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New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 819, 8 June 1853, Page 2

Knowing the feelings of aversion with which nomineeism is regarded throughout the Colony, I pledge myself never to relax in my exertions until thi3 Chamber is made elective. I object to the veto, still retained by the Colonial Minister, upon all the acts of the General Legislature. As long ad such a power is reserved, doubt and uncertainty must necessarily be thrown on all colonial laws ; for, under the present provision, it is possible that an ordinance may be disallowed by the Home Government two or even three years after it has been passsd and acted upon here. To restrict, therefore, the veto of the Colonial Minister as much as possible, or rather to get rid of it altogether, might, I conceive, be one of the aims of your Representatives. I should be the last to repudiate any just debt to the New Zealand Company, or to any other body; but as no one in private life would be considered liable to pay a disputed account, until all its items had been gone into and proved correct ; so, in like manner, I consider that the Imperial Parliament, after acknowledging the right of the settlers to the management of the waste- lands, committed an, act of gross injustice in saddling the land with a debt which has never been investigated, and which one of. the present ministers of the Crown denounced in his place in Parliament as having been imposed upon the Colony by means of fraud and misrepresentation. We have a right to demand a thorough examination into the Company's accounts before we are called upon to hand over to it any part of the proceeds of the land sales. Whatever amount may by inquiry be found to have been spent for the benefit of the Colony, ought to be paid ; but whatever portion of it has been, - expended in other than colonizing objects,' ought to be repudiated. But; for my own part, looking to the opinions expressed by the present ministry upon this question, I can scarcely believe that they will insist upon our paying a debt in the contracting of which we had no part, and from which we have derived little or no benefit. I am in favour of a low price being put upon the waste lands ; for I believe that by giving facilities to the industrious classes for the purchase .of land in small quantities, and at a low rate, we should render the Colony attractive, create a steady and constantly increasing stream of immigration, and thus, instead of diminishing the amount of available labour in the Colony, materially increase it. In fact, the extraordinary changes which have taken place in the neighbouring t colonies during the last eighteen months, owing to the discovery of gold, • have, not only rendered it unnecessary for us to keep up an immigration fund, but will in all probability cause a very extensive emigration from Australia to this Colony ; provided, I repeat, the attraction of cheap land be held out to the successful digger. And I am much deceived if the quantity of land which will be sold almost immediately will not be sufficient- to place ample funds at the disposal of the Government, for the execution of the requisite surveys and roads, every shilling spent on which will cause an increased demand for land, and thus soon enable ua to obtain sufficient funds for all other public works. While, on the other hand, I believe that, at£T * an acre, little or no rural land would be sold,'-' at least for many years, and there would co: - sequently be no funds for public works. I aUo doubt much whether, with the past experience of the difficulty of selling land at one pound an acre, English capitalists would, were that price maintained, advance money on the security of futute land sales. To prevent undue monopoly by capitalists, (the chief danger' to be apprehended from a low price), and in some measure to remedy the evils we already experience from large tracts of country being allowed to lie waste, (the owners trusting to the natural progress of the Colony to enable them to sell at an enhanced price), I should advocate the imposition of a land, tax ; but this is a matter which will require much consideration, both as to what lands should be made liable to the tax, and also as to the mode in which it should be levied. With regard to the proper mode of dealing with those waate lands of the country not required for agriculture, but capable of being used for pastoral purposes, my opinion is, that while every encouragement should be given to 1 the occupation of the land by the grazier until it is required by the agriculturist, yet that the former should simply be regarded as the pioneer of settlement, and should always be prepared to give place to the latter. I think that the Government Pastoral Regulations are upon the whole fair, though in one or two points susceptible of considerable im T provement. In order to encourage the stockholder to invest his capital in the country, to improve his run, and build comfortable houses for his shepherds, I would advocate his having certain rights of pre-emption, and such terms of lease, as would secure him against any applicant who might want any part of his run for depasturing purposes-; but not against tlie bond fide purchaser, -who, upon complying with the requisite forms, should at once be entitled to enter upon the land. I would advocate the principle of giving^ to each Province the management of its v own waste lands ; not only on account of the various terms of put chase which have been adopted, but also of the great difference in the character of the country in the six Settlements. v , As this is a subject most important to the Provinces and? to be decided by the General Assembly, I think it is essential, that . those members who are returned to the house of Representatives, should, at any rate during the first session, be also members of the Provincial Council,' in order that on this, as on many other important questions, there should be no clashing of interests between the General and Local Legislatures. I am an advocate of the principles of Free Trade, and would willingly assist in amending and altering the present tariff, which is justly complained of by both importers and consumers ad being complicated, vexatious,- and oppressive. I believe that ihe necessary revenue might be raised from a comparatively few articles, and those chiefiv of lnxury. ' More especially if our land sales are such as to cover all necessary expenditure for public works, which I fully anticipate will be the case. There are many other subjects, such as, connecting the -various Settlements by Steam* the