THE GOVERNMENT OF NEW ZEALAND.

Taranaki Herald, Volume I, Issue 9, 29 September 1852, Page 4

THE GOVERNMENT OF NEW ZEALAND.

fore, however, thii formidabta difficulty it allowed to frustrate ilio liberal intention!) of Sir John Pokington, or, before we liave recourse to the desperate eipedicnt suggcited by Mr. Ajjli'inoy of saddling the people of thin country with the payment nf two hundred and tixty-clght thousand pollndi to redeem the watte lands of New Zrnlnml from tha mortgage, we hope ihut tome inquiry may he miulii into tho rirciiiiistnnce<; under which Ilio sum wot paid ond the mortgage was contracted. What wcro tho rcprricntaliunn —what the inducements, vtbirb led to So vast an expenditure of public n oney nnd so fatal a forestalling of the resources of tho colony for iho benefit of a merely commercial company,? Iv what manner hava those turns been expended .' We can imagine no more suitable employment fi r n select cotrmittre than the clearing up of i lie mysteiy. and no more fitting itcromp.iniinrnt 10 the New Zi-alnnd Dill thnn a production of all I lie documents in the Colonial ('(lire tending to throw light on these strango and suspici us proceeding*.

[From the Timk«.]

The new constitution for New Zealand has met "ritb a very favourable rereption from the Ilouie of Commons, nnd there seem? n strong disposition to adopt its general oulliiics wilbnnt much ducimlon or inquiry. Sir John Pukinßton doubtless deserves much credit for tbu promptitude with which he has grappled with this difficult subject, and the conciliatory rpint nhich rhnrnc crizo his speech nnd his measure. But the matter is too important to bo eomplrtfunted away, and we nre bound to offer, in no unfriendly spirit, the criticisms which the jitnn sug^e^ts, but Ahich the desultory discussion in the llo'.iscof Commons fulled to supply.

The Europrun population of New Zealand is Yslimntfil by Sir John Paklngton at about twenty !.ix thousand souls. If "c allow for the largo numhrrs who will be nttracted to the colil fields of AuMrnlin, the estimate will prohnbly lie too high, though tbe nmnuut of the riiluclion mus'. be mere nuittrr of cnnj:c(urn. Tn this population, amounting barely to one-fourth of the number reqiiirrd to constitute n fugle Slate of the American Union, it is proposed to apply a constitution not dissimilar in its outlined to that of the United States, New Zi'dlnml is os vrc arc told to be cnn»idered ns one colony, hut this unity cm) he little inoro than nominal, since it is to contain within Itself su indeprndunt and co-ordinate Legislatures, each potscsing the power of making Idwd on nil subject! except foiirtirn ttpcrfiic bends. There is also a Central Legislature, restricted, t.c prrnnmo, to the fourteen powert from which the ir/cM Lcgislatiirei nro excluded.* Each of the rix districts is lo bnve a stiprrintcndtnt, to whom Ihc executive power is vested. Tho Ccntrnl Lcginlftuiio, is to consiit of two chamber*, the Upper nominated by the Crown (luriiic/l'lensure, nnd the Lower elected by tha people. To the Central Lc gitlnturc is to be dclegnlcd the management of the rnvemic arising from waste lands, un'l, if we 'understand rightly, from wasto lands themselves.

Wo bnve not left ourvlre< tpnre 'o <li«cu" the qurs'ion of nlut form of Ijogislnttare ought to itibstituted fur Uio rompliralcd and overrrfincd institutions which we nro iibnut to Inflict upon Now Z\n'.and • bm we may Ventura tv as«crt that without regular info nnd speedy rommuiiicntion by son, nny neutral representative government in New Zmland must bo inefficient and almost impiactlcnblc, onil with such commiiuicntion Ihcre is no reason why ihn tvholv legislative buiinesi of ilio country should not heconducted by one Centra! Lcenlaturo, consisting of l ivo chambers. If Ni-w Zoalund "in to be treated ns oni 1 colony tbe lornl legijlnturc arc needless, nnd if ns six, the Ccntrnl Assembly is 9<HlPlflllOUß.

Now, in tho first placo, theso 26,000 people scorn to rcquiro an euormous quantity of governing; they arc to have seven legislative axumbhes nnd seven Governors, in order to administer the simple off iirt of a rude nnd dementi ry state Of locicty. Every body in this favoured laud will be a legislator, nnd the burden of proof will rest upon ■'nny one who denies the possession of senatorial honours. Instead of economising tho timn nnd trouble of tin 1 colonists, eight legislatures will be employed in doing thnt which might bu as well or better dono by two. Each petty Parliament may and will adopt different principles of legislation, nnd six different cxlos of Inw within the sume colony must be the rcsu't nf their luuoiirs. Endless questions on the conflict of Urs will arise, nnd 'contraots will be void nnd vnlid nrronjlnp os Ihcy nre made under one or other of these discordant codes. The question of revenue is fraught with no less difficulty, tn new countries where capital Si HCtrce nnd svnges nro Infill, direct tnxntion is tanprodticivr, and the revenue mut,t bo rained through the cuatom house by duties on consumption. The provincial legUlatures are expressly excluded from imposing Customs duties or rcgululfng (lie duties on shipping. These mailers nro lift to the Central Leg'ulauirc, which will therefore rcceivo tho bulk of tho revenue while the lornl liodifO will hnvo no other rcsourco than the unfruitful expedient of direct taxation. It is, douhtlcis, intended that they shall provide for their own local improvements nnd defray tho salaries of their officsra ; but this without considerable aialstonce from the central revenue, we apprehend they will bo duite unable to di>. Tlio ci.lonmtfi already bitterly complain of the heavy taxes, amounting to fifty thousand a-ycar, which arc collected from them. How far will this turn go towards seven Governors, seven/lci;itlativc csÜbliihimni', and the internal management and economy of six distinct province?) and a federal government supported jointly by them nil ? Tlip whole machinery is far to complicated and artificial too ponderous and too costly, for the state of society for which it it designed, aud affordi a signal instance of the dangers Hnd absurdities into Which men may run by too much elaborating the theory of government, and too little attending to the details which alone can render it practical nnd useful. It is our object rather to point out those parts of Ice bill which li.iva ai yet eocnped criticism, than "to dwell on those sure to provoke comment nnd controversy ; and wo therefore content oursclvch with remarking, thnt tho tame oljections which induced Sir John I'Aington to wisely to bnniih iho nominee element fioin tho Provincial Councils should have convinced him of the impropriety of its admission into the Central Legii]nture. An Upper Chamber composed of nomnees will not huvc tho slighest rcscmblnce to the House of Peers. It will correspond to no existing element in colonial society, and wil never command iho confidence and rei-pect of the people. Why then cicatc an institution the Cenuin destiny of which is to bo thwaited aud despised i The proposition to give tbe control over tha waslo lands nnd the revenue arising from them, to the Cent ml Legislature, reflects much credit on the libcr.il aud coucilllatoiy spirit of the Colonial Secretary, and will, we tiust, form a precedent for the immediate eltenslon of the same boon to tho Australian colonies, which

with trn times the population, and n hundred

times the wealth of New Zealand, aro denied the j , slightest intlai-'tKO over the mamigrmcnt of their lands or the appropilrvion of tlicir lnnd fund. But even bcre tho measure is beset with difficulties. It has pleased Parliament, not only to bestow on the New Zealand Company two hundred and thirty-six thousand pounds of the money of the peopla of this country, but to encumber tbs wa^le l.mds of tha colony with a mortgxgc to secure to the Company two hundred and sixtyeight thousand pound*, with interests at the rate of three per cent. Tims is the colony which is to bear the expenses of seven Governments dcpiived of Us natural and mutt available resource— tho

revenne to bo derived from tbe future gale of its lands. It is difficult to understand bow the

power of free management of the land and the fund i* consistent with the claim of tbe company, who would naturally claim a right to bo consult, ed on any operation that might diminish the »»lae or cfaemg« the nature of that lecurity. Be-