The New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, September 16, 1846.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 118, 16 September 1846, Page 2

The New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Wednesday, September 16, 1846.

It is very probable that within a few months the Company's claims to land will be decided, and Crown grants for 1,300,000 acres will be issued to them. Of this amount a great proportion will be in the immediate vicinity qf this settlement, and the settlers have a natural interest in inquiring if the former system of management will still be continued, or if the New Zealand Company

grown wise by experience, intend to devote all their energies to insure the prosperity of the settlements which have already been formed in Cook's Strait, instead of attempting to found new settlements wherever an opportunity presents itself? Circumstances are strongly in favour of the former plan. At New Plymouth a thriving settlement is already established, which has successfully resisted all Captain FitzroyV efforts to destroy it, and which has been the first to"export flour, the first necessary of life, in any considerable quantity. With an immense;ex— tent of level land of the best description, this district which, from its fertility and climate, has been justly styled the garden of New Zealand, offers strong inducements to the Company to renew their colonising operations. All the preliminary obstacles to success have j been overcome.' Mills have been erected and are in active operation, and the settlers , have shown that they can afford to sell their flour at a profit at £12 per ton. At Wanganui, owing to the difficulties with which the settlers have had to contend, the progress of the settlement has been more slow, and the turbulence of some of the natives and other causes still threaten to impede its progress. A beginning has been made however, which a little care and encouragement from the Government and the Company will make successful. At Manawatu and Porirua the nucleus of a settlement has been formed, and both these places, unless we are greatly mistaken, will in a short time beco.me thriving and prosperous. All that is required from the Company then is, to direct its future operations in colonisation and in the sales of land in such a way as to connect these* several districts, and make one prosperous settlement of the country between Wellington and Tar a - naki. It concerns the settlers materially to know whether the Company will in theirfuture efforts aim at concentration or dispersion, whether the inducements held out by the lottery scheme and by the system of forming new towns are so attractive as to outweigh, in the consideration of the Directors, the necessity, the duty of perfecting what they have begun, before any fresh settlements are attempted. It requires but little reflection to be convinced that the system of founding new settlements is the most expensive both to the Company and settlers that can be adopted. In every new settlement the establishment of the machinery of Government is rendered absolutely necessary, the expense of which must be defrayed out of the revenue collected, so that at length the number of officials is increased to so great an amount, that their name is legion, while the same amount of population added to the settlements already in existence would infuse fresh vigour into their efforts, but would not in any way increase the expense of the Government. The same observations apply with equal force to the expenses of the Company. The appointment of additional resident agents, of additional surveyors, and other persons required in the formation of a new settlement, materially increases their expenditure at a time when, from their peculiar position, the utmost economy is required ; and' if all these circumstances were fairly taken into consideration, the disadvantages in a pecuniary point of view.woukLbe found to outweigh the advantages supposed to belong to the formation of new settlements; But when we consider the great extent of, land to be granted to the Company in the districts surrounding Port Nicholson, the settlers are greatly interested in knowing whether these districts are still to remain trackless forests, the fruitful source of disputes with the natives, or whether, by.being brought under cultivation, they are.to become, the source of wealth and prosperity to the settlement ? What they wish to see, in short, is, that the principle of concentratfon, a main feature of the Wakefield system of colonisation, should be fairly carried out. Another point of material importance to this settlement is, that a provision should be made by the Company for the introduction of 'fresh capital by means of a loan fund, so that the due proportion of capital and labour to the land, another material feature in the Wakefield system, should be fully maintained. The advantages which would accrue both to

the Company and the settlers from such an institution were, very forcibly stated some years ago by Mr. Chapman in his New Zealand Port/olio, and time and subsequent experience have conferred additional weight on the arguments then advanced. From the circumstances of a new colony the settler, whatever may be his pursuit, is obliged to convert much of his property into .fixed capital; and, if,' as is generally the case, his means are limited, his efforts must necessarily be circumscribed. But it would be the province of such an institution to afford assistance at the period when it is most required by the settler-, who- would then be enabled to proceed with fresh vigour,. Past experience has fully established the fact, that unless this due relation between capital and labour be maintained, ~ immigration is comparatively useless, as the want of employment speedily compels the labourer to , seek another market for his labour, and the land for want of the requisite capital remains unimproved and neglected. We do notnowrefer to the question of compensation as between the settlers and the Company, because we conceive it better that it should be discussed apart from other considerations, and a convenient opportunity for its consideration may shortly present itself; but the more favourable the terms obtained by the Company from the Government in any arrangement which may now be pending, the greater ther advantages which may be conferred upon Ihem by the new Colonial Secretary, the more we conceive the Company are bound by every principle to do justice to the settlers, and to carry out in a liberal spirit the contracts they have entered into with them, the completion of which on the part of the Company has been so long delayed.

We have heard that Messrs. Levin, Hunter, and Moore, have received a somewhat abrupt intimation from the Superintendent, that their services would no longer be required in the Militia, and we have been informed that these gentlemen have since resigned' their commissions. The officers in this corps have been very cavalierly treated ; a good deal of heavy duty has devolved upon them, which has always been very cheerfully performed, and in return they have been placed on and off duty, at the indiscretion of the Superintendent, in a very unceremonious manner, and almost at a moment's notice. We are not surprised, therefore, that these gentlemen should have taken this step. In consequence, however, of these proceedings the company of Militia on duty in Wellington, amounting to about seventy men, have been from the 10th inst. to the present date without any properly appointed officer to superintend the garrison duties. Dr. Turnbull has resumed his station at Taita, and Mr. White will be appointed to the town duty.

It is proposed by the Superintendent to disarm the Port Nicholson natives, who feel very indignant at the measure. They call him porangi, and say that the war is only begun, and that after having fought in defence of the Government, he now intends to expose them to their enemies, who would not fail to take advantage of their defenceless condition.

We wish to direct the attention of owners of land-orders to the meeting called for Friday evening next, by the committee appointed to prepare the memorial, and hope that the attendance will be as numerous as on the former occasion.

Wanganui. — From Wanganui we learn that all is quiet for the present, but great fears are entertained for the future. The Rev. B. Taylor and Mr.> Nixon .reached Wanganui on the 4th inst., but Heu Heu remained behind at Ohau, whither Parkuro and Tahoua, Wanganui chiefs, the. sons of old Turoa, had also repaired, and it was believed they were in communication with Raugihaeata. It is evident that Rangihaeata meditates further mischief, and is endeavouring to strengthen himself ■. by all means in his power, while by his spies and friends in the different pas along the coast, he obtain* accurate information of all that is going on.

Taranaki. — The cargoes .of the Mary Ann and the Carbon consist chiefly f of flour r and other articles the produce of New Plymouth. The Mary Ann has brought in addition 31 casks of black oil from Mr. Brown's station. She left New Plymouth on ' Saturday, and reports that the rFanny Morris sailed for Sydney from New Plymouth two days previous. Another whale had been caught at Mr. Brown's station since' our' last report, and a boat belonging to Barr ; ett<s station; and manned by natives, had fastened to a whale ; but after following it fort^entytmiles to the northward, were eventually compelled to abandon it. I ~

Wellington Savings Bank —Mr Hugh Boss, Mr. C. W. Schultze, Mr. J. Smith, ancfjVTr. J- Johnston; the Managers in rotation", will attend *o receive deposits at Mr. boss's office, fiom seven to eight l o'clock on Saturday evening, the 19tb Sept., and at the Union Bank of Australia, from twelve to one o'clock on Monday forenoon, the 21st September.