THE CANTERBURY ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 732, 7 August 1852, Page 4

THE CANTERBURY ASSOCIATION.

[From the Australian and New Zealand Gazette, January 24, 1852.] "Two numbers ago we inserted a letter under the head oi " Wellington Intelligence," wbicb contained some severe srictures on the Lyttelton Times, as the organ of the Canterbury Association. The writer of that letter — one of the most eminent men in New Zealand — asserted that the intelligence of that paper was not to be relied on, and that the state of things in the Canterbury Settlement was very different to what was represented. Since that period, Lord Lyttelton went so far out of his way as to defend the statements of, the paper in question. The point is one of some importance to ourselves, as. we have uniformly adopted the statements of the Lyttelton Times, though, we confess, with some misgivings as to its veracity., We are now in a position to set the matter in its right light, and we pledge ourselves to the truthfulness of outsource of information from the colony, as being unmistakeable and irreproachable. The fact is, that the settlers are, as a body, both disappointed . aa3 dissatisfied, whilst many are disposing of their effects and land, and leaving the colony. They complain that the As-

i soriation has done nothing whatever towards the • fulfilment of its hrge pretensious. The money ■ realized by the sale of land has been squandered, . and there are neither roads, churches, nor \ schools, except on paper ; the projected road between Port Lyttelton anil the Plains being almost [ the only attempt' at road-making, and this has [ proceeded little farther than the survey ; £40,000 at the least been required to finish it on the scale on which it has been begun. If finished, it ' would lead from a non-progressive town to &by i no means prosperous country. The c)ergy are equally dissatisfied, and by a f natural result in sudi cases, the people are dis- ' satisfied with them. Some of the clergy have " left for the Australian colonies, and others are leaving — whilst some have settled down as ' farmers/and are exciting dissatisfaction, Because, ! although occupied as farmers, they are to receive 1 .their stipends out of money paid by the settlers. Many of the clergy sent out are of the hapi hazard class, neither being possessed of ability^ . nor illustrating their faith by their example. As ! their qualification for appointment has chiefly I consisted in the purchase of land, this is not to be i wondered at, and they, too, complain of having been deluded. In short, the only parties benefited are" the X labourers, all others being on the way to ruin, : whilst not a few have reached the goal. Perhaps ' the best proof of this is a fact for which we vouch, viz. : that a party holding a high position in the settlement has written^ home to a friend " on no account to send any more money to his son, as it must of necessity be lost." ' The exclusive. Church principles on which the Associatoa has acted have turned out equally fallacious. The money of the settlers has attracted shoals from the neighbouring settlements of New^Zealand and Australia, to whom, in fact, the duration of the Canterbury Settlement is chiefly owing, and these comprise all kinds,— Roman Catholics, Scotch Presbyterians, and Dissenters. This state of affairs shews the folly of the principles upon which the Association has been acting. Some twelve months ago we pointed out all this — and here it is. We do not blame the realy highminded men of the Association ; they, like their settlers, have been deluded by the scheming portion of their body, who, in fact, are tfie only parties who have profited by it ; and' their pickings have, no doubt, been worth having. We are surprised that a man of Mr. Godley's standing should have been deluded into the position of leader of such a project, and that, having experienced the delusion, he should continue to connect himself with it. It is not pleasant to acknowledge failure, nor to confess to want of acumen, but this will not mend the matter ; and in Mr. Godley's case it must be met. It is impossible that he can much longer lend his reputation to such a miserable delusion. The following extract from the Lyttelton Times shews the devices which have been at work at home to keep up the steam. A member of the committee indirectly urges that good accounts only should be sent; The recommendation has been understood, and the garbled accounts of that paper shew that the- injunction has been 3 attended to. The rest of the extract, as our readers know, is simply gross falsehood, for up to the present lime the laud-sales have not exceeded 25,000 acres: — "The accounts, which we have received from England of the preceedings of the Canterbury Association are exceedingly encouraging, as regards the prospects held out of a large and rapid colonization. -The whole quantity of land sold up to February 19, was a little more than. 17,000 acres, but of this 2,800 acres had been sold in the last seven weeks, and private accounts assure us that there was every appearance of a progressive increase in the sales. One private letter from a member of the committee says," 'If good accounts arrive from the first colonists, I have little doubt that we shall sell within the second year to the amount of the £300,000 we originally dreamed .of.' Another says " the fever for Canterbury rages fiercely throughout the country !" — Lyttelton Times. ■ And how stands the home account of this pseudo-colonizing scheme? No land sales — no funds: — even the £9,000 or £10,00 once invested in the Colonial Bishopric Trust Fund has been withdrawn, and we have heard, on good authority, that a portion of this has been paid to the New Zealand Company, in part liquidation of the debt to that body ; if so, where will the mone"y come from for the endowment of the bishopric and the churches ? In fact, the whole thing begins to wear the aspect of a regular personal and political job, got up on behalf of those whom it may personally and politically concern. We have for some time known that the brother of Mr, Wakefield has been receiving his five per cent, commission on the land sales, and the shipping perquisites to another party have long been a city laughingstock. We have hitherto forborne to allude to these things from respect to the high names which have been induced to connect themselves with- the Association, and in the hope that the latter. mighjr outlive the disease which has attacked its infancy. But from our information, — and the result will prove its correctness — we are now convinced that its end will .be the end which seems to await all Mr. Wakefield's schemes —ruin to the first settlers, and heavy loss to all concerned, at horne — with the exception of those who directly profit by the jobbing. It is however, lamentable to see such influence and sums'of money abortively wasted, when, if rightly applied, they would have effected so much colonial good. If half the sums thrown away by the Association, though subcribed by its liberal and wealthy members, had been placed at the disposal of Mr. Sidney Herbert's committee, or of Mrs. Chisbolm, bow much real good would have-been done ? But these • have no political norjobbing objects, and if gentlemen will continue to prefer connecting themselves with such as have both, to aiding real colonization," men who are experienced "in that colonization can -only regret what they cannot prevent. We shall take an early opportunity of returning to this subject. - ' '