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Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 309, 5 February 1848, Page 192

We have seen with much surprise, and we confess with some mortification, an attemj t made during the week to get up a demonstration against the institutions which the New Charter has conferred upon this colony. A memorial to his Excellency the Governor-in-Chief has been prepared, and handed about for signature, stating, that it would be inexpedient at the present time to incorporate Nelson into a borough, on account of the expense and bickerings which a corporation would entail on the community. This then is tantamount to saying, that we are willing to allow other people to thrust their hands into our pockets while we are afraid to trust our own there — that we have more faith in the discernment and justice of strangers in making a right use of our money than in our own. Let us see what it is these memorialists are seeking. After many years hard fighting for representative government, the want of which the colonists on all occasions have stated to be a great grievance, the boon is at last bestowed upon us. The New Charter provides, that the first step in representation shall be the erection of every settlement into a municipality, giving to every male adult who can read and write English a vote in the election of the officers. These municipalities, in addition to thfe power of raising local rates for local improvements, are to elect the representatives, who are to sit in the Legislative Assemblies to make the general laws of the country, and control" the taxation. We want then, say these memorialists, to have no corporation, no local self-govern-ment, no general representative Government. For mark, on the municipalities, the "whole system of representation is based, and unless we have the foundation it is impossible to get the superstructure. The effect of this would be, supposing the wishes of the < memorialists could be granted, that as we are no longer under the old form of Government, and cannot indeed go back to it, we should be left wholly at the mercy of the representatives -*of Wellington, who would have an overwhelming voice in our taxation and local expenditure. Now tbis is a state of things which we think no man here capable of reflection would willingly allow, and yet it would be the inevitable result if the wishes of the memorialists were acceded to. They seek to disfranchise themselves, and the whole settlement. We know the question is argued by the majority of this body on the ground of economy, and not on principle. They admire representative institutions, but they do not like to pay for them. Now in our simple-mindedness, we thought a perfect system of representative Government was the cheapest, and that the economy of such a form of Government was one of the strongest arguments in its favour. Taking the United States as an example, which is the nearest model of our own constitution, no country in the world is governed at so little cost. Excessive taxation is the offspring of irresponsible Government, as a wasteful expenditure is the result of an unchecked control of the public funds. We demand representative Government that we may be taxed only to the extent of our own wishes, that our pockets may not be at the mercy of any man or set of men who are in no way accountable to us— 'and when the money is raised; we require a voice in its application. Though the memorialists in question did not represent in numbers or otherwise any great body of settlers, we have cause to be thankful to them for theufcgibrtunity of learning his Excellency's news on many of the details of the New Constitution, which was afforded us at the presentation of the document this morning. We cannot at this late moment do more than briefly recapitulate what took place, but may probably return to the subject again. His Excellency informed the gentlemen who waited on him, that a corporation t>f some kind was inevitable, but that he had the power of modifying it to suit the requirements of different localities. This he was willing to do, and to consult as far as possible our own wishes as to the tort of

local Government adapted for us. His Excellency suggested various ways in which both town and country might participate in the advantages of local Government and representation, without the interests of one being sacrificed to promote the welfare of the other. His Excellency expressed himself favourable to a moderate payment to distant representatives, and to representation being based on numbers and wealth, instead of revenue, as directed by Earl Grey. In short, his Excellency urged on the gentlemen present to call a meeting of their fellow-settlers, and to prepare a statement of their views and wishes, and promised, as far as it was consistent with his duty to the Crown, and to other parts of the country, to give llrem his support.