SYDNEY—LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Speech or Sir George Gipps.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 13, 30 August 1845, Page 3

SYDNEY— LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Speech or Sir George Gipps.

GcNTLnmr.N or the Lcgislapive Council. — In meeting; \ou again for the despatch ol business, I am happy to be enabled to congratulate jou on the impiovement uhsch continues to manifest itself in the condition o( the colony. Since the close of your last session it has been ascertained that in the sear 1844, for the jirst time in the history of New Soulk JValcs, the exports of the colony have exceeded the imports— a fact which affords the fairest promise ot our colonists being able speedily to overcome the difficulties in which great numbers of them became involved during the years when capital was poured into the colony with excessive rapidity: the prices- which our exports continue to command in the home market afford us further ground to hope that the improvement of the colony will be progressive ami s'eady. The state of the public finances, another great test of public prosperity is also, I am happy to inform you, satisfactory ; although the revenue greatly declined during the years 1843 and 1844,1 have reason to hope that it has now passed the point ol us lowest depression, and 1 look with confidence to an increase in its ptoductiveness. The falling off in the revenue has however, been more than met by a decrease m our expenditure ; so that not only is the ordinary revenue of the colony entirely free from debt, but Ihe public monies now in the trcasuiy, or rather, I should say deposited in the colonial bauks> collectively exceed the amount which has stood to the credit of the Government at any time since the end of the year 1841. The only debt which has beeu incurred is one for immigration, an,d it is secured on the revenue of ihe Crown. Among the measures which I shall bring- before you in the present session, will be one for taking, in the year 1846', a census ot the population of the colony, as five years will then have elapsed since the last census was taken. The expense of taking a census is undoubtedly considerable; but on the other hand few thin»s aie more desirable than to obtain accurate statistical records or the increase of the population in a eountiy like New South Wales, whore the state of society are undergoing the most rapid changes. I regret that I a?» not able to announce to you that any measures are as yet in progress ior the "resumption of emigiation, though I am sensibly alive to the importance of this subject, especially at a moment when the demand for labour is likely to iuciease. I lojk with great anxiety to the measures that may be adopted by Her Majesty's Government, or by' the Imperial Parliament, for encouraging or aiding cmi- 1 gration from the United Kingdom ; but nevertheless, I am peisuaded that it is on our own exertions that we must mainly lcly, if we ilesue to secure to ihe colony the benefit of a constant and salutary influx into it of emigrants from Euiope. I shall have oi-casiou in the early part of the session again to ask your attention to the evil produced m the colony by the illicit distillation of ardent spirits. I shall also have to propose to you a bill for enabling the Trustees of the Saving's Bank to lend a portion of their unemployed funds to the Corporation of Sydney. The Act passed during the first session of the Council placed tin- affairs of this institution on a secure foundation j but the altered c. remittances of the Colony render it now desirable that new methods should be deviscl of employing the funds of the Bank in a suture manner, and at a moderate rate of interest. Accouv.ts of the Revenue and Expenditure of the year 1844, as well as the estimates for 1846", have been prepared, and will be immediately hud betore you. 1 regret that I am not in possession of the replies of Her Majesty's Government to the Addresses forwarded from tins Council to Her Majesty on several very important subjects timing the latter part of the last session. It was in order to afford time for the arrival of answers to these addresses — answers which may materially allect the financial measures of the se^iou — that I dek'ired calling you together until t'.is advanced season of the year. I trust, however, that instructions tioin Her Majesty's Government on all these subjects, alluded to in these addiesses will shortly reach me, I shall, when in possession of them, lose, no tune hi communicating tiiem to the Couucil. Gentlemen, when I first met you, now two years ago, I congratulated you on the introduction of popular representation into the cons '.ttition of the colony ; and 1 declared to \on my anxious desire to concur wah you in Ihe enactment of measures calculated to dcvelope the resources of the colony. It was with entire smceiity and earnestness of purpose that I made to jou those declaiations,— as freely as 1 then made them, I now renew them ; and most anxiously and sinei.ri.ly do 1 repeat to you my oarne-.t . desire to co-operate with tins Council in ihe enact- j menl ol laws calculated to advance, and secure the permanent interests of the colony. (bifncd) GEORGE GIPI'S. His Excellent y tiien letircd, and the Council adj 'mined.