AUCKLAND MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 607, 7 February 1852, Page 3

AUCKLAND MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.

Saturday, Jan. 31, 1852. Present : — The Worshipful the Mayor 5 Aldermen Dignan, O'Neill, Powditch, and Mason ; Councillors Abraham, Hay, Newman, Norman, Haultain, and Taylor. The Minutes having been confirmed, Mr. Abraham rose to bring forward the motion of which he had given notice at former meetings. It was based on a letter which had been forwarded by the Council to the Government on the subject of certain charges on the Land Fund, to which the Council had received a reply that the Lieut. - Governor was not in possession of any information further than what had been conveyed to the public by the Governor-in-Chief in his despatch accompanying the Charter. (At Mr. Abraham's request, the letter and reply were read by the Town Clerk.) Mr. A. than stated that the subject had been deemed of such importance, that the Town Clerk, when he held a seat in the Council, had taken an early opportunity of moving the Council to address the Government upon it. That address had been forwarded, and the letter which had just been read was all the information that the Government had afforded. He was sorry that the gentleman who first brought the matter before the Council was precluded, by being in another capacity in connexion with the Council, from taking part in the discussion of the question, but still he hoped the Council would receive that assistance from him which, from his position in relation to the Legislature, he might be able to afford them. Although the Government had not thought fit to give the Council the information they sought, he could not help thinking that they might have done so at once ; however, he deemed it to be his duty to give notice of the motion now before

them as early as possible, so that the facts connected with the qiiestion might he collected and hrought forward, and the Council placed in a position to deal with the information which may be expected from the Government whensoever it might he received. The importance of the question in connexion with the interests of the Borough could not, he thought, he exaggerated. The Governor says that there are 16,000 acres af land, from the proceeds of the sale of which the Council is to derive endowment ; hut if it he found that there are prior claims on the proceeds of these acres in the shape of charges on account of emigration to this province, and that these claims are so large as to exceed all that may be expected to be realised by this land — then the Council would see that if they were to proceed in their operations on works needful in the Borough they must not depend on endowments from funds derived from the sale of these 16,000 acres of land, but be prepared to fall back on taxation. Now that such claims existed appeared, beyond all disputation, from the Blue Books — those official records of despatches written by Governors on subjects of vital importance to the colonists, but which were only reflected back to them after the lapse of many months from their date in the Colony. On referring to the Blue Books, he found a series of despatches on the subject of the Pensioners that had been sent out here — and to the facts connected with this part of the subject, as they stood in those despatches, he would direct the attention of the Council. (Mr. Abraham then read extracts from several despatches that passed between Governor Grey and Earl Grey on the subject of the pensioners, to prove that the cost of their location in this province had been charged upon the land fund). The Council would perceive that, from the representations of Governor Grey, Earl Grey had been led to understand that land around the settlements where pensioners where located had increased in value, and that the benefit conferred on the province in this way, by the large increase of land revenue would place us in a position to refund the outlay incurred by the Home Government in locating the pensioners without any inconvenience to the province. It appears, therefore, that the Lords of the Treasury are positively looking to our land fund for payment of this debt of about £60,000 — and as there are only 1 6,000 acres from which we can look for the endowment of our Corporation, — how can we expect such endowments while this charge stands against the fund to be raised by the sale of these lands. In justice to the southern parts, we cannot throw the debt on the General Revenues of the Provinces — indeed he could see no other way of getting rid of it than by Parliament voting the money and clearing it off at once. He had endeavoured to bring the facts before the Council connected with the charge on account of the Pensioner foree — but there were other charges on our land fund. The New Zealand Company's debt was made chargeable on the land fund, and part of the charge for Educatiou would fall on that fund also ; — and now the question really remained, What had the Council got, or what were they to look forward to, for encouragement to proceed in undertaking works necessary in the Borough ? He would not, however, sit down without taking upon him to suggest what His Excellency should do to solve some part of the difficulty. If the Governor were to give the Corporation, not the third, but the whole of whatever land they might be able to leclaim from the sea in Commercial, Freeman's, and Mechanic's Bays, then he would act like a magnanimous man — for what Corporation would expend funds in reclaiming land, that two-thirds of the value which their outlay fixed on it should be pocketted by the Government, and one-third only enjoyed by themselves for all their trouble. The idea was not his own; it belonged to Governor Fitzßoy, who, whatever might have been his faults, and however little of genius and ability he possessed, always spoke out his mind in such a way as to let people know what he meant. [ Mr. Abraham then read a paragraph from a despatch of ex-Governor Fitzßoy, on the subject of Municipal Corporations in New Zealand, in which he recommended liberal endowment, especially from land on the seabeach, stating his opinion that new colonists would not willingly accept such institutions unless they were liberally endowed.] Mr. A. concluded by moving " That, in the absence of full and distinct information from the Government as to the existence of any charges upon the fund to be raised by the sale of Crown Lands within the Borough, there exist good reasons for believing that the same is not at present clear or available for purposes of endowment, and that the Council ought to be c ireful not to base operations on the same, as constituting a certain source of revenue." Mr. Norman seconded the motion. Alderman O'Neill thought that the Finance Committee was the proper board for the consideration of this question ; he would therefore move that further consideration of it be referred to that Committee. Mr. Newman could see no reason for avoiding the discussion of so important a question ; he thought the present time was the best to enter'fully into the subject. The Mayor thought so too. Those who had information on the subject should have an opportunity of imparting it to those who were not so well informed. Mr. Newman thought that as the subject had been now so fully brought before them, members should not hesitate to express their views upon, the whole matter. He really wondered that the Governor — an officer supposed to be as much an agent for the colony as for the Government at horne — should have originated such false ideas, and sent home such wrong calculations as to probable increase in value of Crown Lands in the neighbourhood of the Pensioners' Settlements. He could not conceive who His Excellency thought were to be the buyers, unless indeed it were those who had already held property in the neighbourhood, and who might be obliged, as several were, to purchase contiguous to their property, at the advanced upset price fixed by the Governor in these localities. But the Government were now well aware that country lands would not sell at the price that was expected, and the old upset price of £1 per acre has been returned to. At Howick there had been three or four allotments sold to parties who wished to erect beer, bread, or shoe shops, in hopes of custom trom the pensioners ; but the price of these allotments, and one or two hundred acres sold to Capt. Smith at an advanced upset price, has been the only increase to our Land Fund from the neighbourhood of that

settlement. At Onehunga there have been a few town allotments sold.but the country lands have not realised more than before the settlement was foimed. At Panmure, he believed there was one person induced to buy in hopes of deriving advantages from the village being so near his property, but he afterwards regretted being so close to it, owing to the petty robberies that were committed on his premises. At Otahuhu the Government were obliged to purchase 800 acres from Mr. Fairburn, the owner of the land there, for the formation of that settlement. It might be said that a good deal of land had since been sold byGovernment in the neighbourhood ; but this land was not sold because of the pensioners' village being there. A bridge had been erected by which the adjacent country was opened up • it was the bridge that sold the land and not the presence of the pensioners. Where then has been the increase in the value of land caused by the location of these pensioners ? So far as their introduction has been concerned the colonists have been grossly deceived. It was never dreamed that we should be called on to pay for such immigrants as these. It has all along been looked on as a bounty of the Home Government to the old veterans giviug' them a cottage and an acre of ground in this country. We did not want such immigrants, and we should not be required to pay for them ; they never fought our battles, and have no claim upon our bounty. If good classes of hale and healthy men. with their young wives, well chosen and fitted for the agricultural purposes of our colony had been sent us, we should have welcomed them to our shores, and considered our Land Fund well spent in defraying the cost of their introduction. But, he confessed, that after all he had heard from the despatches read by Mr. Abraham, he felt more discouraged than ever with regard to the prospects of the' Borough ; and as there seemed no way left to the Council to carry on, but by putting their hands into the pockets of the colonists for necessary funds, he had now less hope than ever of their being able to carry out the charter. He thought it would be better for the Corporation at once to sit down and sit still. Mr. Haultain had no observations to make on Mr. Abraham's remarks, but be felt called on to contradict statements made by Mr. Newman. It was not the case that land had not risen in value in the neighbourhood of the Pensioners' villages. At Onehunga a large quantity of land had been sold not only to civilians, but also to the Pensioners themselves, at prices far above what the land would ever have realized had there been no village there, — and a refeience to the land sales returns would show that at other settlements also, land had increased in value, and quantities of it had been sold, and was still being bought even at the advanced price by pensioners. He must distinctly contradict the charge against the pensioners of pilfering — they were not deserving of such an imputation being cast upon them— whatever other faults attached to old soldiers, they were not addicted to pilfering. The records of the magistrates' courts would disprove such an accusation as this. He disagreed with Mr. Newman also as to their uselessness in the colony, for the pensioners and their children were to be found in almost every settlpi'<s bouse, engaged one way or another in useful occupations. Mr. Newman begged to explain that when, he referred to the price of land, he took care, he thought, to confine his remarks to country lands, and not to town or suburban. What he wished to deny was that the bulk of the land in the vicinity of the pensioners' villages had increased in value from the fact of its adjacency to those villages. He did not wish to indulge in invective against classes of the community —he thought it wrong to do so. In mentioning what bad taken place at Panmure, he had only stated a fact that had been named to him by Mr Cawkwell. He had no wish to disparage the pensioners or their families —no doubt many of them were found to be honest and industrious people, but he did contend that they were not the class of immigrants the colonists ought to be expected to pay for. Young, healthy men should have heen sent to U 9, and not old worn out soldiers — men ill able to assist us to overcome the difficulties of a new country. Alderman Dignan thought it would be better for the Council to go on steadily in their enquiries, and ascertain whatever was best to be done for the good of the Borough, as they were doing in their committees, rather than stop to criticise despatches that had long ago passed between Governor Grey and the Secretary of State. He did not know what some gentlemen meant by going into these matters ; he thought they would be serving the interests of the Borough much better by letting by-gones be by-gones, and by giving their attention to the carrying out of the Charter in the best way they could for the good of the Borough. As soon as the reports of the various committees were brought up, the Council would be able to view their position, and shape their future proceedings to the best of their judgment for carrying on their duties with as much benefit as possible to the community. -He would therefore second the amendment. Mr. Abraham rose to reply, and said that he had no desire to obstruct the Council in prose" cuting their enquiries — that was the very thing he wished them to do, and not to proceed with precipitancy to take any action before they understood exactly the extent of their position as regai ds available endowments. With reference to Mr. Newman's observations on the character of the pensioners, he would say, notwithstanding that Captain Haultain might contradict, it was a fact — here as well as elsewhere. Why, he would ask, was it found necessary to maintain a Resident Magistrate and his clerk and staff at these little villages ? And here is another item of expense inclined by the colony on account of these pensioners. The stout, healthy immigrant, occupying his time industriously, and working his way to competency, would have cost us little, in the way of police restraint, compared with the present expense of keeping up such establishments at these villages. Mr. Haultain denied the inference again. The Magistrates' Courts were not needed to keep the pensioners in order — their officeis weie sufficient for that purpose. The books of the Courts would show that five or six civilians for one pensioner were brought befote them — <md many of the civil cases, that would otherwise be sent to the Court in Auckland, were disposed of at those district Courts. The amendment having been put, was lost, and the original motiou carried. The Council then adjourned.