SEPARATION PETITION.

Southland Times, Issue 682, 12 June 1867, Page 2

SEPARATION PETITION.

i |The following is tHe text of the Separfc-: tion petition jtddres^ed to theQueerr/aTKI* which the Provincial authorities ss9icitculatirig^ Trade* 1 * fiank^ as : - " on publfe service only" : — " To Her Most GrraciorßT iMJajesty Victoria^- tJ Qiie6ri ; of^the United Kingdom 5 of 'treats Britain and Ireland "arid Dependencies: r- thereof/rDefendefc a£ ? th|e Faith, &c— Most &racioua Sovereign* li^y'iirpteSfie y^ia'l^efif^r^^^^BW^' petitibn'.of Ly oW(Majesty?s loyal giabjecti^; -colonists resident in. the Province of O^ago, 4u r*ae- Middlev Zsland. ( of r tib&, t Colony^ of liTevr-Zealaiid,''^who approafelr .yo|ur Majesty with feelings of profound loy alfrj^^taid attachHent^^your^M^geff^i* - ro^al person and threne,— in all faithfulness and zeal your .rß^jesfyTi service, most . J^umbly _,and dirtifailj' shb^eth -■^--Tniit"' 1 'jasfff"' j yoiir Majesty may cauie.jan Act to Iwe introduced., into the^lmperial Parliam^a6« rr , toiprovide^r iW&e^a^jionoHlL&l^imßr * and Middle Islands of New Zealan^Lipto tw;o separate and- independent colcttiiesv with such provisions for a federal unia» as; your Majesty's advis^ts may esteeß» desirable; That your petitioners consider the union of the Northern and Middfe Islands is injurious to both — the interest^ o£ the two islands.being dissimilar. That the Northern Island has been, : and wp| be; for' many years, occupied in resistm^ the aggressions of the native .race,, arid: ultimate peace with the natives can only beisecuredby the pareful local application of laws calculated to meet the want* - of both European and native races— law* altogether unsuitable to the Middle Island, which, free from native claims and occupation, seeks only permission toy devote its energies to the development of the great commercial, pastoral, agrieultu-

TiSJIL," .«2i& mining resources which it ifSJssesses, by the construction of roads, ileilg'es, railways, and other reproductive 3BE^ks, and by encouraging immigration s^ai^a extensive scale. That swing to • tib© Assembly of New Zealand UssKS^-fco chiefly- occupy itself with the -of native questions, laws for? government of the colony, as <a£*§l as those more particulary affecting :^Sfee later ;sts of the colonists occupying the Middle Island, are either hurried through iask&an imperfect manner or are altogether aß^pesied. That the administration of s&e Cs-overnraent of the Middle Island, ■ts&are only European settlers are cont^ss^d, has always been .subordinate ; to &a& -«f the Northern Island ;. and so ileegyE.-as the two islands are united, and jg&s jeative question exists, your petise&&Foa believe it will necessarily be aa : That besides the heavy charges .assJsbe Middle Island revenues for loans ssasppes&lejd, not for its benefit, but £§&?- restive purposes, there is still -ssaatinuous drain on the revenue for expenditure on the same objects, .-^BsHjonr petitioners are convinced that • sgfas .disbursements wall continue to be exand in a great measure useless, .^S© Jkmg as the. Middle Island is liable for vOn {he other hand, if the H%ys;ftrn Island has entirely to rely on SE».-Os&n. resources, costly "native experi&bb&Ss£ will be avoided, and the natives ssiS fee governed efiiciently and economi-.-i&og. *Enat the Middle Island now stands -J©Mjß North Island in a similar "relation .^j.^si; which Great Britain did to New iffesiiasd before Imperial .considerations of 'jsezssessency led the mother country to TgagS&k&s&w from interference in native and the same considerations, with r ~^ssl £orce, point to the inexpediency of •g§fg& Middle Island continuing to interfere &s£i&r£h.& government of the natives in the JM&g&evn- Island. That your petitioners <f&aasislfir -the -extent, population, commer-.-dis^ Importance, arid resources of the "J^g^ls Island, as compared with those of ;a^^e^ colonies, fully justify their desire i§m.£>&w?Grb it into a separate colony. That ssjsgßfjjetitioners also respectfully, repre:&sa& ihai the isolation, great length '$JLs£sQ miles), and the narrowness of _^^g"Jiealand, make its government from ; .'£g£f iS2£ spot "more difilcult than that of t£m££- colonies possessing many times its dESS. "lliat your petitioners emphatically f^^Smm. any desire that the Middle jliss&ii .should escape the liabilities fairly --sE^ssiaiig to it, and they may direct your 3£^esfcy*>s- attention to the petition al_&bss4j forwarded in 1858 and subsefeom Auckland, and to the |peß3££eding3 in the General Assembly, 3® sradence that in the North Island the -^saeipal Province and a large proportion llat ' r> " ax « x - ! « x ' : »^ ttniiana o.a your for Separation. That your u-gb^K&mers are fully aware of the adisssssages. £i£a federal union, such a« has : 3s£kesi. -place in British North America, IB^£ £hey humbly submit that; the division j^^ew r Zealand into two colonies will f^?avent provision being . made for union in respect to those inrsssssis which they possess in common as |3Si2£i2O£B .of the same empire. Your jgaOi£lsHiers', humbly pray that Most G-racious Majesty will be Abased to take the prayer of your, loyal :^^|eefe into your- most favorable conand cause the islands of New :Jsgsl2ad to be divided into two colonies, sSsM. --tlsat each may have conferred upon it ,>«sdi constituent powers of legislation as idissal Seat enable it to deal with the cir-s£sas&£i;-a3iees peculiar to itself. And your will ever pray, &c."