NEW ZEALAND’S CAPITAL

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 54, 27 November 1928, Page 12

NEW ZEALAND’S CAPITAL

TRANSFER FROM AUCKLAND SELECTION OF WELLINGTON NOTABLE ANNIVERSARY Wellington owes its selection, as the capital city of New Zealand, largely to steps taken sixty-five years ago on Sun- . day, by members of the House of Representatives assembled in New Zealand’s first Parliament buildings in Auckland. Throughout the night of November 25, 1863, a motion to remove the seat of government from Auckland to a more central position on the shores of Cook Strait was debated, at times with great heat, by the opposing factions. It was a hopeless fight that Auckland representatives put up in the fateful debate. Five days previously, on November 20, 1803, the following motions, moved by Mr. Domett, were carried ou the .voices: —“(a) That it has become necessary that the seat of Government should be transferred to some suitable locality in Cook Strait; (b) that in order to promote the accomplishment of this object it is desirable that the selection of the particular site in Cook Strait should be left to the arbitrament of an impartial tribunal.” Mr. Domett had moved a third motion, “that with this end in view a Bill should be introduced to give effect to the above resolutions,” but this was withdrawn in favour of an address to the Governor, The real test came on the night of November 25, when Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald, a, Canterbury member; moved that an address be presented to the Governor, requesting him to ask the Governors of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania each to appoint one member, of a commission to determine the site. Critical State of Colony. Mr. E. W. Stafford, afterwards Sir Edward Stafford, although a Nelson member, moved the following amendment, which made him. the northern idol of the hour“ That in the present critical state of the colony, with a dangerous native insurrection raging within a few miles of the seat of Government, it is highly inexpedient to take any steps for removing the seat of Government.” After a spirited debate, which was not concluded until 2 o’clock on the morning of November 20, the motion moved by Mr. Fitzgerald was carried by 24 votes to 17. Five days afterwards the Legislative Council decided by a majority of three to present a similar address to the Governor. The commissioners, after visiting Wellington, Nelson, and Picton, decided in favour of Wellington, the date of the settlement of the question being October 3, 1864. The change took effect in February, 1865. The introduction of the subject in the House by Mr. Domett is reported in the issue of the Wellington “Independent” of November 25, 1863, which is filed in “The Dominion” library. According to the “Independent,” Mr. Domett, in moving his resolutions, declared that jt had become necessary that some steps should be taken to decide the question. The rapid increase of the southern portion of the North Island, he declared, had given that portion of the country such influence that their desires on the subject must be attended to. He was quite sure such was the feeling of the inhabitants of the south, that unless some steps in the direction were taken, they would do all that lay in their power to secure the separation of the colony, an event than which, he believed, nearly every member would agree with him, that there could be no possible greater evil. All history showed that the separation of the populations which might form one State into smaller States, few or many, was a greater evil. . . . Mr, Domett went on to say that he believed that it had become necessary to do something to forestall the separation movement. He believed that the southern settlements of the country would soon be so powerful that they would insist upon having the Government without giving any reasons for it, and to obviate the first step he had brought his resolutions forward. Claims to Seat of Government. An editorial in the issue of the “Independent” of December 5, 1863, after it had been decided to ask the Governor to appoint a commission, makes reference to the subject. “Whether it will be fixed at Wellington,” states the editorial, in urging Wellington’s claims to the seat of Government, “it is impossible to say, but there can be little doubt that ns the balance of reasons why it should be so fixed is very largely in our favour. Wellington will be the port on which the commission will eventually decide.” The “Independent” of December 5, 1863, in its editorial columns replies to criticisms in the Auckland papers which appeared there.when it was dcelded that Auckland was no longer to be the seat of Government. In its opening paragraph the editorial refers to the saying that literary . men are forced to live by their pens, to extract from their brains bread, beer, clothing, lodging and income tax, and that it was not surprising that they were ofttimes nervous, querulous and impatient. “The Auckland newspaper writers,” proceeds the "Independent’s'’ editorial, “are just now nervous, querulous, and impatient in the extreme, because of the recent decisions of the Assembly in reference to the removal of the seat of Government. To answer seriously the rhodomontade in which the Auckland speakers and writers indulge would be idle, nor would it be much better to extract the numerous vituperative articles which have appeared on the subject, as they are couched in too random and manifestly absurd a style to seriously hurt us. We can make every allowance for our Auckland friends; the retention of the seat of Government is a very important matter to them, and its quite . enough to make them serious, querulous, and impatient,, without our attempting to state further or to irritate or annoy them by exposing the wickedness of some of the statements they have been guilty of uttering. We would rather throw oil .on the troubled waters than fan the flame, and are not therefore disposed to excite the risible faculties of our readers by presenting them with choice morceanx culled from ‘The New Zealander,’ ‘Herald,’ or ‘Cross.’ ”