New Zealand Gazette AND WELLINGTON SPECTATOR.

New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, Volume III, Issue 188, 26 October 1842, Page 2

New Zealand Gazette AND WELLINGTON SPECTATOR.

Wednesday, October 26, 1842, A short time since we made reference to an article which appeared in the Colonial Gazette on the necessity of securing to Colonies capital in sufficient quantity to enable the community emigrating, to secure at once means of existence at least equal to those which all classes of the emigrating community enjoyed in the land which they abandoned. That portion of the article which more immediately bears upon the subject, and which embodies the suggestions the intelligent author has to offer upon it, will be found in another part of to-day's paper. A deficiency of capital has long cramped the energies of the settlers here. There are numerous pursuits which might be followed advantageously were there a class possessed of the means to enter upon them, or could the present community berome possessed of the requisite capital in any other mode. Not only is this an admitted fact, but we have witnessed in these Colonies an unemployed population arising out of the same circumstances. Thus we have profitable means of employment and population to be employed, but lack the means of uniting these links of the chain. The necessary relation between population, capital, and a field of employment, to obtain a happy physical social state is both well understood and admitted. The Wakefield system provides for a useful relation between land to be occupied arid population, and appears to have assumed that such being secured — capital would never be found to be deficient. The result of the first experiment seemed to justify this assumption. In South Australia, not only was capital abundant, but superabundant. Its excess led to extravagance, idleness, and mad speculation, from the effects ■of which that Colony is now slowly but gradually recovering. That Colony was founded at one of those periods when confidence in mercantile success is great, and which lead to a willingness to embark in any plan which appears feasible. At that moment, the faith in the perfection of the system was at its height, and its numerous advocates most enthusiastic. And not only did a large number of the middle class proceed with capital to the Colony, but a powerfnl society called the South Australian Company was organized, through which several hundred thousand pounds were introduced to the Colony and permanently employed there in the purchase and cultivation of land, in whaling, banking, and the introduction of stock. This Colony was established under far different circumstances. We were not only not sanctioned in our proceedings by the Government, but experienced a series of annoyances which could not fail to make all sober minded people distrustful of our colonizing adventure.- The madness of ' Colonel Gawler in the management of South Australian affairs destroyed the confidence of- those who had adopted the system without duly examining it. A fear of the native population and the doubt of titles, with the continued embarrassment of the jjommercial passes in? England,* added .to theforegoing circumstarjoei i fully account for the differeiirce^6f'"degre/i'' in

which capital was'supplied^to South Australia and has been supplied to^New Zealand. We have long? noteft the deficiency of capital here; aud have on all suitable occasions urged the subject on the attention of our friends in England. At first they would not admit the deficiency, but maintained that our state had a common origin with the embarassments of the sister colonies— while it is a notorious fact that no "speculation has ever taken plare since the colony was formed ; and that the humour of our population is much more Dutch than Yankee like. Subsequently our friends admitted that the system did not guarantee a due supply of capital. One of the consequences is the able article in the Colonial Gazette, and from the discussion it will beget, we have no doubt much good will ensue. Another consequence of the admission is, that the New Zealand Company have been occupied in discussing the best mode of meeting this most important of our wants. The Nelson Examiner has a long article suggested by the article in the Colonial Gazette, from which we make our extract. Our friend is severe upon the mercantile class, regarding them as a main cause of the deficiency of capital requisite for the essential purposes of settlement, through the temptation they offer to unwise expenditure by the introduction of too many of the good things of this life; this attack would not have been made had our contemporary kept in mind the difference between the old and modern system of colonizing. From the tenor of the article, the Examiner is evidently of opinion, that all colonists should go through the severe discipline of the former system, while the purpose of the latter is to put an end to any such necessity. There is no doubt that, in pigs and potatoes we have all that is really necessary to sustain a colony, and that it would slowly and surely arrive at prosperity with these means alone. Under the old system of long suffering and short commons the easy condition of the New Zealand settlers — secure in pigs and potatoes — would have been regarded with a jealous eye. But the purpose of the modern system, as we have already stated, is to secure to all classes of the emigrating community an existence at least equal to that to which they had been previously accustomed, with a hopeful prospect of greatly improving their condition in consideration of breaking up all associations, submitting to the perils of the sea — and enduring the smallest possible amount of discomfort, to which the act of unsettling yourself could be reduced by proceeding to a new and unoccupied locality. There are numerous articles of consump- ! ; tion which we may call luxuries out here, merely because very dear, which from habit j have become necessaries. We feel sure our friend will admit beer and tobacco to be a case in point, and will agree with us that an efficient system of colonization would not require man to have to abstain from the use of these articles for several years, until indeed when again to be procured they shall have lost half their charms. We do feel that if the surveys duly anticipated the arrival of the settlers and immigration, capital and the field of employment preserved their proper ! relations, it would not be necessary for cmi- ! grating communities, for years to have to \ regard necessaries as luxuries — nor for them to endure more than a tithe of the inconveniences to which even now they are put. j The scheme suggested by the Colonial Gazette is clever, but we join the Nelson Examiner in doubting whether it could be applied in Colonies already partially formed — and also with our contemporary in thinking that the best mode of meeting our case is by introducing the Loan Fund system. We had intended to have offered some remarks upon the subject of meeting another want of the utmost consequence, the means of making roads, but must defer it to another occasion. The Colony is now well supplied with flour. The Cheerful is the first vessel which has been sent from these parts with the intention of returning here with flour. She has brought 1 40 tons of excellent quality. The Amwell from Sydney, has 105 tons. The Bright Planet also from Sydney, has brought 40 tons. Tflnere was some flour in stock, and all taken together, the stock will now amount to about 350 tons. To this we may expect 50 tons more will be added from Sydney, before the news of the large stock we have on hand can be received there. This stock of flour, with what is already at Nelson and New Plymouth, will fully supply the wants of Cook's Straits, until the arrival of the Brougham and Nelson, from Valparaiso, when we shall again receive from 450 to 500- tons. Henceforward, we suspect, flour will not be dearer than in the neighbouring Colonies. The arrival of the Adelaide from Hobart Town via Nelson, furnished us with papers from "South. Australia to the 13th September, from Van Dieman's Land to toe 30th Sep-

tember, and from Nelson" to rthe 15tbV of October. ', ",/ The schooner Gunet, built by Captain Thomas at Otaki, has been cast a-shore there. It appears that on Monday last she got under weigh ami was leaving Otaki river with a fair breeze, on her first trip for this place, but when almost clear of the breakers it fell calm, and the surf coming in sent her on the beach high and dry. We are informed the Ganet can easily be got off, but that if the owners delay for any time, and the wind sets in strong from the N.W., she will go to pieces. A Saw Mill, belonging to Mr. Simmons, is being erected at Karori, so that as soon as the road is completed we may expect to have wood at a cheap rate, thus lessening, the great expences attendant on building, as well as enabling our merchants to send timber at a low price to the neighbouring settlements. We have heard of several parties who intend proceeding to Karori to start farming, and this district is likely to become one of the most important in the vicinity of Wellington. On Saturday last, a boat race came off between three whale boats — Mr. Wade's steered by W. Wood, Mr. Young's by J. Loan, and Mr. Murray's of Cloudy Bay, by R. Fife. The entrance money was £5, the first boat to have £10, and the second to clear her stake. The starting point was opposite the South Sea Hotel, roun I the barque Indemnity anchored at Kai Warra, a distance of about four miles there and back. At one o'clock the boats took their stations, and at four minutes past, on the signal being given, off they started in beautiful style. The match was kept up with great spirit, no difference being perceptible for some time, when Mr. Young's boat took the lead. This however, did not last long, for Murray's boat manned with powerful men who were old and experienced whalers, soon shot a-liead. On rounding the Indemnity, Mr. Wade's boat took the second place, and the same was kept up for the remainder of the race; Murray's boat coming in about half-a-minute before Mr. Wade's, and Mr. Young's two minutes or so behind. It was a well contested race, but had the pull been greater the winners would have had their work to do, as Mr. Wade's crew were exerting themselves wonderfully and evidently gaining ground. The affair was concluded in twenty-five minutes. The winning boat was French built, the other two weie built in this place by Mr. George Allen, and it is only justice to say that it was merely the superior strength of the men and through no defect in the boats that the race was won ; in fact Mr. Murray's men stated, that with one of Allen's boats they would have won by half-a-mile. We trust that as the whaling stations have now all broken up, the long talked of regatta will take place. Subscriptions might be entered into to make the prize worth trying for, besides it would have the effect of cheering the vspirits of the hardy fellows who have had such a bad season.