THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, July 28, 1849.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue VIII, 28 July 1849, Page 86

THE NELSON EXAMINER. Nelson, July 28, 1849.

Journals become more necessary as men become more equal and individualism more to be feared. It would be to underrate their importance to suppose that they serve only to secure liberty : they maintain civilization. D* ToCaUJEVILLB, Of Democracy in America, vol. iv., p. 200. At a meeting of landpurchasers, held on Thursday last, preliminary steps were taken towards bringing the land question in this settlement to a final issue. Upwards of two years hare now elapsed since the Report and Resolutions of the Landpurcbasers' Committee gave for the first time a hope that the differences between the New Zealand Company and its purchasers would be amicably effected. Long as the time is which has since elapsed, no unnecessary delay seems to have taken place, but circumstances which could not be controlled hare prevented an earlier settlement. The scheme, in fact, of July, 1847, contemplated many stages of progression towards the final goal, that the latter was not to be reached otherwise than by going through all that was necessarily antecedent to it. That is now passed, and the wind-up is all which remains to be accomplished. But this, the last stage of the proceedings, will perhaps be the most difficult to settle satisfactorily. And this mainly because it i 3 the last. So long as the question was still open, and something yet remained to be got, any deficiency or inequality in the awards which took place were passed over under the feeling that all would be made right at the end, but when the last card is thrown there is no longer a hope of another trick. It is from such a feeling, we suppose, that some of the landpurchasers, as we are told, are now setting up claims which, to ourselves we coafess, seem preposterously absurd — claims which, as the Resident Agent stated on Thursday, would, if admitted and became general, swallow up all the unappropriated land in the settlement. We most cordially agree with what fell from Mr. Bell at the meeting, and which, from its great importance, we have reported fully. We concur with that gentleman, that claims, such as in some instances are now made, are utterly at variance with both the spirit and the letter of the Report and Resolutions of July, 1847, which, according lo our reading of these documents, never contemplated the general compensation now ■ought after in addition to the other ad van-

tages which the scheme afforded. The Report in question repudiated the idea •thai the landpurchasers could be' compensated fully for their losses. "We must consent," it said, "to waive the question of strict right, and endeavour to devise that plan which shall give you the greatest amount of compensatory advantage, practicable and consistent with thos* other claims and considerations which we have also to regard." And again, "We are now, as we expected from the beginning we should be, perfectly aware that among so many conflicting interests, our suggestions cannot meet the re*quirements of every case, nor provide adequate compensation to every claim, far less place us all in the same good position as if the scheme had been completely carried out as originally intended. There may be special claims, independent of the mere land question, which (however unable we necessarily were to determine upon or even entertain) it is right to provide for the possible advancement of. It would therefore be a necessary condition of such an Act of Parliament, that it should contain a provision for empowering any purchaser to refer such special claim to arbitration if he and the Company could not agree as to its adjustment." But, acting in a spirit wholly different to this, the rale appears now to be the exception and the exception the rule. Instead of the various advantages which the scheme of adjustment gave, " not meeting the requirements of every case, nor providing adequate compensation to every claim," it seems to be considered, but with few exceptions, to have met no case, nor compensated any claim. We must aganV refer to Mr. Bell's excellent speech, and say, that these claims of the landpurchasers j may be based on strict justice, but they are not based upon the Report and Resolutions. Perhaps some of our readers will scarciHjf: thank us for this exposition of our view's^ which they may consider opposed to their interests. The subject however was too important to be passed orer silently, and we could not write upon it and do violence to our real sentiments. It is not that a concession of all the claims now made would be of any importance to the Company: from, the position in which that body now stands in relation to the Government, it cannot matter a straw whether the arbitrators should award one or ten thousand acres to the Nelson purchasers ; but to the public of Nelson — to every capitalist, mechanic, or labourer, not participating in the advantages which the landpurchasers are seeking, it is a jnatter of great moment that something shall be kept open to allure more capital and more labour to the place, that the Trust Funds shall be further augmented, that the settlement shall not be considered as filled up by the handfull of people now residing in it, and that the whole of the remaining unappropriated land shall not be distributed among the few original purchasers at present settled here. It is this which makes us care whether the land is " liberally " or prudently dealt with. We have no desire to see the landpurchasers deprived of an atom of their due, and when other parties are not affected by it they are welcome, as far as we are conconcerned, to get anything and everything they ask for. We have fought their battle with the Company, when the Company, not understanding their real position, was tardy in doing them justice ; but now, when the Company has gone beyond what was ever expected of it — has placed at the disposal of its arbitrator not only all the unsold land of the settlement but even its own private estate of 20,000 acres, we feel that our advocacy is no longer required by the landpurchasers, but that the public interest of the settlement stands in need of a watchful eye being kept over it, in order that it may not suffer from an excess of liberality in dealing with these private claims.

We do not mean by these observations to say that all the claims of the landpurchasers are liquidated by the awards which have been made. It is possible that nearly in every case something may be required which would greatly improve the position of the landpurchasers, without great detriment either to any individual or the public. In such eases wo should be glad to sea every thing done which is consistent with reason and justice, and we are sure the Company itself, mindful of the losses which all have sustained, would desire nothing so much as that such claims should be freely and

liberally conceded. What we protest sgaibeft, and are anxious to see averted, for the sake of the settlement generally, as well as the laodpurchasers themselves, is a scramble among some forty individuals for the remaining unappropriated lands of the settlement. The case however is now in the hands of two gentlemen, chosen respectively by both parties, and such is the opinion we entertain of them, that we have no doubt strict justice will be done in every case ; and though, from the very nature of the business there must inevitably be indidual disappointment, we hope that in the end all will be satisfied.

On Monday last, Messrs. Fell and Seymour, the principal agents of the absentee landpurchasers in this settlement, met their tenants, and a party of friends, at the Star and Garter, Richmond, the occasion being that it was their first audit day. A most excellent dinner was provided, and laid out in the barn, to which about seventy persons sat down. Toasts suitable to the occasion were proposed by various gentlemen, and the company appeared to think it one of the most agreeable meetings they had ever witnessed. Apart from the general tendency of Buch gatherings, where men of every class mingle together and spend a social hour, it was particularly satisfactory, considering all the difficulties which have beset the land question in this settlement, to see such a body of industrious and thriving tenantry meeting, in the best spirit, the gentlemen of whom their lands are taken. The enly thing which gave us cause of regret was the early hour at which the party broke up, to enable those who lived at a distance to get to their houses early. It is true the night was dark, and the roads bad, but for once we should have been content to run all the risks of a late ride to town, to have seen the enjoyment prolonged a little further into the evening. We hope we shall have the satisfaction of seeing the excellent practice thus begun continued yearly, to the mutual satisfaction of both landlords and tenants.