“The Press” In 1864

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30630, 22 December 1964, Page 16

“The Press” In 1864

DECEMBER 22.

THE LATE SESSION What has been done in the three weeks during which our representatives have been at Auckland? We venture to think that, short as the session has been, no more important epoch has occurred in the history of our legislature. It will ever be memorable for two circumstances; first, for a recognition on the part of the colony that the period of temporary insanity which distinguished the servile and panic-stricken legislation of 1863 has passed away, and that the Colony is again returning to a sense of its own dignity, and to a due appreciation of its own resources; secondly, it will be notable for a final conclusion to the monstrous demands which Auckland has for so long made on the rest of the Colony. The late Ministers, taking advantages of the visionary terrors of a Native invasion, devised a scheme for populating Auckland at the cost of the Colony. The theory of confiscation of Native lands was to be worked so as to enlarge the boundaries of the Auckland Province. Having got a vote of three millions of money for prosecuting a war

for the purpose of restoring peace to the Colony, and asserting the supremacy of the law, they induced the Assembly to concur in the impossible conclusion that those objects were only to be obtained by confiscating lands and covering them with English settlers. But a part of their scheme was that the Governor and the English Government should assent to this plan. That is an inherent condition of all that a dependency does or can do; but that little condition Mr Whitaker and his colleagues chose to assume as settled, when, in fact, it was very far from being settled. The Assembly voted the money for a distinct object, comprising several necessary conditions. The Ministry proceeded to spend the money for many months after they had become perfectly aware that some essential conditions to the scheme were wanting, and that failure was inevitable. . .

We believe more than 30 ships have sailed or are sailing for Auckland with unfortunate families who have been induced to take flight from all parts of the world to settle upon Native lands which have not yet been acquired, and in all probability never will be.