TO THE ELECTORS OF THE RAY OF ISLANDS ELECTORAL DISTRICT.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 740, 18 May 1853, Page 2

TO THE ELECTORS OF THE RAY OF ISLANDS ELECTORAL DISTRICT.

fN ENTLEMEN,—We are again called * 3 upon to enrol our names in an electoral list. Not, indeed, as formerly for the election of one member of a Provincial Council, but for the threefold purpose of recording our voles for a Superintendent of the Northern Province; of electing two members to serve in the Provincial Council at Auckland; and one member to represent the Ray of Islands district in a central assembly or congress, to meet most probably at Wellington, if indeed such an assembly should ever meet at all. With the Central Assembly I shall have nothing to do. I fully agree in the following observations with which Sir George Grey sums up a detail of the difficulties which would impede the establishment of a Central Legislature for the New Zealand Colonies, in a despatch, dated 50th August, 1851, paragraph 29, “Any attempt therefore to form a general Legislature for such a group of colonies, which should at present annually or even frequently (a singular specification of time this by the way) assemble, and which should be so composed as fairly to represent the various interests of all parts of this country, must therefore I think fail.” A similar observation, applied to the administrative functions of the Government, would have tenfold force. 1 myself have had occasion to correspond with the Government on a question of a purely local character, since Sir George Grey established himself in Wellington. With a competent authority at Auckland, this correspondence might have been brought to a close in three or four weeks. With Sir George Grey at Wellington it extended over ten and a half months. And thus it will ever he while the nominal authority in Auckland is overruled by an extraneous authority at Wellington. Gentlemen, I offer myself for your suffrages as a Candidate to represent this district in the Provincial Council of Auckland. It is true that the powers of that Council are limited, and that Ihe exercise of those powers is liable to bo annulled by an extraneous authority, representing a large majority of separate or rival interests. Dili the Provincial Council, will at least be a legitimate embodiment of the Public opinion of the Northern Province; and I have no doubt whatever, that it will unanimously join in representing lo the Oncen and Parliament that the constitution which has been elaborated for ns with so much ingenuity, is impracticable for good, and only capable of producing irritation and disgust, —that the chief questions which Sir George Grey refers to as making desirable the centralization of the powers of Government in the face of such obstacles as be enumerates—Such, for instance, as native questions, do in truth make it essential to the public safely, that there should be constantly present in the Northern Province, an authority competent to deal with and settle such questions on the instant. That the only way in short, to obviate insurmountable difficulties, and to deal fairly with conflicting and irrcconcileable interests, is to constitute the Northern Province a seperato and independent colony. When these representations shall be made by the Provincial Council, in the simplicity and straightforwardness of truth to the Queen and Parliament; and when it is moreover shown that the local Revenues of the Northern Province are snflieient to maintain a Government suitable to its condition and circumstances, I cannot imagine that we shall be so unreasonably dealt with as to

be asked to leave onr homes Tor the purpose of interfering with the concerns of our neighbours in which we have no interest whatever, and with whom we have no thing in common, or to have our own local affairs subjected to the dictation of persons who have no knowledge of our circumstances nor interest in our wellbeing. I have the honour to be, Gentlemen, your most obedient, humble servant. James Busby. Victoria, Bay of Islands, 12lh April, 1853.