THE NEW ZEALAND COMPANY AND THE NELSON ABSENTEE PROPRIETORS.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume X, Issue 472, 22 March 1851, Page 17

THE NEW ZEALAND COMPANY AND THE NELSON ABSENTEE PROPRIETORS.

[From the Australian and New Zealand Gazette, Nor. 2.] On Wednesday last a meeting of the absentee proprietors of land in the settlement of Nelson, New Zealand, wa» held at No. 9, Broad-street-buildings (the New Zealand house), for the purpose of considering what steps should be taken to obtain compensation from the Government in consequence of the non-recognition of their titles to the land of which they have become pur* chasers. - , Mr. W. Hi BtmNAND occupied the- chair. In opening the proceedings, he observed that all those persons who had been purchasers of land in New Zealand, and more particularly in the Nelson settlement, must be aware that they were not at present in possession of a title to the land which they had so purchased in the year 1841. v At that time they were to give 43300 for a property which was to include one town acre, fifty suburban acres, and 150 rural acres. Certain vicissitudes, however, having occurred in the affairs of the Company, they were not able to complete their original intentions, and the resident proprietors, being" determined to have something like a settlement of their affairs, urged the directors to certain terms, which were afterwards attended to by the directors in 1848. Those terms had been recognised not only by her Majesty's Government, but by all the purchasers of land, and by the directors themselves ; and the effect of them bad been that the resident land purchasers and occupiers had so secured their own interests, to the prejudice of all who were absent from the colony, that when they (the absentees) come to. select their land at any period that it might be assigned to them, they woald not find an acre of good land to be disposed of; for the way in which the system worked was this, — those who~had gone out to the colony had succeeded in gettidg 150 acres of rural land out of an area that had been originally appropriated for suburban sections, and thus they had obtained for £1 per, acre laud which .was estimated at £2 per acre, whilst the absentee proprietors would be compelled to take rural land in the place of their suburban sections, and would have to pay £2 for that which was estimated at £1 per acre. — (Hear, hear.) It had been asserted that the committee had altogether overlooked (he interests of the absentee proprietors by not obtaining the same terms for them that they obtained last year for the Wellington proprietors. It was well known that upon that occasion 150 acres were apportioned to the resident settlers of Wellington and New Plymouth, while to the absentees only seventy- five acres were granted. The Nelson absentees, however, very properly complained that they had not received any compensation, and desired to know why it had been denied them: The answer to their complaint- was simply that they were debarred from it because in 1844 something like a compromise had been entered into between the Company and the purchasers generally, whicn amounted to this—" If," said the Company, " you (rill be satisfied with a reaelection of your lands, }ou shall have the right of choosing the best that can be obtained, and this Company, having 100 sections, will give up their private property to enable you to make your selection out of that apportionment. In addition to that you complain tha* your town of Nelson is not advantageous or sufficient for your purposes ; you shall have a right to select another port town, where you may convey your produce by easy means to all parts of Europe." That proposition was accepted by the Nelson absentee proprietors, and that was the position in which matters stood until January 1850, when he (the chairman) addressed* an application to the directors, drawing their atten. tion to the claims of the absentee proprietors. An answer was received to that communication upon the 12th of February, stating that the question should receive the attention of the directors, but adding that in July 1849, certain proceedings had been taken by the resident settlers with reference to a similar subject, and that it could scarcely be possible for the directors to come to a satisfactory determination until the result of those proceedings should become known. Upon the 26th of April; calculating that in the mean time the directors would have had some communication with the colony, and that they would be able to answer more satisfactorily, he renewed his application of the previous January. In reply, however, he was informed that' no presentation had, up to that time, been received by the directors from their principal agent in the colony. In June last he made a third application to the directors, and in answer was informed by Mr. Aglionby that the Company was at that time so occupied with its negotiations with the Government that they really had not leisure to consider the question. Upon the Ist of August therefore he thought -it his duty to communicate with Earl Grey, and he duly received an answer from Mr, Hawes upon the 10th, stating that Lord Grey had not ' yet been apprised of any final settlement of the claims of the resident purchasers, dnd adding that, without expressing any opinion upon the validity of the claims of the absentee proprietors, Earl Grey left it to themselves to judge whether they wished to make any representation to the Government upon the subject. With that letter the negotiations terminated, because Earl Grey went out of town, and there was a cessation of business in the Colonial-office. The Chairman concluded by calling upon the Hon. Mr. Tolleinache, M.P., to read some communications that he had received from his brother, who, having purchased lands to the amount of £12,000 in Nelson, at length proceeded to that settlement in November last, being determined to be no longer " humbugged " by any agents, but to see what the state of his property really was. The Hon. F. Toixbuacbb, M.P., read the letters in question, which contained numerous charges against the agents of the Company in New Zealand. As an instance, one man for an investment of £800 had procured 8,000 acres of splendid land in block, whilst Mr. Tollemache for his investment of £12,000 had only been able to obtain 7,400 acres, and that not in block, but scattered. Id fact, whilst the residents seenred snug esjtates surrounded by fences, the absentees wete driven into different blocks that were not worth 6d. to sell or 6d. to let — (Hew, hear.)

Mr. F. Young observed that the statements he hadjust heard in Mr. Tollemache's letter had made » very powerful impression on him— that the absentee proprietors of Nelson had been treated with excessive injustice ; and when it was considered thatthe resident purchasers amounted to some tnirty-six persons, investing about £16,000, while the non-resident purchasers comprised 396 persons, who had invested about £120,000, it was quite clear that the residents had got ail the cream, and the' absentees the skim milk of the affair. • Mr. White expressed himself in similar ter,ms, but added that the delay which had occurred - might have arisen from causes over, which the Company themselves had no control. Indeed, he was convinced .that the Government measures had been so exceedingly severe and unpardonable with respect to this colony that the Company might behind that conduct shield themselves from a great proportion of the' blame which would otherwise attach to them. — (Cheers.) Mr. Bennett, as one of those who had been duped out of £300 for a section, and as the representative of several other persons similarly situated in Bath, wished to ascertain whether, if the absentee proprietors preferred the return of their £300 and the interest upon it to an award of land being now made them, there would be any means of obtaining that money from the directors. Mr. Tollbmachb feared not. The money, together with nearly £300,000 borrowed from the Government, had been long, since spent. The only persons from whom they could get the money would lie the shareholders, and they were protected by the chatter. The Chairman inclined to a different opinion, and believed, notwithstanding Mr. Tollemache had been one of their .original directors, that if they went into Chancery they would get every shilling of their money back. He did not btlieve that they must rely upon the justice of the Secretary of State for the Colonies; on the contrary, he believed that they would never get a penny from Earl Grey, or an acre of land, except under the apprehension of an exposure in Parliament. A series of resolution embodying the chief grounds of complaint urged by the chairman and other speakers was then submitted to the meeting, and a lengthened discussion ensued as to the precise form they should take. They were ultimately agreed to as originally proposed, and a deputation having been appointed to wait upon the Directors of the New Zealand Company, and to request them to back the application of the Committee to the Government, the meeting separated.

The Great Exhibition. — The Queen, it is said, has designed a carpet, and that Prince Albert has executed some pieces of sculpture, for the Exhibition.

The first business of life is the improvement of one's own heart and mind. The study of the thoughts and deeds of great men, the laws of human, and animal, and vegetable and lifeless nature, the principles of fine and mechanical arts, and of morals, society, and religion — , all directly give us nobler and greater, desires, more wide and generous judgments, and more pleasures. — Davis. The Model Nominee. — He is a man of a high soul and aristocratic disposition, though but of a mean aspect. Being able to trace tip his ancestry so far as his maternal grandfather, a respectable weaver in Spitalfields, he thinketh he 'cometh of an ancient lineage, and despiseththe plebeian mob around him. He intermarrieth with a daughter of one of the magnates of the land, and buildeth up unto himself the vain idea of being the founder of a future ' Australian nobility. He is a constant visitor at the Government feeds, is present at all the balls and concerts of the elite, and is considered by his admirers to be somewhat of a connoisseur in music. Like a true churchman, he sitteth under the ministry of the Lord Bishop, and in his absence, Dean Farrell, and subscribeth unto all the public charities, although his private donations are few and far between. He heareth at an early hour ' that he has been nominated a member of the new Council, and immediately rusheth tb return his , thanks at the foot of the-vice-regal throne. With tears in his eyes he lavisiieth all the expressions of gratitude in the language, and promiseth to act as an obedient lacquey—to think as Sir Hal tbinketh, and vote as he voteth. He only stipulated for a small price of patronage, in the shape of getting some needy young relative provided for in one of the numerous Government offices. He then wendeth bis way homewards, and remaineth for hours absorbed in the delighf ul contemplation of his approaching greatness, and the honour of having M.L.C. tacked to his name. He bewaileth the low property qualification fixed for members, and hopeth that no snobs will be admitted in consequence thereof, forgetting that he himself is as egregious an one as any of the fraternity. He entertaineth a holy horror of all shopkeepers and retailers, and hopeth that none of them, at least, will be permitted to sit in the same Council Chamber with him and his august colleagues. Undisturbed by the conflicting sensations which influence the minds of the candidates and canvassers, , lie continueth on the even tenor of his way, and affecteth to pity the poor devils- of Elective Members who are obliged to solicit tbe suffrages of the vile populace. * * * * * When the Council meeteth, he herdeth with his' brother Nominees, and looketh with an eye of suspicion upon all who are elected by the people, and whom be regardetU as bis natural enemies. It may be truly said that he never voteth against his conscience, inasmuch. as he possesseth none; but, like an obedient toady, waiteth to hear the opinion of Mr. Governor and Mr. Turoey General, and then boldly pronounceth his own. Change of - Governor, or of public opinion, produceth no radical alteration in bis sentiments, but be alteretb his opinions as easily as a snake casteth bis skin, and sticketh with true 'Vicar of Bray ' tenacity to his post, through many different dynasties. Untouched by any sense of shame, he liveth, or, rather, vegetaieth, unrespected, and dieth childless and unregretted, the earth closeth over his remains, and, in three days, nothing more is thought or spoken of — The Model Nominee.— Adelaide Mercury.