To the Editor of the " New Zealand Spectator."

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 432, 22 September 1849, Page 3

To the Editor of the " New Zealand Spectator."

Wellington, September 21, 1849. Sru, — A letter written by Mr. E. Gibbon Wakefield having caused some sensation in Wellington, I have presumed to trouble you with a few remarks upon it, and although I differ as much from some opinions expressed in your leader o£, Wednesday, as I do from those stated by Mr. E. G. Wakefield, yet, knowing your desire to give impartial expression to the sentiments of all classes of settlers, I am induced to believe that you will insert the following observations from a working man. Mr. E. G. Wakefield seems determined that the blame of the failure of his paper scheme of colonization should not be laid on the plans of its founder, but, after attacking in turn every party — even his old colleagues of the New Zealand Company — he suddenly seems to discover that it is merely a want of Representative Government that prevents the success of his colonial projects. Like some ingenious projectors of perpetual motion, he proves, to his own conviction, that his plans, like their cumbersome collections of wheels and pinions, must succeed, but finds in spite of imaginary demonstration on paper of their infallibility, that practically, they are utter failares. A great eiror of Mr. E. G. Wakefield was his notion that laige capitalists would flock to these islands — that some would perm .nently invest large sums in the clearing and cultivation of the land — that others would expend their wealth in establishing manufactories in New Zealand — that from these combined sources of empltjment ! the -working class would all receive full employment at liberal wages, and would soon become enabled to save sufficient from their i earnings, in turn to become landowners and employers of labour; but to prevent their becoming too rapidly proprietors of the soil, and thereby causing a dearth of labour in the settlement, a higher price was fixed by him on land than had ever before prevailed in a new settlement. Seven years experience has shown us the rottenness of his system, and the utter fallacy of his expectations. Instead of the influx of the wealthy capitalists we have mostly poor adventurers from the middle classes of Britain. Instead of a steady demand for labour from the purchasers of land from the New Zealand Company, we have chiefly depended either on the expenditure of the New Zealand Company or of the British Government for employment, without which Port Nicholson might ere this have ceased to exist as a settlement. In fact, at the time the New Zealand Company's expenditure ceased, dining Capt. Fitz\oy's governorship, and befoie the present Government expenditure commenced, most of our land owners could scarcely maintain them • selves, as to paying labourers that was so much beyond their means as to be utterly out of the question. We have now enjoyed full two years of peace, the natives have not prevented the owners of sections dui-ing at least that period from cultivating their land, yet still we are forced to import flour and most other provisions from the neighbouring colonies, and what wheat we do produce is raised for the most part by natives round the coast, and by the isolated labours of the working settlers on small allotments. Unfortunately, comparatively few of the working men own freehold farms; the system of Mr. Wakefir ld, and the avarice of the owners of unused sections placing a fatal check on the increase of that most useful class of settlers. The Wakefield sys'em making to the working immigrant the obtaining a freehold allotment on which to grow his food a mere possibility instead of a certainty as it should be. Had Mr. E. G. Wakefield racked his brain to discover a plan which at the same time should cause emigration — and prevent real colonization he could have devised nothing more likely to attain such objects than the humbug termed the Wakefield system. Il is idle for him, like Robert Owen, to argue how men should act, or how systems ought to answer, he should rather observe what has been'the conduct of the first, or what the success of the latter. His system has had a long and fair trial in Port Nicholson, and has given little or no satisfaction to any class of persons. We are in more danger from social than from political evils — we have no guarantee that a stoppage of the aids bestowed by the British home government may not cause a recurrence of our destitution such as we experienced in J844 and 1845 — few of us own land on the produce of which we might subsist if other employment failed, and this state of things will not be remedied until the unused lands of our monopolists are forced bj a Land Tax into the market. Unless Mr. E. G. Wakefield therefore can induce wealthy capitalists to emigrate — unless he can prevail on them to expend their capital upon labour in these settlements — unless he can prevent Absenteeism and ensure remunerating employment to all working emigrants— in short, unless he can give us facts instead of theories, and realities for expectations, I shall continue to view him as one of the greatest humbugs in existence, I am, Sir, Your humble servant, A Working Mam.