WELLINGTON.

New Zealander, Volume 12, Issue 1028, 23 February 1856, Page 2 (Supplement)

WELLINGTON.

THE I.AN'D rOLICY OF NEW ZEALAND. v,.i:».;,,,T0 the Editor of (he. ,V< K > Zealand, fy. ctator. i , Wellington, December 33, I HbS. e — ? ou cou,c! fi|lJ room, jti vour paper.of.Satuiv flay, for the enclosed letter to niv friend Z-, I i-hould fwl to you. ''■''■'■ 1 " | '■. I'liave'tlie Itunour"to be, Sir, ,; Your obedif-rir servaiit, EDWAKD Al. CURR.

:■■ My DEAR Z,—-Do you rehiembcr your request tri me as ;we rode out to. the Hutt some weeks ,'ngo ? It was oiie of those; keen -fresh, sunny elastic 'days'; so grateful to one whose blood has been; like aiiti' l , -oil. d for years by a hot sun, when one forgets one's old country with the'' glorious ..king of dav," a feeling now doubly previous to me when I remember I • h.:ll titnl tuvM-lf i;i the fervid tropics of AuMra)iu. ■'•.■■ Jt'^atf-a' ! beaiitifiil morning, and as chance Ifd our conversation to the:politics of this Province. I could not but deem myself fortunate in meet'ug one whnwas tied to no party, and wedded to no string of antecedent errors—but an observer in the land—who was willing to hs-ar, or to give an opinion, or silt a point of policy w.th the same calmness we might .have been brought to discuss when we were boys, a " Nocies" of Old Kit North, it a damp sheet from the artistic pen of Mac-! aulay. J Jt is at your request I now.write, and to yon „I: address myself as I now take leave of New Zealand" and its grievances ; and if I recall to your, recollection! <m oui-ride,,and with pur conversation on the salient! errors of this Government—if I s remind you of Hie! bright Sim, the green hills, the. pure air, the dark bluej bay sleeping so s'illy, the small gushing waterfall pour-! ing through the sombre karaka-elad gully, the tiny rill; which trickles oh to the t*Oad through its,channel,Cworni into the solid rock bard by the land-slips, it is that by! recalling the present accessaries to our conversation "to' your recollection, I may indulge in the hope that you will perhaps find less stale my wrilteu recapitulation.! 'I told you on that occasion, you wil remember that I) Jiad been just about sending to the Spectator a letter, written at the request of some of my friends—-describ-; ing the results of toy twelve months' personal experi- ■ /ence in tbis province; and that I would at my leisure put on 1 paper for you—or any one else who chose to! jcmd it—-some reflections on the means of progress ueglectedi and on some of those measures which appear \ to me to have crushed the young feet of this still tottering colony,—a colony which after struggling some '■■'•'■ fourteen or sixteen years, is still so ill-assured, that -wereiitliot (or the proteetiou of tier Majesty's: troops. it migntat anr moment, by the attack of a few thousand naked Maories, be bloUcd from the list of British polonies. "

I will, then, confirm myself to a few remarks on the administration of the Waste Land*—the acquisition of land from the >\laoiies—-theScab Act and the Squatters. To begin—l have heard of a lately-elected member at the II utt, urging in conversation the wise policy pf endeavouring to, exclude Australian capitalists from this country. Now let me ask the public a few questions,! Is it not a fact that a man with a house to sell ■worth £IOOO finds great difficulty in meeting- with a man who can afi'ord to give Lima cheque for it, however commodious or spacious it may be; or a farmer to find a purchaser for his farm ; or sheepowner who could sell off 5000 of his sheep ; or a shopkeeper who could dispose of his business ? Is it not a Fact that h,u?i:iesa of fevjery description is slow, and but of retail extent andcalilire 1 ? ".',' To those who cannot answer ray question in: the , : affirmative-—if there are such to be found—to suchascah ...*:. say, this is a great country-—oursbops are good,.large, and b'riiliant—our merchants conduct a large commerce —ships from every crowd our harbour—our Squatters riv.jl the Australian Woo! Kinirs—to such 1 would say,. "Friend, your are born blind, and if nature !»as denied you tbe faculty W bicb enables men to discover the between black and white, I can regret your .".visitation,-- but would be; excused from teaching \ you the alphabet used; by the blind, and leading you ■ by reasonings to some substitute for sight." To such as agree with, ma .that the interests of this country are small—insignificant, and not by any mams growing rapidly, I will address myself in another

manner. To those 1 say : you see, the stand-sriM condition—the poverty of these provinces, and feel the disadvantage c,f being a colonist where you cannot acquire wei*' ;. \, «n<e there is in the country so little to be acquired. Now, how for e.vimpla would a farmer at the Hutt like to find b:s acres "saleable at 150 J. a

piece, and yet in the vicinity of {Melbourne sueh a sale ajrould, not; be considered a wonder. And though it would be folly to compare this,town and province with Victoria and Melbourne —gold-fields out of the question—still 1 should like to see the progress of tilings "'• iielpefl here, and i-x rtjjn stimulated by a comparison with what has beeu ilonein " Victoria—by fostering' . industry-r-rin other by allowing, the application !..;•> of industry tO;fit objects., 1 will proceed to adduce a few more iustances of prosperity, ami aMow you people of Wellington, at the end of them, to ask. yourselves if yon intend for ever to be left behind so Jar in the r.tct: of enterprise and improvement. My father in 1843 bougbt'a house in Melbourne for 1200/.. Three'days alter;it; was burnt down. He rebuilt it as Lawyers'; Chambers and a Savings' Bank, at the cost of 1400 i. This building never yielded less than 20 per cent, per annum on the outlay, and in 1853, ten years after.it was built, his heirs refused' perty. '" Would tbe bolder of town property here like to iind his allotments rising in ya!ne--if so, let him call aloud' for encouragement to emigrants and to capitalists:-: in 1839 anaqquaintaintance of mine bought a quarter •of an acre of town land in £ol!ins»str.e.et, ; Me,lbourne,, at or 400/. TnISH, two years after the purchase, and mark—'en years before gold-fields were dreamt ot—that rjtiarter of an acre was knocked down by thy auctioneer's! hammer at 10,000/. and paid for. Would a rise sueh as this—or even of but half its " -extent please the holder of Wei iogton town allotments ? if so, let him at the hustings ask the candidate for the Provincial Couuci!, if he is an advocate for a liberalcosmopolitan policy, or if he will lend his weight to still shut up "life■'"lands and'hkrbours of the colony, and condemn the people to perpetual poverty and insigni- ■ ■■■■■};fijan.ce.-; ;";'■;"/■;;;- '■'■'■ ■""""" ■ ■-!■■:■ In 1841 a gentleman went homo from Melbourne, ...;.. and meeting on his way to the ship a friend, he asked himtotalte a.part'ma; cup with him. They retired to a hotel, and qualfed their valedictory nobhlers. The gentleman who was leaving for England, before he left the tahle, pat iii-t baud into hifl pocket, and drawing ■•out. some deeds, " here"are the titles to two or three

tuiburbdu ui;r!'s I •bought at the * upset:price a few , months ago ; they are useless to mor—tbo outlay, wa».a bagatelle-rand I make you a present of them." His friend received them 0.3 of little value—thanked bm. and they parted. A few months after, his friend also failed for England, carrying the titles nidi him. Time slipped oh. In 1852 this '"gentleman returned, and .■naturally'wished to see" what had become of his free - gift acres. Localities Tasi well Xs.circumstances had .-much altered. The gentleman searched, for his pro-, . ,pei-ty and found it. The gum tree bad been felledj fences erected, streets laid out and macadamised,,houses with busy occupants were there, population.poured its . stream'(last the door. The owner ehiiiurd. the long: noglictod property,made" good"' his claim, and- some enormous sum, I tbiritr, £IOO,OOO came to the bands of the owner of the valueless title-deed?;' Ho sent'» hand-' ..eouie present to the friend in•■ England, who over a . bad given away a fortune. Would you, happy dwellers on the Wellington Beach, wish some day to awake from your apathetic liip-yati-Winkle-dike ■ slumlierf,mid find you have reaped even the legitimata fruits of increased value iii property in a progressive colony "which, as yet, you have not began to reap : if so, call on your government for immigration, throw. overboard the man, the party, or system, who under any pretence would '-keep looked up ,the. door of your L'and Office. , Re ceive as'.;a test of,efficiency in youi. ruler=i the luiiuher of immigrants, and the amount of cipitalivsth ir measures have in luc il to settle amongst ou. Will tin: honor of reprr'C.mting you in Council, up wnu backwardness in the newspapers luce "them "here 1 Will scortery, or-fertile 1 drid beyond tli ir reach suffice? Will the facility of iin<? sheep at, 3(K, or cattle at £]() ahead, which stralia offers at 8s and ,i J l, invite th«m? Ridiculous J ad ! ~.:lnnd ! laud ! Freehold estates, this is all except „u)C clim-ite-you have to 0%-, That which brings ~,'.! Englishman, the German, the .Frenchman, the lalian, the Swirzt»r, to America. That v% hicli i* peopling the forests of Canada, that ivbich tint - " couh ur <!" rofto" the aiiri-ba':e.l plains of S-nith' Africa. That whioh all men desire—i portion of the bind God made for them. The more-cheaply U>ti can sell your lauds, the sooner you will become a flourishing people, and few you -will ifind will desueto invest in; land, aud.not make "ood u*y of it, if you d aw your land revenue--,jri.G r t from,your huul sales, .but from a land tax., And vet there are niep amongst you, I have beard, latch- eiected members <n the" General Assembly, who still "wish to keep out e;.ima!i.-it«. What It aders! What J>P dators! What Statc-im >n ! 'I I ongh it i« 11 )t so exM'aofdinavy aj at tirnf sight it mi^ht 1 appear, wh»n one jou-iders the stuff of which your Legislators are mad,?. I neither question tneir natural abilities in this, nor their honesty. But is Stateftinanghip, the only trade which inquires no train- ; v. ill flie young stateauniii puceeed in htr-Ling nut a fortunate path for himtieli Hi :hii neglects the exyuieuce of the past and

would ingore what is passing in the world around him | nhiitiigst those sitnihiry situatedwiib himself. In classes even; and in families where the res publica has I hi't-ri ihi l .«tudv ill' "cueiaii. ns, where the child baa lisped ■;! joh.icK at tlio Kriri- of bis grandsire, and dej voted his energy in.'u youth to old ;i-. in the conduct I of.|>uMi<: banners, how seldom we meet with a mind 'which deviates from' pre cedent yet arrives at success. I'ljTWB age nri'. i»uoh winds other than of iare occurrence. Hofuc lis-- lisid oir*-> I{iui K', India I saw long dynasties pass by before Peter built his palace i on the Neva, and culled from the worsbop of Holland and the Court of St. James' the rudiments of bis I. navies iind: the policy of a mighty-empire : and drawing around him from every side the shepherd, the slave, the petty cbie*', the hunter, and the savage, laid the foundation of a state which; bearing the stamp of his mighty mind and ever ; moving• onwards, has at , la->t fixed its gaze on boundless dominion, and is at this moment rebutting unshaken the forces of aiworld in

"arms. ; -■■ . _' ; Anotherof the anomalies oft bis country whilst the Provinces can each main ain a Superintendent, Treasurer, St'c, the General Government can afford but one Commissioner for the purchase of land from the natives for all its provinces. Yet the services of that officer involve a greater responsibiity and are of more; vital consequence to the country than: those of any other officer or depaifment in these islands. But if the country is ill-ruled, the old saying •• if we; do not expect,perfection, we at least expect consistency" cannot be brought against you. You are eminently consistent! Whilst you sacrifice your land to the you at least endeavour to cripple bis exertions and weigh down his energies, probably that be may riot be too much -in advance of the rest of the community. Else why does one so frequently bear it a compbiint in 'mien's mouths that Mr. So-and-so. squats on 100,000 and 200,000,",cre5, and Mr. Such-a-one him a run of 200,000 acres? Do you expect that your little squatter with his 4,000 sheep and bis twenty thousand acres, will import rams, improve your breed, and give you the example in washing and shearing, culling and breeding sheep, which is; so ; much needed bere, and the want of which I I. should say,ifrpm what J have seen of your shee|) farming, probably acts as a draw-back in the London Market t-» the amount of 2d. or 3c). per pound on your wool ? Why not let the squatter he free to invest bis ■ money in sheep to auy amount he pleases? He is but : the forerunner of the purchaser of land. At.the same ! time, I think a tax,on the land he occupies at the rate \ of Bank interest bn,the upset price of the land might be fairly exacted from bira by the community, and ; would have a good.tendency in inducing men to buy instead of squat. If art individual buys IQ.OOO acres, ho certainly woulil expect from any -tenant to whom he mislU let bis land,; bank interest pn his purchase, and why should not those w.bp administer the affairs of the public require for the public that which.they could and would seek in their own private affairs. Besides, such a regulation would, by encouraging gentlemen to rnalte purchases of land bea measureof good tendency. Of your Scab Act I have not much to say. Of course it operates fearfully against the importation of sheep, and condemns the people to eat dear mutton. How is it that " independent electors'* will endure such rulers ? One would have supposed that one of the measures most anxiously fostered here wotild -have been such as would have given every encouragement and-facility to the importer* of sheep and cattle that you might as soon as possible have bad an export trade. At this moment you would not bayestock enough if yon were called upon'to feed a large immigration,,; 1 could have imagined large quarantine grounds being reserved for the importer of stock to the country free of charge Ito defend delicate stock from the - inclemency of the [weather, la lessening- the risk to the importer you would have lessened the price to yourselves* I could :,luvye imagined the i3cab Act as lenient as was consistent with the safety of the sheep already in the country. But no you would have Warned the importer from your .shores. Will not such measures, however, guarantee a firm remunerative price Co thoseitwho already have Increasing flocks here? ■' • I bare done, my dear Sir. Perhaps you will Bay, l" somewhat too much of this.'' Ohejam satis. And ;yet, should what I have,said aid in inducing one public (spirited member the Provincial Council when it has become entrusted with the control of the public lands, to lift up bis voice against measures ridiculous and suicidal, 1 shall not have spoken in vain. Sucba man too, would, I con attest, find many supporters here. ' How often have people in the last fortnight signfied to me their acquiescence in ray views, arid in reply to :my question, " Then why do you look on in silence at such mismanagement,'', replied,—ln tb's small com..munite, from fears.of pecuniary disadvantages,- we dare nor speak. They feel the tyranny of the majority. One remark, and I have done. I think I hear some one ask, " Who is this that so sweepingly condemns the policy of this country and province?'' Who throws down the gauntlet to a whole colony—arraigns the public measures and says to the public.vOc a be wroxg —-your legislators are.; but slop-made.—your citizens haveyet to learn colonisation. Is the name to he found at the foot of his paper, the accuser? No. 1 have not alone braved the obloquy of a whole people. The voice:from.all surrounding colonisation pronounces judgment upon you. The experience of America condemns you—the result of Australian colonisation points at you. Common sense has curled its lips with contempt, and tbe.results of.your infatuation—your present insignificance—justifies the oontempt, and pins the scoru to your shoulders. I beg, my deor Z, to remain, "'■■ Yours very truly, Edward M. Curr.