NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, July 14, 1852.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 725, 14 July 1852, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND Cook's Strait Guardian. Wednesday, July 14, 1852.

The question of Registration under the provisions of the Proclamation recently issued by the Governor-in-Chief appears, if we may judge from the numerous communications we have received on the subject, to have excited considerable attention. The extracts published in our two previous numbers serve to show the state of public opinion in the other settlements with reference to this question ; that, even among the opponents of Government — among those who for various reasons object to, or are dissatisfied with, the Provincial Councils Ordinance, a very strong disposition exists to take the power, to avail themselves of the privilege now offered to them, and qualify themselves, by registering their claims to vote, for the introduction of Representative Institutions. We strongly advise our fellow settlers, to lose no time in registering their claims, which must be sent in, before the 10th of August next, in Wellington and the adjacent country districts to the Resident Magistrate's office, and in the Hutt district to the Resident Magistrate's office in that district. This, in fact, is a practical test of the sincerity of those in this settlement who have made Represen-tative-Institutions a pretext for attempting to thwart the Government by any means in their power, but who, now they have an opportunity of using the privileges which Representative Institutions, confer, seem disposed to hang back. It must be carefully borne in mind that those who, " like petulant sulky children," refuse to register, have only themselves to blame if they are disfranchised^ if while their neighbours are exercising their newly obtained privileges," they are passed over as cyphers*

in the account. To prevent any mistakes on this head it may be necessary briefly to repeat what constitutes a qualification, viz. : the possession of a freehold estate within the district for which the vote is to be given, of the clear value of £50, or a leasehold property of the annual value of £10 within the town; or £5 without its limits^ the tenant in the latter case having, previous to the date of Registration, been in possession for three years or upwards, or having three years of his lease to run. The claim must be in writing, and must state the name of the district for which it is made, must be signed by the claimant, or by some person in his name, and state also his abode, calling or business, and the qualification in respect of which the claim is made. In all cases where persons may have more than one qualification it would be desirable to claim in respect of both. It has been stated by the Governor in his circular to the Resident Magistrates, and more than once repeated in this Journal, that the main object of these arrangements has been to secure the formation of an Electoral Roll, and prevent any delay in the introduction of Representative Institutions to be conferred by the- New Constitution about to be granted by Parliament. An objection has been raised that possibly the franchise established by Parliament will be something different from that conferred by the Provincial Councils Ordinance, and that this registration will be mere labour in vain. But this by no means follows. Even the opponents of the Provincial Councils Ordinance admit the franchise established by that measure to be unexceptionable, and describe it as being equivalent to universal suffrage. It is clear, then, the franchise to be bestowed by Parliament will not be more extended or liberal than that proposed by Sir G. Grey. If, on the contrary, the franchise is narrowed, if a higher rate is established, the only effect will be to strike off the names of those who do not possessthe requisite""qualification. A statement was made by the Lyttelton Times some time ago, on the strength of someletterwrittenbysomebodyinEngland, that the Governor had no power to pass the Provincial Councils Ordinance, which was therefore absolutely null and void, and the Independent has repeatedly asserted that Lord Grey scouted the measure, that it was certain to be disallowed, nay in its very last number it stated in most positive terms that "it will not be enforced/* that it "has been disallowed by Lord Grey," &c. In turning to Lord Grey's Despatch in the Blue Book, (dated April 2, 1851,) acknowledging the receipt of the draft of the measure, he expresses his unqualified approval of the measure in the following terms — "The general principles of the measure are in full accordance with the instructions and suggestions which I have already given you on this subject" but proceeds to mention two points of detail which in his opinion require amendment — one, the omission of any provision reserving to the local Government the initiation of money votes, which he considers very material, as " without this power the local Government cannot carry on the affairs of the community with advantage, because it cannot estimate beforehand the means which may be at its disposal, or determine to what service these shall be appropriated," and recommends the adoption of a clause similar to that contained in the New South Wales Act. The other, the provision which vests in the Governor-in-Chief the power of confirming arid disallowing the Ordinances passed by the Provincial Councils, instead of in her Majesty, Lord Grey considers a serious innovation and " a material change in the ordinary form off a colonial constitution -" and recommends the Governor as the best course to repeal the Ordinance "and to reenact it with the necessary alterations." It is clear from this despatch that far from disapproving/Lord Grey most cordially approves of the measure, the general principles of which he expressly states is " in full accordance with his instructions," his objections referring to two points of detail in which he appears to think the Governor has been too liberal in his concessions. It is clear also he believes the Governor has full power to pass the Bill, or he would not recommend him to reenact it. In order to afford our fellow settlers full information on this important subject we propose publishing the Governor's despatch, with Lord Grey's reply, in our next number.

Wje have extracted from the Southern Gross, 'June 4, a report of a meeting at Auckland for the formation of a Whaling Company, which appears likely to be carried on with vigour and

with every prospect of success. "We shall be very glad to find the .example of our friends at the North imitated in this Settlement, and a, fresh impetus given to whaling by the establishment of a similar company by the -merchants and settlers of Wellington, who, in the early days of the colony," were foremost in their pursuit of this important branch of national industry, the oil and bone forming the principal export of this Settlement. A paper' from the Whalemen's Shipping List, shewing the results of last year's whaling by the Americans, for which we are indebted to the New Zealander, will also be found replete with interest.

We would direct the attention of our readers to the announcement of a small collection of Poems, shortly to be published, entitled New Zealand Minstrelsy, and to a communication from the author in this day's Spectator. The work affords satisfactory evidence that our friends of the Kutt, in their hours of relaxation from more serious occupations, find-plea-sure in the agreeable pursuits of literature ; and we hope a flourishing subscription list will encourage the efforts of this votary of the Muses. .