The Standard AND PEOPLE'S ADVOCATE. (PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.) SATURDAY, MAY 15, 1875.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 272, 15 May 1875, Page 2

The Standard AND PEOPLE'S ADVOCATE. (PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.)

SATURDAY, MAY 15, 1875.

“ We shall sell to no man justice or right: W e shall deny to no man justice or right: We shall defer to no man justice or right.”

The Provincial Council was opened by His Honor Sir George Grey on Monday last, in a lengthy speech, an outline of which we append hereto, as taken from the Napier Telegraph. The speech is, evidently, in an unfinished state, and we shall have to wait the arrival of the next mail from Auckland before we can pass an opinion on it, or lay it entire before our readers. It is spoken of as being very comprehensive, as it naturally would be coming, as it does, from one who feels he has a difficult task before him. From what little we have before us we find that, according to the figures quoted, the Provincial Revenue alone shews a deficit of some £7OOO, whilst the Land Revenue, estimated to realize 40,000 for the 18 months ending 30th June, 1875, “ amounted to £2,000,” we suppose for the last 12 months. The last item, of course, included some £20,000 the sum expected, as the provincial share of the proceeds of the sale of the Patutahi Block; but as it is unfair to compare figures in such a necessarily concise report, we shall desist from further remark, until the speech is before us. The special I correspondent of the Telegraph writing to thatjournalon the 11th inst. says : — “ The Superintendent opened the Council at three this afternoon. In his speech he referred with regret to the death of Mr. Williavisos. He hoped to be able, jointly with the Council, during the session, to make some fitting recognition of his services and devotion, which were unsurpassed by any other man in the He | hoped to be able to promote the happiness and prosperity. of >. tl/e province. The prosperity ofttAe ratate depended largely on 'finanqb—Audon the maintenance of integmy end punctuality in dealings with (he public and individuals. He haq: therefore directed special attention • tor the financial position of the province. He found that the Provincial revenue a little exceeded £16,000 4 year, gold fields revenue £10,500; from the General Government they should be entitled to £17,500, for capitation and special allowance; and the land revenue amounted to £2,000; but such large deductions had been made by the General Government, that he could not reckon on receiving more than two-thirds or these amounts. While the Provincial revenue was so small, a large Provincial and Colonial revenue, amounting to £309,086, was raisedin the province, making taxation £4 12s. per head of the entire population ; so that each small farmer or labourer with a wife and four children contributed £27 12s. yearly, from taxation, towards the revenue. He considered the condition of the labourer one of hardship, the taxation being on necessaries of life is falling heavily on the poor, impoverished by this indirect taxation he is deprived of many comforts which his providence entitled him to get, while small provision is made from this taxation for education. He next referred to the £40,000 advanced from the General Government. Twelve thousand of that advance had been paid, but the Government refused to carry out the agreement entered into on the ground that only twenty-four thousand were to be jlaSd in one year, as if it were an annual grant. He wished the Council to consider whether he should accept any further sums upon account of this advance, as it involved a sacrifice of half the land revenue in the first two years as repayment, and the whole thereafter until the advance was repaid, thus causing a diminution of revenue in future years. Such advances misled the public who appear to receive the boon, but merely cause increased indebtedness and dependence. No doubt the province has been greatly wronged in its revenues, and he thought it better, instead of begging for advances to be re] aid, they should quietly *,but manfully require justice to be done to the inhabitants of Auckland. That an immediate step should be put to extravagant expenditure, which is effecting our ruin, and the financial rights of spending ourselves the main part of our own revenue secured to us by the Constitution Act, be at once restored to the province. By another enactment of the General Government fifty thousand pounds were granted to the Pumping Association. The Government now desired to make this a charge on the province. Papers connected with it would be laid on the table for the Council to decide whether they shall assume that liability, and annually vote such portions as the association require. Of the sixty thousand pounds voted for roads in the North of Auckland, only ten thousand had been placed at the disposal of the province. As the Council were aware, the Assembly had voted £250,000 to purchase a landed estate from' the natives of the province. The Provincial Authorities had never been consulted in purchases

made, and knew nothing of the remuneration given to land purchasers ; but the province had been given 123,936 acres. Out of this, 108,000 had been inspected, for the purpose of determining the character of the land, of which the Provincial Government had become possessed, and it was found that only 2,699 acres were really of good agricultural land, 8,174 acres second class, and 96,180 acres of no agricultural value whatever. Considerable portions of the land acquired were also embarrassed by native leases to Europeans.”