TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4253, 6 November 1874, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.

[Press Telegraph Agency.] Auckland, Thursday. The inhabitants of Onehunga last night presented Mr. O'Rorke with a valuable Bervice of plate,_ in acknowledgment of his disinterested action in.retiring from the Ministry. In responding, Mr. O'Rorke said the step was not taken hurriedly, or on the impetus of the moment, but after mature consideration. Wangandt, Thursday. Only two civil caseshavebeen disposed of in the Supreme Court. There is no saying at present how long the sittings will last. The banco and bankruptcy sittings have yet to come on. Grahamstown, Thursday. The Manukau Company got 984 ozs. as the result of sixteen days' crushing. Napier, Thursday. The Court of Inquiry under the Merchant Shipping Act have acquitted Captain Veal, of the ship Rosalia, of the charges of habitual drunkenness and incompetency brought against him by the mate and crew, but were of opinion that he had been intoxicated occasionally on the voyage, and made no order for costs. Reefton, Thursday. The cleaning-up at Anderson's resulted in 391 ozs. 9 dwts. 12 grs. of retorted gold. The Energetic cleaned up after the first day's crushing, with the result of 178 ozs. of smelted gold. Christchurch, Thursday. The following are the weights for the Free Handicap and Hurdle Race :—Free Handicap—Tambourine, 9st. ; Yatterina, Sst. lOlbs.; Templeton, Sst. 81bs. ; Parawhenua, Sst. 71bs.; Batter, 7st. 91b. ; Traitor, 7st. 91bs. ; Wainui, 7st. 91bs. ; Exile, 7st. ; Marvel, 7st. ; Alice Grey, 6st. lOlbs. ; Meteor, 6st." 91bs. ; Hercules, 6st. 91bs. ; Tadmor, 6st. 91bs. ; Ngaro, 6st. 91bs. ; Theodore, Cst. Slbs.; Sonnambula, 6st. 71bs. ; Ada (gelding), 6st. 71bs. ; Rangi, 6st. 71bs. ; Zig Zag (gelding), 6st. 71bs. ; Toi, 6st. 71bs. ; Waverley, 6st. 71bs. ; Tui, 6st. 71bs.; Remnant, 6st. 51bs.; Elfin King, 6st. 21bs.; Emmeline (gelding), 6st. 21bs. ; Bella, 6st. 21bs. ; Theodore, 9st. 111 b. Hurdle RaceAlice Grey, lOst. 71b. Judgment was given to-day against Mcllvroy for £24 in each of three civil cases of damages for breach of contract for conveyance to the Palmer diggings, per Comet, from Dunedin. This judgment amounts to £lO and refund of passage money, and £l4 for loss of time, &c. A criminal charge of false pretences against Mcllvroy is not yet heard. The racecourse rights to the booths, cards, &c, were sold yesterday, the total sum realised being £303 15s. The Lyttelton time-ball machinery has arrived. Major Palmer paid Lyttelton a visit yesterday morning, to ascertain the chronometer time given by the instruments on board the French ship Vire. He held direct communication by telegraph with the observation party at Burnham,. and comparisons were instituted. Dcnedin, Thursday. Action has been taken on behalf of the Government with the view of prosecuting the locomotive foreman who caused the late railway accident. The case will be heard on Tuesday. SIR GEORGE GREY ONCE MORE. Auckland, Thursday, 8 p.m. The Star of this afternoon publishes a summary of another petition by Sir George Grey, addressed to the Superintendent of the province, reviewing its position as to the Colonial Land Fund. - The petition sets forth that he (Sir George Grey) recently received a copy of the Lyttelton Times, of the 11th inst., from which he became acquainted with the origin of the compact of 1556, which took away the rights of the inhabitants of the province of Auckland to a share of the Land Fund of the colony. He therefore reports thereon.

The petitioner then proceeds to set forth that in 1845 the British Parliament placed in the hands o£ the Governor of New Zealand £IO,OOO, to be employed in purchasing land from the natives, and extinguishing their titles over land suitable for settlement. Land so acquired was to be brought into the market as was thought expedient. That it was foreseen that the property so acquired would become very valuable as settlement progressed, and that its Rale would afford means for extinguishing the native title over land in other districts; that it was provided in terms of the grant that while the profits from land so acquired might be applied to immigration and public works, the original sum of £IO,OOO was to be deducted from the amount of the sales and applied to the purchase of new districts, the operation to be repeated as long as the native title could be extinguished. In this way very large tracts of land were acquired in the Middle Island and part of the North Island, portions of which remain, and are, as well as other portions disposed of, very valuable. These were acquired with British money, and were the property of the British people. The lands first acquired were, of course, those most easily obtained, owing to the smallness of the native population; and for the same reason were those likely to be most easily colonised, and in which land would advance proportionately in value, giving speedy prospect of a land revenue available for publio services in all parts of New Zealand, and for extinguishing the native titles over other districts. In 1552, the Imperial Parliament granted a Constitution to the colony, providing for the representation of the people in purely local legislatures, and also a General Assembly. That the people were perfectly represented in the Provincial Councils, but not so much so in the General Assembly, in which two estates out of three were nominated by the Crown. That in the New Zealand Representation Act of 1852 careful precautions were adopted for preserving the system already provided for extinguishing the native title. Such lands aB were acquired for the British nation were vested, as there is reason to believe they are still vested, in the Crown. The acquisition of these lands with the Imperial grant, and in the way which had previously been in operation, was specially insisted upon in a despatch to the Governor from the Imperial Government transmitting the New Zealand Constitution Act j and the Governor was authorised to use the money, and the Assembly was restricted

from interference with it, the surplus only from sales of land being placed at the disposal of the Assembly. [The petitioner here.adduces several profits, and says that the surplus only could be dealt with by the Colonial Legislature.] Only the Governor and the Superintendents were empowered to extinguish native titles. These wise provisions were made to create a valuable public estate, and it was foreseen that the capital provided would be constantly augmenting and last for generations. The principle involved was one which recognised the duty of the most flourishing parts of the empire to assist the poorer parts. It was by this means that the commerce of the British Empire had been raised to its present high position. It was to the interest of the whole colony that the native title should be extinguished in other parts of the colony because the landed estate was for the colony, and in this way was being constantly acquiredThe people of Auckland were particularly interested in extinguishing the native title, because they were principally small farmers living with families in the midst of native territory. A large area of the province was also covered with forests, and was much broken, rendering the construction of public works necessary, as to open up communication was difficult and expensive. . The peti. tioner then sets it out as a general principle that if a more powerful government deprives the weaker of its revenue, the latter gradually sinks, and ultimately becomes an object of contempt to its own citizens,. who might in this way be led to let the other government rule them. The petitioner then proceeds to state that the depression of Auckland had mainly arisen from the resolution passed by the General Assembly in 1856, allocating to Provincial Governments control over lands that belonged to the Crown; and further, that the British Parliament, on representations made to it in 1857, passed an Act amending the Constitution originally granted to New Zealand ; but this Act clearly defined its intentions, namely, to relieve territorial revenue from charges pi'eviously made upon it, other provisions for meeting those charges having been provided. As to these measures, the provinces were ignorant of the extent and scope of what was being done ; and the petitioner then respectfully submitted that due provision was not made, as required by the amending Act of the Imperial Parliament. For these reasons it seems doubtful whether some Acts of the General Assembly, dealing with the waste lands of the colony, were not open to question as to their validity and force. The petitioner then reviews the restrictions that were placed around the ! original grant, provision being made when the Constitution was granted., and subsequently, for preserving and maints,inmg the system of creating a public t estate, and adds that it seemed doubtful whether the right to pass an Act removing charges upon a land fund which had been created for the people would vest in the Assembly, without any special provision to that effect. That was a power which that Legislature never possessed, and which the Crown itself could not exercise without a special Act of Parliament. The petitioner then proceeds to set forth the resolution which had been recently passed by the General Assembly in relation to the disposal of the land revenue over the colony, and expressed doubt whether the Legislature possessed the power to pass such a resolution, but that it was most probable that the resolution would be submitted to the Home Government with the view to action thereon. He maintained that the people of the province of Auckland should be made acquainted with every step taken., in order that there might be afforded an opportunity for defending their rights, either in the Colonial Parliament or in the British House of Commons. Moreover, a member of the General Assembly had publicly stated in Auckland recently, that Southerners admitted that the North Island has not been fairly dealt with in connection with the resolutions of 1856, and were anxious to agree to reasonable terms. The petitioner maintained this was a sufficient reason why such reasonable terms should be come to, and the rights of the people of Auckland secured. He therefore prays the Superintendent to take such steps as he and his advisers may think necessary to secure the rights of the people of the province of Auckland, and prevent any hurried action in the matter by the British Parliament.