New Zealand Spectator AND COOK'S STRAITS GUARDIAN. Saturday, March 8, 1845.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 22, 8 March 1845, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator AND COOK'S STRAITS GUARDIAN. Saturday, March 8, 1845.

About six weeks ago orders to .join thei r respective regiments were received by Major Richmond and Mr. Symonds, and it is understood, or we ought rather to say, it is well known, that both the gallant officers are most anxious to obtain prolonged leave of absence. Of course our non-military readers know what this means, that is to say, — that Major Richmond and Mr. Symonds, each receiving salary as civilians from the nearly empty treasury of New Zealand, are anxious to retain their half-pay in the service as well as their salaries as civilians here, and that this is to be accomplished by obtaining leave of Absence from their duty. We do not profess to know how such matters are managed, but we can imagine that their may be a good deal of manceuvering necessary on such an occasion, and indeed we might venture to surmise, that any means short of a downright offer of a.potde yin are sometimes resorted to. Far be it from us, however, to insinuate that either Major Richmond or Mr. Symonds have ever contemplated such a mode of carrying their point on this or any other occasion. ~We allude to the subject for the purpose of expressing our disgust at even the conception of the baseness associated with such transactions, and we trust that every inhabitant of the settlement will feel as we do. Neither of the gallant officers in question, we are quite sure, will ever try to obtain leave of absence by indirect means, " or by any means not sanctioned by the practice of honorable men, as well as by the service to which they belong. We therefore feel certain that they will not obtain leave of absence, and in that case what will happen ? They must either sell out or resign their salaries as civilians here. They must join their regiments and quit New Zealand, or stick to New .Zealand and quit their regiments. What will they do ? Will they be guided in their decision by the base lucre of gain ? Faugh ! Will they be solely by anxiety for the welfare of the settlement? Fudge! What a puzzle it is ! If they go we must decorously lament their loss, atd if they stay we must " grin and bear it." It is, however, no joke for the settlers who have to pay the salaries of these two gentlemen. The Superintendent, we know, can urge in reply to any complaint against his appointment, that it was made in compliance with the express desire of the settlers, but the settlers have an answer to this, namely, that what they asked for was an officer to whom sufficient power should be delegated by the Governor to act for him. They did not ask for what on the stage is called " a walking gentleman," that is, a man of a certain height, dressed in a particular sort of a coat with buttons and smiles to match, with a scrape and a bow j for every body and nothing to say to any one, The settlers wanted a Superintendent who could, when required, think and act for himself. We believe that Major Richmond has been instructed never to do this, and we know that on several occasions he has declared that he must refer the most trifling questions to Auckland. His opinion concerning a chauge of the site of the cemetery and afterwards of a change of the site of the church, could not be obtained because he had no power to give one without writing to somebody. He has not power to discharge any payment ou the part of the Local Government, except where it is necessary to pay ready money. On any question of general interest to the settlement or involving any important consequences, he dare not decide if he could ; and therefore we ask what is the good of him. " Ungrateful wretches that you are," cries some Government toady, " did he not hold a levee on the Queen's birth-day, and throw the doors of the barn in which he lives, wide open to the wind as well as to the meanest mechanic on that memorable occasion." We know it, and also that he quickly learnt from headquarters, that he was looked upon as an ass for his pains, and was told never to do so

any more. " Has he not repaired Lambton Quay, made a bridge at Kumo Toto, and generally mended your ways," roars out some Jack in office, " Did he not communicate the Governor's celebrated dispatch to Sir George Gipps, announcing " a sanguinary lesson to the Maories," gently hints some drawling official, we know all this and more too. Has not the gallant Major performed acts of heroism even " on the verge of a precipice at Wanganui and Nelson," as Capt. Fitzroy wrote him word, for which, and for clearing the valley of the Hutt of the Maories, one of our correspondents recently proposed to convene a public meeting to thank him ? Did he not call Mr. Sinclair's compliance with his instructions in ascertaining the opinion of the Nelson settlers respecting a member of Council " a mistake." Did he not refuse to wait for the Wellington mail per Stains Castle, and afterwards throw the blame of its not arriving on the Nelson Postmaster ? Does he not assiduously superintend the performance of divine service every Sunday, whence, perhaps, arises his name of " Superintendent"; and does he not wear the 8.8. uniform to the delight of all the children in the place ? Lastly, has he not displayed the most consummate tact in keeping his military pay and allowances, not omitting a cook, slut, and butler, in the shape of a soldier, together with his salary as a civilian for five long years, an instance of jobbing, we trust, that is without a parralel in the British service ? Notwithstanding all these, his merits, we sincerely believe, that the unanimous voice of the settlers in Cook's Straits would be, in favour of the gallant officer's joining his regiment. Ensign Symonds appears determined to emulate his great exemplar the Major in one point, that is, that he will stick to New Zealand, as long as New Zealand will stick to him. An ex-clergyman, an ex-barrister, an ensign, an ex-surveyor, an ex-protector, again an ensign, an assistant police magistrate at Wellington, and lastly police magistrate at Auckland, the son of the SurveyorGeneral of the Navy has shone with equal lustre in eveiy sphere except the ensanguined field. He is just of the happy age, to be too young and too old for service as a soldier, but a man is never too old or too \oung to receive double pay. We may therefore look upon him as a fixture in the colony, as long as there is a pig and a potatoe left in it. His performances as a magistrate here were rather owlish, i. c. very silent, but doubtless full of wisdom. At Auckland he is not silent but he is not very wise. By the Auckland Times, of February 11, we see that the gallant ensign declared a prisoner to be innocent and a witness against whom no charge was made to be guilty. He also sentenced a boy to be imprisoned and whipt twice a-week for rudeness to his master, but remitted the whipping at the intercession of the chief-consta-ble. These are however trifles. This slop of a man crawls about the Government House, and is perfectly secure in his place. He may equally despise the sneers of the public at bis incompetency and the suggestions of his friends, that he ought to be either a citizen or a soldier. We have no great opinion of his talents in either character, but the weakest infellect is strong enough to make mischief and therefore we give Mr. Symonds one word of advice, which is, to mind his own business. We have heard of his tales to the Governor about people here infinitely his superiors in every sense, which are below contempt. Meantime we request the gallant officer will refrain from expressing his approbation of any person or thing in this place. We are a patient community, but we could not bear it.

" The ides of March are come," and the collective wisdom of the Auckland Legislative Council may shortly be supposed to be engaged in the mysteries of passing unintelligible Ordinance?, which nevertheless the colonists of New Zealand are expected to understand and to obey. We say supposed, for though by an official notice in the Government Gazette, the 4th of March is fixed as the time for meeting,' it by no means follows that the

Council will therefore meet. We may rather presume that about this time his Excellency with the assistance of the teachers he expects I from Sydney, may have opened his Normal school for inflicting sanguinary lessons on the natives :—: — Bloody instructions, which being taught return To plague the inventor. And that he is busily employed in marching and counter-marching along the shores of the Bay of Islands. If we may credit his last assurances which were intended as anodynes to " the distressed settlers of Cook's Straits," we may also expect his presence here, before the meeting of the Legislative Council, for the purpose of impressing on those arch offenders Rauperaha and Rangihaeata, and the intruding natives in the. valley of the Hutt, a due respect for his authority and power, and of putting us in possession of our lands. For our present purpose we may pass over this episode. We will suppose his Excellency, covered with laurels and glory, presiding over his admiring Council and after having passed an act of indemnity for any breach of the Native Exemption Ordinance, or other irregularities committed during the campaign, engrossed with the consideration of the ways and means to provide a revenue to meet the expences of his government for the current year. Let us examine the constitution of his Council. It can only be composed of Government officials and dependents at Auckland ; the rest of the colony have no part or lot in this matter, they refuse to sanction so egregious an absurdity, and protest against the solemn mockery by not returning aiy members. They know that to all practical purposes the Government is a species of despotism in which Captain Fitzroy's will is law, that this will is enunciated sometimes in the form of an ordinance, sometimes in the form of a proclamation, that one proclamation is commonly recalled and disallowed by the next ; that nearly all that was done in the last Legislative | session, when a member from Wellington was present, was reversed, and the present system of taxation imposed in a hasty sittiug of the Council summoned when he was absent, and therefore that any participation in the acts of the Council or couutenauce to them is merely consenting to a delusion, without the least chance of benefiting themselves. Their onlv^ hope is that these enactments can last but forl twelve months, that they will for the most part be certainly disal owed by the British Government and our legislators will commence their labours de nova. When his Excellency closed the last Session in which he abolished the Customs and passed the Property Rate Ordinance, in his address to the Council he observes on his new measures ; " That principle so true and beautiful in theoiy — so difficult to be carried into practice in old countries, the principle of Free Trade, — we have here, — in this new country (as it may be called) in this youngest of colonies, endeavomed to carry into effect. I say endeavoured, because the sanction of our gracious Sovereign the Queen, is necessary in order to make that a permanent winch is now a temporary law, namely the Property Rate Ordinance." In other words having abolished the Customs on the mandate of the natives at tlTe noith, without reflecting on the consequences, and being obliged to provide some means cf .defraying the expense of his Government " the peculiar character and unique condition of New Zealand," appeared to his Excellency " to leave open no other wise course" than to leave trade free to those living out of the colony, and to throw the burthen of taxation on the trading classes of the community, pleading in excuse :—: — Res dura et regni novitas me talia cogunt. His Excelleucy indulged in these anticipations in the end of September, and confidently expected to realize £8,000 from this tax. The first working of the Ordinance plainly shewed him, however, that his calculations, if indeed he ever made any, were based on very erroneous data, that the whole amount to be received from this source could not possibly exceed £3,000, and that his Property rate was a complete failure. Accordingly, on December 24th, barely three months after these flourishes about free trade had been made, before the Ordinance which he hopes " our gracious Sovereign the Queen may make permanent" can possibly reach England, a notice is issued in the Government Gazette, "by command," that among the measures to be proposed to the Legislative Council will be '* an Ordinance for amending the Property rate Ordinance by raising the rate and composition." So that if his desires are granted, and his measures confirmed, before the confirmation can be received, the Ordinance will be so amended as to be no longer the same. To any other person than Captain Fitzroy the inconsiderable revenue derived from the Property rate ordinance would be a plain index of the distressed state of the colony ; but, like the Egyptian taskmasters, his cry is " ye are idle, ye are idle," and at once proceeds to increase our burthens

not only byffitwmding the property ra!e, but by proposing a new tax "an ordinance for licensing dealers^in imported goods by means of a rate and composition," the principal heads of which, with the schedule were published in our supplement of January 11th. By this proposed Ordinance, whoever attempts to carry on business as a dealer in goods, either on his own account or as agent or consignee, however limited his transactions, must in the first instance pay the yearly sum of £2 to the Government for a license, as dealing in imported goods without a license will render the delinquent liable to a fine of fifty pounds. But this is not all; each dealer who shall not make a composition by pay- * ing the sura of £20 per quarter, must make a return in writing each quarter of the amount of rate payable by him according to a schedule, by which, if he sells goods to the amount of £100 during the previous quarter he must pay £3, and so increasing in propor-. tion to £600 and upwards, when the rate is £20 per quarter. A false return shall be punishable by a fine of fifty pounds, by forfieture of the License, and by disqualification to hold a License in future. His Excellency has reason to speak of the " unique condition of New Zealand," it would be difficult to find a parallel to its Governpr or his Ordinances in any other colony or country. Perhaps this is the first instance of an attempt by the British Government to impose a direct tax on its subjects for engaging in free trade, a tax it will be seen that in most cases amounts to more than one half their profits. Let us suppose a case. A merchant has sold during the quarter £600 of goods consigned to him. In addition to the license of £2 he pays to the Government £20 as a tax, but his commission of 7g per cent (if the goods are from ■ England) amounts only to £45, if from the I colonies to £30, in the one case the Government claims nearly one half, in the other more than one half his profits. But he may have sold the goods, and not received the money ; he must pay the tax nevertheless, the Government makes no allowance for bad debts. If he delays or demurs, — his goods will be sold by order of the Magistrate, ' " for all arrears of rate are to be recoverable in a nummary way." The same goods may pay this tax Ltwice over. The wholesale merchant must Ipay £20 for disposing of £6QO of goods to the retailer, and the latter must submit to the same heavy exaction for the privilege of retailing these goods to the public. But there is another peculiar feature in this proposed Ordinance. "It is not to extend to the sale of goods under the authority of the Licensing Ordinance or of the Auctioneer's Ordinance." So that a vessel may arrive from Sydney, her supercargo may dispose of the whole of her cargo by public auction, making it one of the conditions of sale, that all payments are to be made in Bank of Australian notes or specie, not debentures, and drain the colony of its circulating medium without contributing in theslrghtest degree to its revenue, (and this is not a mere supposition,, i,t not only may but does occur very frequently) while the merchant or storekeeper (if this ordinance is passed) must pay more than half the amount of his supposed profits in taxes, whether they are realized or not, and from the portion which the Government consents to leave him must be deducted the ordinary expences of conducting his business, bad debts, &c, leaving a very small balance, if any in his favour. And this is independent of his contributions to Government under the amended Property tax. This is free trade with a vengeance! A more iniquitous tax can hardly be imagined, it strikes at the root of all trade, it attempts to throw the whole weight of taxation on one portion, and that an inconsiderable portion,* in point cf numbers, of the community. It endeavours to extort money by working on the fears or credit of those subject to its operations. We find from some latelyTeceivedniimbers that the Auckland Times, and Southern Cross, both denounce in strong terms the gross injustice of the proposed measure. The limes says, "A few months only have gone over our heads and we have a proposition set forth, by which Free Trade is to be promoted by clapping a Government license upon every trader, and compelling every man under certain penalties to give an account of his profits aud losses, in order that it might be made a material for swelling the madness of the Government Gazette. — Do we live in Algiers ? Have we forfeited the privileges of our birth ?" The Southern Cross can only come to one conclusion, " that a more unjust, more arbitrary, unequal and despotic measure has never before been concocted in any British colony. What! not content with fining people fifty pounds for selling what they chose without a license, and fifty pounds for a false return, but they are to be disqualified from earning- a living for the future ? Why the most despotir Turkish tyrant that ever reigned would nevec have attempted this. Seven years transporta-

lion would be a lenient punishment compared \ to it." In conclusion our consolation is, that as his is never known to perform what he promises, this proposed Ordinance which is unequalled in its folly and ahsurdity will never be carried into effect, but was merely published in the Government Gazette at an interval (certainly not a lucid one) when his Excellency was pleased to indulge in the Pleasures of Imagination.

"We learn from private authority that Mate, one of the three chiefs for the apprehension of whom fifty pounds reward was offered on account of the outrages and robberies committed at Matakana, thought it would be no bad speculation to claim the reward himself, and accordingly visited the Governor at the head of la considerable body of armed followers. The Governor refused at first to receive him in this guise, upon which the' intelligent Chief ordered his tail to withdraw to a short distance, and a conference ensued, in which Mate, backed by such irrefragable arguments, established his innocence so completely to the satisfaction of the Governor, and that the testimony of the settlers was unworthy of any degree of credit, that his Excellency not only consented to withdraw his proclamation as far as Mate was concerned, but to soothe his wounded feelings and delicate sense of honour, actually made him a present of two horses and a considerable number of blankets. We have published the proclamation which our readers will see is very short ; it does not appear from this document that the withdrawal of the reward is in consequence of any legal inquiry, no facts are brought forward, or fresh evidence elicited which would give a different complection to the case. It simply states the Governor has altered his mind, and Mate is innocent. We are informed that Captain Fitzroy offered to pay Mate in Debentures, buaßfcwas too intelligent to take them, and prfßwed receiving utu in horses and blankets. Who knows? If Heki would condescend to the use of the same argumets, provided they were sufficiently strong, ihat is, provided his tail was sufficiently fiumerous, he would doubtless establish his innocence also to the satisfaction of the Governor, perhaps the wag could prove, if he thought it worth his while, that the flag staff cut 'itself down. Verily truth is strange ! stranger than fiction !