TRUST FUNDS.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 434, 20 December 1861, Page 3

TRUST FUNDS.

To the Editor of the -Colonist,

Sin—Mr. Bfli'iiieoaf., Ims.T find, endeavoured to justify the proceedings fif the trnsrcos of tile NeiJi*a Trust Fnnda, by nssuiing liL<;auitiouccs that tliiiy had no choice as to "the manner in which tlie educational funds should be applied; but ho'has, I understand, always declined to produce any documentary authority fur that statement; or, to quote any act by which they were bound to expend all the money in the erection and maintenance of one central college in die province of Nelson. . .

I have searched in vain.for any such restrictions, nor can I find that the trustees have ever acted as if they were conscious of any such restrictions having been in existence Ido gather from tho prospectus of the New Zealand Company, under the t no's of which we originally paid trig money for our land, that the money wan not intended to be set apart for tha erection or maintenance of mere elementary schools; and I have not advocated anything of that sort in tho latter I lately addressed'to you upon that subject; altlwugh, I believe, that with the act under which the trustees hold their office, they"w.mld have no difficulty in doing even that if they chose; and their past conduct shows that they are themselves of the same opinion.

When asked by the Provincial Council, fco devote £5,000 of their educational fund to the erection of ' much needed elementary schools, they did not stand up-.ni the ground that thty had not the power to do even that, although they so far showed their uuwi lingness to do so, as* to refuse the whole sum asked f jr, and to pare it down to the loan, without interest, of jg3,000. Having then the power to devote £3,000 to the erection of elementary schools which would not be under their control, how absurd it is for Mr. B o-menat to try to make the electors believe that they had not the power to divote £6 000 in, the erection of six schools, in which tlmeharacter of in- ; Atiutition might be made as high as th?y chose, or, aa high as the dem+nd of the pupils miJiit require. But even it* Mich difficulties had•exi.-t«i. : \!r. Barnicoat knows perfectly well that the legislative bodies of the colony would have been only too happy to remove them, and to have authorised ih-. iiu-'eea to have carried out the spirit and intentirn of those who evidently intended thu menjv to pr-iviio the r»«idents <if N Tel.«on as a whole, with the means of giving their children a good education.

A legislature that displayed so much desire to do the bidding of the Nelson represei tuives, (?) as to depart from the avowed principle of its ieaUer and nearly all its members, by giving a p uraiity of votes to property, would not have thrown any obstacles in their way, if they had required a little assistance to really benefit their constituents.

But Mr. Barnicoat tells the electors that these funds really belonged to the ori2riu.ll land purchasers, and that therefore they were entitled to thr<je votes. If so. let them have three votes, or ten if they are entitled to it; but don't upon that account give'three votes to every rich man in the province. But although an original laud purchaser •■•yseif, 1 cannot under.-tand what exolu-ive right we have to any such, funds. Mr. Barnicoat might as well Siv we .had an exclusive right to the roads that were constructed with the money we paid for oiif knd, and th»t we ought to »>e allowed to walk three times over a bridge that was constructed by that money, before any one else should walk over it once; or that the Tasmanian Maid, purchased with..that money, should always <;ive original land purchasers a free passage. He should also apply the same doctrine to other land purchasers, anil see to what absurdities such a theory would lead him. Wo should have a few gentlemen coming to the government, and saying "that lighthouse has been built with money whichipfe paid tor our laud, we, therefore, demand* that we shall have aorae exclusive voice in its management 'That jetty was trected with the proceeds of land which we purchased. We, therefore, claim rhst our goo^s shall be landed on it free of charge." Would not such claims be just as reasonable as that wtJL-h Mr Barnicoat and his party wish to establish for the original land purchasers?

But Mr. Barnicoit now informs us that he has never acted or voted with any par y. Up>n that question I am quite willing to'leave the electors to form their own opinions upon from Mr. Barniuoat's past conduct.

The allusions he m-.kes to prove that assertion are rather uniortuiute—of course since he has been Speaker of the Provincial Council he has only voted when the Council was in commiitee", and therefore upon mere questions of detair-a<id local" interest in which patty feeling is seldom exhibited. Bat howhas he voted as an elector ? Dr Monro and he have been voters in the same districts since the introduction of representative instiMlms; let Mr. Burnicont tell us when they ever voted for a different m n; when he ever gave a vole for a candidate for the 'Supurintendency, the House of Representatives, or the Provincial Council that was not either brought forward or entirely approved of by his leat'er. When Mr. Sasion was brought forward hy- the people «f this province, Mr, Barnicoat voted jflga'nst him When the same gentleman was brought forward by Dr. Monro's party, Mr. Bunicoat voted for him. If f cou d see that Mr. BnuicWt was norapaity man, I should have not the slightest ol.je :rio i to no-< him. Superintend nt; but during a vey close and very unprejudiced observation'"of aim for a .ureat many years, I have never been able to entvrtain a tloubfc upon that point, having always seen that Dr. Monro could count upon his vote when he wanted it, wirh about as inuoh ceittiuty as h<^ >>uld upon that of Mr. Curtis, or even Mr. Hewetson! The reply to the purely personal aftacks upon myself in Mr. BarnicoatV itinerant speech, which I herewith enclose, I shall f«:el obliged b..; your pubiisuiug in tlie fiist number of the Colonist tint will mcci the public eye, afttT the election is ove , as 1 do not wish a matter of so littie public interest t> be in any way mixed np with such an important;;'public question as the election of our future Superintendent. I am, tSiQ., ALFRED SAUNDERS. Decembar 19.