New Zealand Colonist.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 1, 2 August 1842, Page 2

New Zealand Colonist.

In issuing tlie first number of our publication, we must trespass upon the indulgence of our readers for any imperfections in the typographical department. The impossibility of procuring the .requisite materials at Sydney and the anxiety of most of its shareholders that the paper should appear immediately (without the delay that would necessarily be incurred in writing to London for a supply of type), will, >ye hope, be a sufficient apology,.

It is we believe customary, that the first number of a newspaper should contain some announcement of the motives which have led to its establishment, and of the principles by which it will be regulated. In ..compliance with this practice, we propose to devote a few lines to the purpose of giving our readers and the public some account of our objects and principles.

We haye selected the title of the New Zealand Colonist, because it was the most significant that we could find. This is emphatically a Colonist’s paper. It has been established by and for the Colonists. It had its origin in the growing perception of the settlers at this place, that the Gazette neither advocated the interests nor expressed the sentiments of the community. Manv s we believe that wc may say most, of the inhabitants of this place considered —whether justly or not is not our present enquiry—that our contemporary took a narrow and inaccurate view of the position and Interests of this place, and that it was intended to advance the cause of a party in defiance alike of justice and policy. In a numerous, thriving,, and intelligent community, it was to be expected, that spell a feeling would not be long in finding a voice; and that measures would be speedily taken to supply so pressing a want. The sum required to establish another paper was subscribed by upwards of fifty persons, and after an unavoidable delay occasioned, by the entire absence of all the materials for its establishment in this Colony, we have the satisfaction of presenting to our readers the result of the efforts of those who directed, and of those \yho supplied funds for the undertaking. We speak under correction, but we believe that this is the first time that any Companv has been projected in this place, the object of which has been carried out. No greater proof could be required of the extent apd urgency of the dissatisfaction with pur contemporary, to which we have adverted.

But let us do justice to the Gazette, and to its responsible editor. For nearly eighteen months after the establishment of this Colony, the conduct of that paper was generally fair, temperate, and judicious.. Errors no doubt were committed, hut they were for the igost part such as even the wisest can. hardly escape. Differing from it in many points, we are nevertheless quite willing to allow that the points upon, which we thought it wrong, were such as to admit of tvm opinions,, and that it was quite possible that osir own opinion might have been erroneous.. And if there had been no alteration in its original course —no uncalled-for and unworthy suppression of truths which it was feared might prove offensive tp. parties whom Quy contemporary, on whatever account, did not choose to offend—no exaggerated or groundless accusations—no habitual postponement of • the- interests of this settlement to the feelings apd prejudices of one, and that a very small portion of the inhabitants, this paper would never have existed.. Snail, comparatively, as has been the sum required’to bring it into operation,, no slight motive was required in order to induce persons living 1 aloof from the strife of party,, and oq'cu-.. pied- almost entirely with their own affairs,, to. subscribe\ that amount. This motive our con-.

temporary has supplied; and if the result should be, as some time since he appeared to apprehend, injurious to his pecuniary interests, we can assure him, for that r.esult lie alone-is responsible. In the conduct of the Colonist we have only one object,—the prosperity of Port Nicholson, as a part, and, for the present, at least, the most important part, of the Colony of New Zealand. Qur ‘support is pledged neither to the Government, nor to the Company, except So far as their conduct may influence the welfare of this place.

One rule, however, we have laid down, from which, we believe, nothing will induce us to

swerve, and that is, whatever may he the provocation, never tq forget what is due to ourselves. Wg will never make any accusation which we do not believe to he well founded, and we will never allow ourselves to be betrayed into intemperate’ or abusive language, No just cause can require the use of such language, and no cause, whether just .or unjust, can he served by its employment. With these few remarks, we leave our paper to the judgment, of the Colonists at large. They will decide how far our performance fulfils the promise we have made, and their support will be measured by our desert.

The journal of Mr. Kettle, one of the assistant surveyors of the New Zealand Company, which has been published in the Gazette, adds one more to the many previous testimonies of the extent and importance of the district between the Manewatu and Wairarapa. It is satisfactory, inasmuch as we have now more precise and complete information of the character of the soil, and the magnitude and direction of those extensive and fertile valleys. But beyond this Mr. Kettle has accomplished but little. For nearly two years past, all who had devoted any attention to the study of the geography of this district, were aware, from the testimony both of natives and of the okl European residents in the island, that there were chains of valleys connecting the Manewatu with Wairarapa and Aoridi; — fertile, as are all the valleys in New Zealand ; and well adapted for grazing and agriculture. Mr. Kettle has confirmed this testimony; and the spirit which he has displayed in encountering and overcoming all the difficulties of his undertaking, arising from inadequate supplies and an unfavourable season, reflects great credit upon him. The settlers of Port Nicholson are, however, as far as ever from the realization of any advantages from the district thus known to exist.

In what manner, and through what instrumentality, are these advantages to be realized ? are questions which will naturally suggest themselves to all who arc interested in the progress of this settlement. And the first of these questions can hardly he answered until the second is disposed of. Ret the district in question he made accessible, either by a road along the valley of the Rutt, or if that be impracticable, then by a road along the Manewatu, and some of our enterprising colonists, who are gradually finding themselves cramped for space upon which to pasture their increasing stock, will very soon establish themselves in a spot npt more than four or five days journey from the town, in the one case, or from the sea in the other and these men acting as the pioneers of ..settlement, would be followed by the agriculturist and the mechanic. But by whom are'these roads to he made ? There are only two bodies by whom this could he done. The Government and the New Zealand. Company. For the settlers to do it, is altogether out of the question. Not merely would such a work he far beyond their individual means, hut there is no conceivable inducement for its performance : since as soon as it w.as accomplished, the land which they had thug rendered accessible, might he. sold to others wlip had contributed nothing to the cost, but would derive the whole benefit, of the undertaking. We confess, thatw.e see-no reason for imagining that the Government will undertake the performance of such a task, simply for the reason that the fund which, in other parts of the Colony, is specifically devoted' to the construction of roads, and the maintenance of internal communications,. is, within the New Zealand Com-

pany’s territories, absorbed by that Company. In other parts of New Zealand, so far as we understand the measure proposed by Lord Stanley, .half of the price of land will be appropriated specifically to those public works which are requisite to open out the country. Here, and so far as the New Zealand Company’s lands extend, the whole of that fund is employed in emigration, and in replacing with a profit the capital of the' Company; It would perhaps, therefore, be unreasonable to expect any Government expenditure for the accomplishment of this object.

The New Zealand Company, therefore, is the only body to which we can look for aid in this matter. And there are many cogent reasons why they should incur this expense, altogether distinct from any benefit to he conferred upon the settlers at Port Nicholson; though the circumstance, that very great advantage would result to those whose successful exertions have been the main source of the prosperity of the Company, ought to be an additional inducement. A road up the Hutt would, after the first five or six miles, run through land not yet surveyed; and which, from the description of Mr. Kettle, is at least equal to the fertile land at the mouth of the river. The whole cost of this part of the road consequently might, under proper management, he repaid to the Company. And the construction of a road over the chain of hills which separates the valiies of the Hutt and the Wairarapa, would at once bring the Company’s surveyors upon a district where nearly the whole land which they are still entitled to take might he chosen, and where the work of surveying, and the business of settlement, might proceed expeditiously and prosperously. It is true that there will be some difficulty and some expense in finding the best line of road, and in constructing it. But after what we have seen in the neighbourhood of the town, we do not rate this difficulty as very high. Those who have seen the line of the abandoned Karori road over the Tinakori hills, as laid out by Mr Brees, and have compared it with the old maori track, can hardly feel any doubt as to the practicability of carrying a road over any of the chains of hills by which we are apparently hemmed in.

We shall take an early opportunity of returning to this subject, and cf pointing out more in detail the- advantages to the Company from the construction of a road by which this district might he opened, and shall also shew some of the motives which ought to weigh with them to undertake the work.

It may he considered as an axiom, that one of the first points to be attended to in colonization, is a cheap supply of the staple articles of food. The success of a Colony is mainly dependant on this. It is absolutely necessary that the colonists should be supported during the time necessarv for clearing the ground, and raising crops sufficient for the supply of the Colony, without draining from them the funds by which alone they can do this. In applying this to the different colonies of New Zealand, it becomes a matter of the greatest moment, that the colonist should duly weigh the advantages of the markets from which grain or flour may he imported. At present, we are almost entirely dependent on New South Wales and Van Pieman’s land for- flour, w.hicli we can only receive from them at a great expense. New South Wales is by no means a grain, country, and yet we find that New South Wales exports more flour to New Zealand than does Van Dieman’s Land. By ,w.hftt- means is New South V/ales enabled to do this,, seeing that she has to import a great portion of grain for her own consumption. We find, that she is enabled to do so by her purchases of grain from South America, principally from Valparaiso, What then is to prevent our own spirited merchants from doing this for themselves? At present, w.e not only pay them . additional freight on. foreign wheat, but we are also paying the Sydney merchants a consider- ! able profit oji it, and we lose that money paid for grinding the wheat, which might he advantageously expended here in the same way. , Inasmuch as. the wealth of any individual of a ■ community forms a part of the wealth of the entire, community, so every sixpence sent out of that community is clear loss. The expense : of grinding the wheat daily consumed, even in Port Nicholson, would,, if spent in the Colony, .he a considerable saving. At the very lowest computation, there 1 cannot he less than three tons of flour consumed daily in Port Nicholson alone; independent of the minor settlements of Wanganui and- Taranaki, which are dependent on this port.Ror their supplies; and also, the daily increasing population, of Nelson, which

must consume, at least two tons per: On the whole, we majj safely reckon ■ Nicholson alone, |as consuming one hun tons of flour per month.! A very conside: portion of the expense on this flour is tc lost to the community, as is swallowed ij the Sydney millers arid -shippers, instea being, ground he*;, when the extra-profit y be thrown into tl > hands of our own merchi We are, to the i all, as well qualified to j vessels to Valparaiso as are our Austri neighbours, N(|ther Van Dieman’s Land; Sydney have an j export to Valparaiso. ( which would foil a good article of expor that port, is seldtm taken, from the great pense of procuring it—as vessels proceedii Newcastle for cell, are generally detained t several weeks, Jid then have to pay a 1 price for it, j; is to be hoped that: Brougham, lately dispatched from this pot Valparaiso for ii cargo of flour, will, after ceiving the necessary repairs at Sydney, proi to her original (|stination« *’

We are at Jme loss to conceive why making of the lad to Karori, which was ( menced and caried on successfully for a c< derable distanc; should have suddenly cei At first, we wq j disposed to imagine that wet season cair ed a suspension of the w hut we were su prised to find that was not case—that the .abourers had been taken the Karori roal to work on a new line to I rua, up the Eti Warra valley. While we quite ready to admit the necessity of a diffi road to PorinjL than by proceeding over Kai Warm hill; yet we can see no justic making it to the prejudice of those who ] land in Karori The Karori was selected n months befortjthe land in the vicinity of- 3 rua was discovered ; yet the latter has a h path through'fhe whole district, while we \ no means of |etting to the former, other than by chiming over three' or four high steep ranges|f hills. If the new Porirua is to be conpleted before the Karori roa recommencell it would have been better to ] neglected tin’ latter entirely. We cannot! consider it so much waste of time' andt pense. Wliie the general complaint is,, tha; want roads ;o enable us to settle upon, and tivate our ands;' yet, at the moment wh little more jabour would have thrown ope fine district in the vicinity of the town to exertions, tie workmen are suddenly withdra and we are left in suspense as to the probe time when ( they will resume, the Kardri n We must protest 'against this trifling not < with our filings, hut with our pockets. M of the eary colonists, who came out with intention (f devoting theiir energies to the cl( ing and ci tivating of land, have, by the tai ness in nuking roads to. open up the sectn been dispirited, and the capital brought outv them wastad.

We are requested to state that George W 1 Esq., J. P., will, weather permitting, deliver fourth lectire on Political Economy, in the of the Mechanics’ Institute,,this evening;, at lr past seven o’clock. The Aritl,, Royal William,, and Persevcra will proceed to Nelson in a day,or two.