ol wli.it li:ul hoc n ill n . del l.ii rd ,in evil con Id lie a I Inn" to he d- sued. I o multiply legiO moil w .is ,ih\ nys .in ( vil ol i. m 11, ,uid licic X would li.id to n'.ilousii s between ihe cliflfieiil settlements -foi u hill might he I.iw o/i one side ol .i rivei m i^ lit not lie law on the oilier side, ui-d tliti- dill totioes vvould^.ilu iv '"' l -j"n^'i'K »[>• Anothoi iimmhi why ho disippiovi'd ol j\i Ison bciiiij made ;i i'lovmi i< w.is, tli, a ilhi I'ioviiic'i'il Councils li;id no ie,il substantive powt'i -„ loi (ill tlieil nets might lie o\ ci I iddeli by tin- (icnci.il Council, wlmh would poss. s S ,i uthouty to legislate on the hlii' snl)p«( Is. Tin- only led pouoi, .is Jl appealed to bun, these Councils would posses*, v.is the pimlego of sell t.i\ itiou, and this it might lie iu'ces-aiy to lescnl (o— (oi tv the (ieiimil Council will possess (he pouoi of appropiiuling .'is inueh of the Id ve.'ine .is it ph ases, il would not 1)l' unlikely that oui Pioviuci.il CouiHil, il it won* to want money to nppiojnifiti', would li!iv(> m (he fust in .tanco foiaise it hy inkiilion. Looking, iheiefoie, .it llic cumbrous ma(lnneiy which the Oidmaiuo iri posed, nud to t lie conflicting l.iws which thc-e Councils weic Id ely «o cio.it' 1 , helho\i"litit ini'Xpi'ihent tli.H Ilieii number slim, lll lie nil lc.isi d. As .ill i-guiiienl in l.ivoui ol I lie <'<>\ cinoi'.s piojios.d, it hid been s;ud that, supposing out - «*trl«iiicnt .in independent province, we uiiuht ilo something (or the promotion of f initiation hoie; but assuming tins to be the fact, llio olbei piovinces might not ( boose to oxpeud moiipy on omigiatiun, and we should (lieu nieui (he nslw ol supplying them with l.iboui bionght to the colon y ill oui expense; the question of einier.iliun was Ihoicfoio deaily to bo dealt with by a (imei.d Count il .done. Pmv mci.d Councils b id no tontiol <>v« r the Land Fund, so that weio tho province lo have the most extensive boundaiios, nc '■hould not be able, undei the jiiesenl Oidmanco, to expend ,iu\ ol (he pin Cecils (i oin llicso s.iles. Allo»ctbi r, lin thought the tiovi'i not would bi-tti i Ii i\ c ( onsulteil his o\\ n ( b.n ■>( tei and Ins ohm jio| ul.inly, had Ii ■ nevei pis >n the Pioviiki.il Councils' Hill,' <oi the sys'eiu "I 1 • il nieiH hv municipalities w.w ineveiy w,i> the pi efei ablo mode, both bv Us inexpeinivo foini, .md the .simplicity ol its tonstiiiclion. 'Hit* ]>owt>is given to coipoi.nions wcie Hourly as p;re.U as those to I'iomim i d Coniuils, and the only advaiii.i^'e which tho I.ittei possessed ovi r the lonner w.i.s, that it would have the jiowei of M\in» tho piopeiry of absentee laudowiu'is; but ;\s the <u>lt lenient of Wclliii'jrlon wns .is mudi inteie-.teil m this (piestion as ouiselvo, (hoc wiiH noic.i.soii to doubt but that .such ii lax would lie imposed by tho Council which would hold Us sittings tin ii. Si (omlfd by Mr. (I. White. Mr Sialioid s.iid th.it he entuely ("meuired in t'.' liesoliilioii _|iist pioposed. Tlic poweis Ix-stowed by the I'iommcml (^oinu ils' Oiiiin.inco were so veiv tnllin;; thitno anioiinl of subslanti il bi-ni fit i ould ie-.uli lioiii cht.ildisliini; .i sep.iifttc Couiiml in Nelson, li'iviiip only Midi limited poweis. lln li.id opposi d the uisliuiiimi cf I'ioviiHial Couniils, as un«uilcd to this colony befoie they bad beconui law, and :i lai^e m.ijonly of HOllh'M of Nelson had agreed with him, nud he w >s awaio of nothing calculated to innKi; bun like them bcttpi sinco they li.id buen established. '1 bey had been forced upon the people who did not w.iut them, and .lUhougli (liey were unable to pievent then being (hnist u on tin in, iio eaini'Slly hoped that bin Jellow-M'lllei.s would not by any act of then own adopt them. All Ihwh enacted by these Councils, even with respect to tho limiicl inwu'xM ol hulyects upon whioli tlie^ could legislate, could bo upset by a deiier.il (Council, which, by having nlso tho complete conliol ovor tho locnl jevenue, would efii-ctually absoib all ie:il power. A control over the local revenue h.ul been held out as a bUt to induce them lo accept these Councils, but tho ie,il st.ite of tho ca^e Avas tins — a conmdeiahle poilion of the jevenue would fiiot be .subject to a Civil List established by the (joveinment, o\cr which no(!euncil could h.ivonny conliol, then c anic the <rcnes,d oChincil which would havo thepowei of (aliini^all (ho lem.undcr, and undoubtedly would lake (he lum's sluue, and in addition would ovoi (vi n, according to Us jjle.isuio tho laws of tho I'lovmci.d Councils. Theie was nothing which the I'iovincial Councils could really do without, feai ol beinj.; ujispt, which could not he done, by n iMuiucipa,' Ooi pomiion, including the iui.il distncts and having tho same jidwiti as that just p muled to Aucliland — wlulo any tales levied by a miinu ip.iluy for puiposi >j of public utility, could bo appropi l.ited hy the .uithoiiiy oi that niuiiicipalily alone, which would lequire no Inglily-p.ud ofliccrs — w Inlo n heji.iralc I'lovnicial l,e»isl.mno would require a scjiantc I'Xeciilive, wludi, aithoii'j;h they were told i( imght not be very expensive) al fust, would as-tirod!) hecurno a .souice ol gieat and most unnecessaiy expendituio hefoio long. JMi. Slnfloid next showed that tho Waidens of Jlundied.s, and llio I'astoial Waiden 1 ), would possess the power of enacting any local lawn which might he icquued in the separate tliKlncls. Foi (lieso n-asoni, thoieioie, hut especially because llio Piovincial Counci's would possoss but the inoicst ahadoiv of tho powei of self-govuininent, lie ti listed thoy would not afloul any app-neiit ap)>iovi\l oi them by dcsiiing to cstiiblish one in Nelson, which would be a stultification of then opinions ol tho lomi of government which they dew rod, expiessed by them on a recent occusion — whilst the existence of Hiich a Council might moieovei he pleaded as a reason for fuitlier delaying the nitioduclton of an elected Supiemo Legislatuie. Tho soltlciH ol Nelson wero now, if they cjvei would he .imved at manhood, and entitled to the pi ivilegc of managing iheir own aflans, winch manhood confnmed ; and although it might be an appiopiiate amusement for childien to play at Parliaments and legislation, as they might do nuclei the s\Blein ol i'lovincial Councils, ho had no amhiiion to l.ikepaitin any such boyish act, nor did he bcdievo had any of (hose he addressed. '1 hey hud always m Nelson demanded somellnng -\eiy difleient fiom this — thrj had a.sked for tho lejl Mib.stance of .self ot, eminent, and they would not be content with less, nor bddsfied until they had obtained it. Dr. JMonro Htated that he wished to say a few woids on the question — piofemng doing ro to giving a silent vote upon it. lie had, ho lemarked, alunvi been opposed to the division of the colony into piovnues, hecauso of i(s tendency to destroy that unity «( fbehng and inleresf w lnch was ho desnable .should be maintained. \n ihe political discussions which ho much excited (heutlontionof the sdller of Nelson a few months Bince, vshatover difleienccs existed on othei heads, t he-re \uv\ been gieat uniinimity on this, and he (Dr. IMouio) saw no reason why they should nowstuldly themselves and decide dilleiently to what they then deelaiod to bi> their opinions. In addiiion to the leason given by Ibe genllt men who had already Hpolccn foi declining to boa sep.u.ite piovmce, theie was another, winch he had not beard staled, 'llic (jovemor had many tiinow saul lli.H the I'iovinoial (yinmcili of the Colony were eventually to Hinlr into municipalities. JNow, no man liked (o go down in the wot Id. — it wag contrary to tho onlei of natuie, which consisted in piogiession. In Ihe insect world we h.id fii't (he egg, then Ihe chiysahs, thn/i the living insect; wheieas by these I'ioviiicial Councils, wo were to come out full-blown butterflies, and afterwards to sink, into iiioi e gnibn. Kven had ho been favourable to the (Jovonior'.s proposition, he would, before incepting h/fe lOxcellency'a oll'or, have wished 10 Ir-iirt the piecirte naniro of the J{o>ul Inslnictions which had lately been received in this colony, ho that bo might learn the Iruo conditions on which tho province was to be cieated. Taking, however, oveiythmg into consideration, it. seemed to him that u municipality was the prefeiable thing to bo bought alter, which would give mnuy, if not all, the powers bestowed on Proviuml Councils, and which might bo much more inexpensively worked. Mr. llanun also addiesscd a fow woids to fho meeting befoie tho MeHolnUon wa.s put, which was earned without opposition. Proposed by Mr. Si ai ioiui, seconded by Mr. ]{anmn — 'Hi it the ( h nun in In 1 iu|iitsi((| to fm w. ii (I llic HtHolntion |ii>it \n-»il Colin K\< i lit my Hit' Uov< inoi-ui-Clm I, a 1 * .i iiplylo (lie (omiiiiliiK ill' ii (I Hi' Oil'imiil Sinn ii v <»( New Miiusti i , pnlilisliiil hi tin Ni'hnn r.jramtnn vi \\u lldli August l.nt. C imed iiii.iiiiriiouslv.

(jovfinmriil bus dl l.i^t (Dine lo a ilHi'iniiiiilion of pulling ji slop lo lim (idnlUM.ilifin of coflcf. I'loccodjiij^ .it law die in < <iii ,c o/ lumii^' iiisUtulert ay.iint.t Scvc i.il dl (In- li.uhlul' ill vpinlfiH vi lli.it nifiolc. Tlin mm siih^nihci] (oi (Ih> Ihoiixc stiilii' 1 lo 1>" cud ■(! in lionoui of thi 1 J.ilo Su ilobfil Tet'l, :iniou;ila