Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 163, 29 July 1854, Page 2

Shipping News.

ARRIVED. July 17, the Thomas and Henry, 236 tons, Davies, master, from Sydney, via "Wellington, with a general cargo. Passengers — C. Roebuck and D. Sinclair. — Tayler, agent. July 26, the Steamer* Nelson, 215 tons, Martin, master, from Port Victoria. Passengers — Messrs. Studholme & Clapcott.— Macandrew & Co., agents. CLEARED O'TJT FROM THE CUSTOM-HOTTSE. July 14, the Despatch, 13d tons, Rogers, from Port Victoria, with part of original cargo, 35 cwt. potatoes, and.9sobushls.oat8 — Swinbourne. Mansford, agent.

(• Birth. — At Dunedin, on the 22nd instl, the wife of Mr. John Nicolson of a Daughter.

The Witness Xvill be published next Saturday.

Dunedin, Saturday, July 29, 1854.

With the prospect before us of the speedy return of our Representatives from the General Assembly, and under the impression that with their return either the present or a npwlv elected Council must at once be rmivened. »c leel called upon, with a view to the encouragement of public and -private discussion, to take, the land question under consideration as being perhaps the most important subject which will occupy its immediate attention. Taking for granted, from^his Excellency's opening address to the Assembly, as also.. from private advices received from- the seat of Government, that the entire administration of the demesne lands of the Crown will be handed over to the "various Provincial Governments, and that to them will be committed the power of fixing the price within their respective boundaries, we come to the question, How are these lands to be disposed of, so as to confer the greatest possible good on the present and future population of the Province ? Admitting the difficulty with which the question is fraught, and the direct influence which the adjustment and administration will exert on the general policy of the Government and prosperity of the Province, we feel somewhat diffident in venturing our remarks on the subject. In dealing with the question, it will be necessary to contrast the past with the present, and then draw conclusions to guide us for the future. In reviewing the past, or the administration of the Association, we find that provision was made from land sales for Emigration, Surveys, Roads, Bridges, Religion and Education ; while under the present system or administration of Mr. Commissioner Mantell, we find (as far as we have been able to ascertain) provision made solely for the New Zealand Company and the payment of salaries and current expenses ; and this too, notwithstanding the fact, as we believe, that nearly as much land has been sold under the present as under the past' administration. Such being the case, it might appear at first sight to be no,, very difficult matter to decide as to which plan should be adopted for the future ; but here a commercial question arises — Can we dispose of our commodity at 40s. per acre, while our immediate neighbours have reduced theirs to 10s.? We should say. decidedly not. It then follows that, we must dispense with some of the Funds which the land sales under the Association wereintended to provide, and to some extent have provided ; and it becomes a question which of them we could most easily relinquish. We would suggest that each purchaser should pay the expense of his own survey ; that religion having received a start under the Association, must not look to the land fund for any further support ; that education must be provided for by direct taxation ; and that roads, and bridges must be a charge upon our general revenue, exclusive of the land fuad. Under this arrangement the land would be relieved of every burden, except such sum as it may be actually necessary to impose for the introduction of labourers, who again in theirturn would become purchasers of land, and ihus provide the means for the introduction of others.

The increase of population which must result from a. properly organised system of immigration would have the effect of increasing our general revenue, and would thus provide the necessary funds for the formation of roads and bridges. While such would be the case with the revenue, the carrying out of every scheme that might be projected in the Province would be facilitated ; our individual contributions for Churches and other objects, and our taxes for education, would be proportionately reduced, inasmuch as the contributors would be greater in number. But beyond these advantages, it would induce capitalists to settle amongst us ; and by the combination of capital and labour, a rapid increase of our export trade would naturally ensue. Such is a brief outline of the benefits to be derived from an immigration fund.^ But in further pursuing the subject we will confine our remarks to the influence which it will exert on the formation of roads in the Province. As already stated, we would draw funds for this purpose from the general revenue, and would suggest the propriety of negociating a loan — say of ten, twenty, or thirty thousand pounds, on the security of, and to form a first charge on, the revenue, which we have no doubt could be effected at or about 5 per cent, per annual. -Supposing that such >& plan -were adopted, and that.the thousands of pounds ;were in the treasury, we would ask whetnlr^it -\»ould be possible to* expend them? We'iind that the labour now ia this Province falls very far short

of the demand. Such being the case, the formation of roads would become a public evil instead of a public benefit, inasmuch as it would stop *H • operations on the part of the agriculturist, by the withdrawal of his labour. We must defer entering at present on the question of price — suffice it to say that we would reduce it to the lowest possible sum consistent with provision being made for a steady supply of labour, and for the fair proportion which would fall as its share towards the sup- ; port of the Government. The expenditure of , our land department, we apprehend, might be \ reduced to nearly one-third the present outlay, ' which, together with the one-fourth part of gross receipts allotted by Act of Parliament to j the New Zealand Company, must amount to ' sotiewhere about £1200 per annum, requiring ; Bal( j s of some 2400 acres to be made yearly, in I order to meet the current expenses. | By the Thomas and Henry, which arrived here I on the 17th inst. from Sydney, via Wellington, we received our colonial papers to late dates, containing English intelligence to 4th April. "Weir agriinst Russia h.id been formally declared both in England and France — (see 4th page.) The markets con»e- ' quent upon this announcement had gone up. An j advance of Bs. per quarter on wheat was noted on 3rd April ; and American flour at 4os. per barrel. Freights from England to Australia £4 to £5, and i to New Zealand £6. — The steamer Nelson brings no > later English news. The latest papers from Auckland date to 7th July ; but as we have as yet been | unable to go over them, we have given place in ano- > ther column to a leader from the Nelson Examine}; I which gives a necessarily brief but excellent outline j of the Assembly's proceedings. I