The Anglo-Maori Warder. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1848. Leonina societas.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 21, 14 September 1848, Page 2

The Anglo-Maori Warder. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1848. Leonina societas.

The present state of this settlement is curious, and well worth the careful noting by those who take interest in the great experiment of civilization. Many of the settlers are making money fast—that is, sharing the money which England is so freely pouring in—with little or no exertion on their own parts; public-houses flourish, grocers are making plums by selling them, contract butchers are " made men," house rent is ruinous, customs' duties have risen to boiling point; while no advance is being made in any thing likely to be permanently beneficial to the interests of the colony. The cause of the anomaly is this ; that the spirit of enterprise has been fairly sickened.— We no longer see men, as we used, casting about in all directions for outlets to surplus capital, or active employment for their own energies; risks are no longer run—with the hope of draw ing prizes—in developing the real resources of the country; nearly every such attempt has been hitherto met with-a blow in the teeth, so heavily dealt that no fiesh ones aie again likely to be made. We believe that the natural wealth of this part of the country is much greater than it has generally been supposed to be. Coals are known of by individual!', minerals in great variety ; but the whereabouts is kept secret as the grave. Government is looked upon as a vulture, ready to pounce upon all; the settlers liken themselves to jackals providing for the lion, forced to content themselves with the bare offal of what they themselves have been at the pains to run down. We cannot blame them; it must be confessed that there is an overgreedy spirit in the present Government—a nervous anxiety, displayed even in the merest trifles, lest any man should get what it calls " too good a bargain." A successful enterprise seems to be regarde-1 as a robbery of the revenue; more might have been got out of the man—he should have been made to pay more handsomely for leave to go to work. Personal hardships undergone, loss of time and labour, risk of unsuccessful search, count as nothing in the scale of payment; all must be given m, as a makeweight, even the knowledge so hardly acquired, by way of purchasing leave to treat. It is a realization of the fable of the goose and the golden eggs. It is short-sighted policy, and unjust likewise. In speculative enterprises, more especially when undertaken in a young country, many blanks are drawn for one prize, which, if it be not suffered to remain a prize, becomes no longer worth the search. But how is it with us '. After nine unsuccessful attempts, the tenth time perhaps a lucky hit is made. The adventurer applies for leave to carry out his plans, and is graciously permitted to do so, provided the worth of the discovery be paid into nhat is called a public exchequer, oier winch the public has no control ; possibly to be expended, should his Kxcellency think fit, upon a distant settlement. Kemonstrance is of no avail ; the discovery has been disclosed ; the threat of putting it up to auction can ahva)s be held mtetrorcin, o\er a discontented applicant; Ins neighbour, who has spent nothing upon the search, for that very reason, can afford to outbid hint, certainly the colony gets the full benefit of the tenth and fortunate attempt, but not a word is evei heard of compensation to the applicant for the nine fruitless errands he may have gone upon. Colonist cannot be expected to run besiii th.'uuelves. upon audi terms as these. Did government itself lead the way m dew l..;'Hig the resource* of the country, did it Uk: tin; labour aud expense of ihscou'iy upon

its own shoulders, did it give any sort of equivalent for what it exacts, there would be some reason, even fairness, in the system that it now pursues. But it seems to sit, like a spider in its web, inactively, yet watchfully, biding its time to make seizures. Instead of taking the initiative, procuring and employing men of science to explore, it relies upun private enterprise, the fruits of which it appropriates with unscrupulous voracity ; amusing itself meanwhile with making believe to make roads, and paying wages to natives and pensioners for doing next to nothing. His Excellency considers it his duty " to see that the property of the Crown be not frittered away." Beyond all doubt, it is so, but it does not at all follow that he should hinder the property of the Crown from being turned to good account. Theie can be no sturdier advocate for royalty, or the rights of royalty than ourselves ; but we still believe it to be a bad bargain, where both sides are losers. He is the wet blanket of Aucklsno, and has struck a chill into the place which it will be long to recover from, tie writes over his Taxing Office " Verily thou shalt not come out tbeuce, until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." Hu principle is to wring out every tiling that can be wrung, to dole out as little as can decently be given. His abilities may be great, but his vocation has be»n entirely mistaken ; he should have been entrusted with the superintendance, not of a colon), but of a Poor-law Union.— Relieving officer should have been his function ; with what zest he would have served out the " Giantham gruel, nine grats to a gallon of water." The Northern Settlement has fairly laid itself down to sulk, like an over-loaded mule. — It has lain down in clover, certainly ; it villi not starve —at all events till winte.- comes—but it advances no step upon its journey. It gathers up what reach of its lips, but cannot or will not rise to seek for more. In sober truth, the colonists arc utterly disheartened ; many times more so than they were during that period of extreme depiession which was so severely felt, towards the close of Captain Vitzßoy's administration. — There was activity then, and an energy in the place, which is now no longer to be seen : they bestirred themselves in earnest, and partly by the happy discovery of an export, partly through the temporary assistance of debentures, not only recovered themselves before the late Governor's recal, but even made a long stride in advance of the Southern Settlements. His successor, of course, reaped all the credit of the recovery. Sic vos non vobis mi llificatis lines. New Zealand, like Sinbad the jailor, has got the old man with the leathern legs upon its shoulders, forced to liear him about under the fruit trees at his pleasure, that he may gather for himself.