The New-Zealander. AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, SEPT. 16, 1854.

New Zealander, Volume 10, Issue 879, 16 September 1854, Page 2

The New-Zealander.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, SEPT. 16, 1854.

Be just and fear not: Let nil Ute ends thon aim’st at, he thy Countr) Thy God's, and Truth’s.

The proceedings in both Houses of the Legislature since our last have been marked by that rapid completion of measures which might have been expected to characterise the concluding days of a Session so short, and so peculiarly circumstanced, as that which is this day to terminate. On Thursday both Houses were informed by Messages from the Officer administering the Government that His Excellency had given his assent, in Her Majesty’s name, to the following measures, viz., The English Acts Act; the Naturalization Act; the Dower Act; the Nelson Trust Fund Act; the Act for amending the Ordinance for regulating the sale ofSpiriluousand Fermented Liquors; the Waste Lands Act; the Public Reserves Act; and the General Law Practitioners Act. The Estimates continued to engross a large share of the attention of the House of Representatives. The following were the sums voted iu addition to those in our list on Wednesday : Expenses of General Assembly. Speaker of the House of Representatives £-100 Expenses of Members of that House . 2,800 being at the respective rales of twenty shillings per day for members residing more than twenty miles from Auckland, and ten shillings for those within that distance, hut not resident in Auckland.) Passages for Members of both Houses . COO Printing, Stationery, and Contingencies. 1,000 Building and Furniture. - • 3,100 The wages of three Messengers, formerly fixed at Cs. per day each, were raised In 10s. Native Secretary’s Department. This Department, which had been struck out al together, was, on a second discussion, restored, and Hie amount standing on the Estimates, viz., 030/., was voted. Scpplementary Estimates. Collector of Customs and Resident Magistrate, Chatham Islands . . 300 Contingencies for the Establishment . 200 Vaccination of Natives . . 300 Pension to Bernard Gaffer (wounded at Wairau) . . - • 23 Grant towards lb e Subscription in aid of the Widow and Family of the laic Mr. Coates .... 200 A Resolution was passed for an Address to tlte Governor recommending that an allowance should ho made towards the expenses of the Officers and crew of H.MSurveying vessel Pandora.

Customs Duties Bill. On Wednesday evening a debate of great interest to the commercial public occurred on the motion for going into Committee on the Customs Duties Bill, brought forward by Mr. Mackay. There was no second opinion as to the necessity of a simplification of the existing Tariff; but several members strongly fell that so important a step as any extensive alteration in this vital source of Revenue, should not be effected without fuller information from all parts of the Colony than even Mr. Mackay’s Committee—active and laborious though it was—had obtained ; or without more lime for deliberation, both on principles and details of Duties, than it would be possible to devote to it under existing circumstances. Mr. Young, the Collector of Customs,-who was sent for, and examined at some length, in the Committee of the whole House, on Wednesday night, stated that a simplification of the Tariff by a large reduction of the number of the articles paying duly, was most desirable, and would bo extremely convenient both to importers and to the officers in the Customs Department. But the also distinctly declared his belief that llie proposed new Tariff, unless accompanied with an ad valorem duly of o per cent, on other articles, would involve a loss to the annual Revenue of 10,000/., and also his opinion that the proposed increase on the Duty on Spirits, from 6s. to Bs. per gallon, would be likely to “ create a trade in smuggling spirits,’' which is not believed to exist now to any considerable extent. A Resolution that it was not expedient to proceed at present with the Bill was carried by a majority of 16 to 12. The following was the division: —• Ayes ; .Messrs. Gray, Lee, Moorhouse, Taylor, Sewell, Monro, Weld, O’Neill. Kelham, Hart. King, Gledhill, Crompton, Fealherston. Fitzgerald, Revans —16. Nous : Messrs. Rhodes, Travers.J Carleton, Brown, McAndrew, Culteh, E G. Wakefield, K, J. Wakefield, Greenwood, Ludlam, Mackay, Forsailh—l2.

The Appuopmatiox Rill led to much debating. On the first clause being moved in committee, Mr. Fitzgerald proposed an amendment with the view of exempting the Land Revenue from the charges of the General Expenditure. The effect of the motion, had it been carried, would have been to throw the whole costs oftheGeneral Government on the Ordinary Revenue, and to place the Land Revenue under Provincial management. This was strenously opposed by the Wellington members, and the Auckland members participated in the opposition, upon the ground that the operations such an arrangement would be to devolve the burden of supporting the General Govern, menl chiefly on Auckland and Wellington, from which the principal part of the Customs Revenue is derived. Mr. Fitzgerald’s amendment was negatived by a majorilyof 25 to 0. A subsequent motion by Mr. Travers, that the clause be struck out, was negatived by 15 to 7. On the motion for the third reading, Mr, Travers gave notice that he would move that it be read a third lime that day six months, and Mr. Fitzgerald that he would move its re-com-mittal. When the third reading was moved

yesterday, Mr. Travel’s, after some discussion, withdrew his motion, and subsequently Mr. Fitzgerald also withdrew his. The Bill wr.s then read a third lime. Immediately after the third reading, Mr. Sewell gave notice of a series of Resolutions which we give below. At the silling of yesterday evening he accordingly moved them. . Mr. Fitzgerald moved another series of Resolutions as amendments, which we also subjoin. . „ . After a long debate, the House divided, and the original Resolutions (Mr. Sewell’s) were carried by a majority of 10 to 3, the minority consisting of Messrs, l itzgerald, Cutten, and Moorhouse. Yesterday Mr. Fitzgerald moved luo fol(owing Resolution, of which he had given notice on the previous day: •‘ That it is desirable that the next Session of (he General Assembly should he held in a more central position of Ihe Colony. This was seconded by Mr. Hart. It was opposed by Messrs. Porter, Greenwood, O’Neill, and Carlelon. On a division, the motion was negatived by 13 to 11, the Auckland members all voting against it, together with Mr. Crompton, of New Plymouth. The Legislative Council sal all I o clock ‘yesterday, and, after a short adjournment in he afternoon, to a late hour last night. A considerable portion of both sittings .was devoted to the Marriage Bill, which underwent several amendments in Committee, and was finally passed last night, the House of Representatives agreeing in the amendments. . . . . The Revenues Bill was, after a short debate, thrown out, a majority of 6 to 4 voting against the second reading The Provincial Waste Lands Bill was carried through all its stages. . The Appropriation Bill called forth a considerable amount of discussion, several bon. members maintaining that the Eslmales should have been sent down as a necessary appendage to the Bill, in order that the Council might be informed of the objects for which they were called on to agree in the appropriation. The bill, however, was carried through its several stages, with amendments which did not affect the sums of money included in it. And the Council adopted, on the motion of Mr. Whitaker, a scries of Resolutions, the object of which was to obtain from the Home authorities information on the question whether it was the right or duty of the Legislateie Council to interfere with money Bills. The General Assembly is to be prorogued by His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, this day, at 3 p.m. Tbo - House of Representatives is to meet noce. ~ Mr. Sewell’s Resolutions which were carried : 1. That the present distribution of the fixed public burthens of the colony amongst the provinces, according to the rules established by the Constitution Act, is impolitic and unjust, 2. That in order to preserve the unity and harmony of the colony, it is essentially necessary that such public burthens should be adjusted between the provinces without delay ; and that in such adjustment the New Zealand Company’s Debt ought to be apportioned amongst the provinces upon sound and equitable principles, having regard to the former resolution of the House for exempting the Province of Auckland; and that the charge of extinguishing native titles in each province, should be borne by that province. 3. That, having regard to the circumstance that according to the peculiar frame of the Constitution, each province has an exclusive interest in its own contributory share of the public Revenue, it is expedient that the proportions in which the current charges on such Revenue should be borne by the respective provinces, should be definitely ascertained. 4. That such proportion ought to be settled according to quotas of contribution, ■ uch quotas to be fixed by an Act of the General Assembly, or, in default thereof, by some authority to be determined by the Imperial Parliament.

5. That the costs of collection and management, both of General and Land Revenue in each province, should be paid out of Revenue of such province. 6. That such quotas ought to be vane—triennially, or at such other periods as may be fixed by the General Assembly, or, in default thereof, by some authority to be determined by the Imperial Parliament. 7. That the object of the foregoing Resolutions ought to be effectuated by an Act of Parliament to be obtained in the ensuing Session. 8. That a respectful Address be presented to His Excellency embodying the foregoing Resolutions. Mr. Fitzgerald’s Resolutions which were negatived : The mode in which the . debt of the New Zealand Company is.charge 1 upon ihe Land Fund of the colony is considering all the circumstances of the case the fairest mode which could have been, adopted, and one which ought to be maintained, with one exception—that Auckland ought to be altogether relieved from the debt due to the Company. • The charge of the New Zealand Company oui>htto be subordinate to, and subsequent to the charge for the purchase of land from the natives.

That the costs of maintaining the General Government, in accordance with the. foregoing Resolutions, ought not to exceed the sum provided by way of Civil List. U ith the exception of the charges borne on the Civil I ist, all the departments of Government in each Province shall be borne on the revenues of such Province. That the costs of col ection and management of the ordinary revenue in each Province should be paid out of the revenue of such Province. That the current expenses of the General Government ought to be borne solely upon ordinary revenues of the Colony. That every Province ought to contribute from its net ordinary revenue a sum proportionate to its net revenues Lo defray such current expenses. Ihat such proportional sum might conveniently be changed into a fixed quota, to be charged from time to time as the proportion altered. That a separate account ought to be kept of all land revenues in the Colony. That all the expenses of collection, management, and surveys in respect to the Land Fund within each Province, ought to be burn# on funds arising within that Province. The costs of extinguishing the native title to land within each Province ought to be borne upon the Land Fund of such Provinc