The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, MONDAY, JANUARY 1, IS(U.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 44, 4 January 1864, Page 3

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, MONDAY, JANUARY 1, IS(U.

SPKCTKMVtt AOKXDO. GWo overy man thine car. Init few thy voice: Tr,o each tn:tns ccnmirn. lint n-aerve thy judgment. This above all,—To thlno ownsclf liu true; A«rt it must f How, im the nlcht the day, Thou canst not then lie false tn nny innn."

Thk question of the remuval of the Seat of Government is one of such paramount importance to the people of this city and province that we feel constrained, at the present moment, to re-enter upon the question at the risk of reiterating arguments and ideas which we have previously brought before our readers.

It lias been said by the would bo rivals of Auckland that from a public mooting of her citizens but a very ono sided view of tho question under discussion was likely to bo obtained, and that tho addresses of any two men of equal amount of ability and habits of observation would be ono and tho same speech in a somewhat clift'erent dress. Admitting all this, the Auckland people do not, we are happy to see, intend to stand by dumbly, and leave the advancement of their claims to those who could no doubt have something to say on both sides. If they do not assert their o.vn rights if is not likely that their rivals will do so tin- them, and therefore we shall not fool surprised if for this evening, in tho Brunswick Hall, the advocates of the " somewhere in Cook's Straits" refrain from urging tho claims of that " somewhere" before an Auckland public. But, whilst the opponents of the Wellington clique do not fail to urge argument upon argument against the insidious attempt to set aside tho capital of Her Majesty's proclamation, we trust that, for their own sake as well as for the honour and independence, of Auckland, the question will be alone considered upon its broadest grounds— the good of the colony as a whole; —that no allusion to those guaranteed and vested interests in the enjoyment of which Auckland has a most indisputable right to be continued, will for once he made, so that even the appearance of local bias may be removed from the solemn protest which the people of Auckland, on behalf of the colony of New Zealand, are about to prefer against the intrigues of a small but, in the present position of affairs, very dangerous clique of the Representatives of three thinly peopled and unimportant provinces out of nine. We may safely forbear the discussion of these local interests and rights, satisfied that thev will receive due consideration from that source whence they have been obtained, (namely the Crown.) to which source the final settlement of the question in dispute must, if pressed to an issue, be referred. It often happens that a party in Parliament, weak and insignificant in itself, springs into power by the peculiar position of other parties in reference to each other —becomes, in fact, the extra weight which can cause the balance to kick the beam on either side; and somewhat in this position did the Wellington members find themselves during the past session. The question which lies dearest to their heart has always been the removal of the scat, of Government to Wellington, and provided they were enabled to carry a striug of resolutions to that purpose, they were willing enough to eat the lock of vigorous prosecution, and offer no obstruction to the important ministerial policy in which they did not heartily concur. It can scarcely be said that the decision of a Parliament on any question, obtained by such a union of " log rolling " as this, represents the wish of even the Bepresentativcs themselves, still less so of the country at large. The passing of these resolutions was in fact nothing more nor less than a piece of political slight of hand, and does not represent j tho wishes of as many as one-third of the colonists of New Zealand, and would be most detrimental to the interests of the three principal and most rapidly progressing, provinces, Auckland, Otago, and Southland. Hawke's Bay and Taranaki are both inimical to the proposed change, aiid even in Kelson, and especially in Canterbury, there is much diversity of opinion on tho matter. From tho public announcement placarded about tho town we gather that it is tho intention of the promoters of the meeting of this evening, that her Majesty the Queen shall be memorialised against the proposed removal of the seat of Government. In such a resolution we should most heartily concur; but if tho committee stop thus short of tho mark they v.ill fail in tho object intended. The primary resolution should rather bo, the address of a, Fuotest to tho Grovornoru of the Australian colonicH, pointing out the indelicacy of tho position in which the .House of BepreeoutrftivcH have endeavoured to place them, as arbitrators in this matter—the dissatisfaction with which any interference on their part will be received by the colonists generally —and tho determination of the people of New Zealand to refuse to receive that decision, if given, as final. Simply to rnemorialize tho Crown would be, situated Bβ we are in point of distance and time, merely to hato locked the stable door when the steed was stolen. Were the decision of the Governors of tho Australian colonies, and the absent of his Excellency here, on the part of tho Crown; mice obtained, tho rnisclu'ef might b<s considered to be achieved the iniquity consummated: but we think that the actual struggle would only then commence, for we should then bo compelled to memorialize the Crown that - tho seat of Government. might be. restored, or the Separation of the two islands effected;—a largo sum of public money would have been meanwhile aquandercd in Wellington, £50,000 having been already voted and appropriated for that purpose We have, however, too much faith in tne honor and clear-sightedness of tho Australian Governors, to believe that they will lend themselves to carry out the discre.fctftl.lc intrigue of any political party in a colony over which they have no coutrol,and,as regards the peculiar local capabilities, interests, and al« the relative positions of tho provinces o; 1 which they have no especial means ot obtain--1 ino- information, nay, of all which they musi be supposed to know far less than the peopli

for whom they are called upon to decide. They are, we believe, too far-sighted to allow themselves to bo made the tools of any cabal and to place themselves in the false position of either having their decision reversed by the Crown, or of having been made instrumental in bringing about the dismemberment of the colony of New Zealand, the certain and speedy result of placing the seat of Government where it would be impossible to administer to cither of the great centres of wealth and population—Auckland and Otago. Geographically, Wellington may be the centre of these islands, but- to placo the seat of Government there, in a broken sterile country, with a harbour ill adapted for trade and commerce, where there is no safe holding ground, and where wrecks of large vessels aro consequently of not uncommon occurrence, would be a fatal experiment to try upon this t country for the sake of geographical uniformity—the more especially when we find that in none of the countries of Europe have tho trade and commerce of years settled the capital in a central position. The only instance in which the capital ot a British colony has been changed is, wo believe, that of Canada. Originally fixed in Montreal, it wrie removed to Toronto, and, a few years since, by the wish of a majority of the. inhabitant*, the question as to the whereabouts of the future capital was left to tho decision of the Crown.

In the decision of any lower tribunal than the Crown wo have no faith. The people of New Zealand will not abide by it. AVe have ween how these schemes are managed in the colonies, and the perversion of his mission by Mr. Crosbio "Ward in striving to make Wellington the port of call for the Panama route, shows how surely the interests of Auckland may be sacrificed to Southern intrigue. Mr. "Ward, we have reason to believe, went home with plans drawn out, in which Wellington was pourtrayed as the great centre to which all other lines would con verge. Though his instruct ions to leave the determination of the port of call unarranged were definite and conclusive, we find that he has, on his own authority, advertised for the conveyance of mails from Panama to Wellington! The Southern element docs not now influence the present Ministry so largely as then —of the men now in power wo hope better things, and trust ihat they will use the utmost circumspection to prevent a wrong; and an injustice being perpetrated by any one portion of the colony upon any other portion.