The Express.
London, England, 1851-08-30 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 30, 1851

'RY ASSOCIATION.

A public meeting of the colonists of Canterbury
mad persons interested in that settlement, or desirous of
Attaining information concerning it, which had been con-
vened by advertisement, was held on Wednesday, the usual
weekly meeting day of the association, at their chambers,
lin the Adelphi-terrace, at one o'clock. One object was to
give the committee of management the opportunity to make
bawan and explain certain conditions for the levering of
!pasturage in the settlement, which had boa framed ia
pleonasm of recommendations from the kcal asseil of
calwies, and of new powers conferred taps the
amodetion by an act of parliament recently paiseL
The committee considered the subject as peculiarly
interesting to those who might wish to invest
dash' capital in the Australian pursuit of pectoral
husbandry rather than in the purchasing of land with a
view to agriculture. Another object was to read to the
Mactiff • paper written by Mr. Weld, a successful flock
OWIMI4IIIIr Mims years' experience, giving an account of the
epseeeshe plains and downs of the middle island of New
Teekod and of pastoral husbandry there.
The room was well filled at the appointed hour with as
esaillsoce composed of both sexes. The chair was taken by
EMMY S. SELVE, Esq., also was supported on either side
by Lard Lyttelton and Mr. Sewell.
The CHAIRMAN having briefly explained the purposes
tie which the meeting had been called,
Mr. SEWELL proceeded to give the statement of the
present position of the association. At the end of the ash
AOC of 1819 an act had been passed for the purpose of carry-
ing into effect arrangements between this amociation and the
New Zealand Company, which act merely gave the power
to sell land on certain terms, the price of ordinary land
being fixed at 31. per acre. That act also gave a general
power to demise pasturage land at It. per 100 acres. This,
however, was a very limited power, and had only been ex-
ercised so far as the rights which were annexed to the free-
hold purchases. In the last session of parliament another
act had been obtained which had greatly increased the
powers of the association in the settlement. Under the
existing system the only mode in which the land
could be disposed of in the Canterbury settlement had been
either by way of actual freehold sale, or by pasturage
licenses, at the rate of five acres for every acre of freehold
land, over which there was, in addition, a right of pre-
emption. This naturally left unprosided for the entire
tract of open unappropriated lands in the settlement ; and
the present act of parliament vested ia the association full
power to deal with those lands in precisely the same man-
ner as the crown itself would be at liberty to do; and it
was now open to them to regulate the use, by license, of I
those unappropriated lands in the manner which might
appear the most expedient. The colonists had proposed, in
the first instance, that they should offer to every holder of
a run a fixed and certain tenure of his run for 14 years.
They also suggested that the holders should have a pre-
emption
right over the runs, and that they should be com-
pensated for improvements. All these suggestions would
have been of great benefit to the colony ; sod there could
here been no objection to them if they had not interfered
with the rights of the land purchasers. The association
was, however, bound to keep the whole field of the settle-
ment open to the selection of the land purchasers, and this
would be inconsistent with the proposition of the colonists.
They had, however, come to the following resolutions on the
subject:
" The committee having taken into consideration the 9th
clause, of the act of 11 and 15 Vic., cap. 89, giving power to
the association to grant timber licenses, and the 10th clause
giving the association various powers over the unsold sad
unappropriated lands within the Canterbury settle-
ment, so long as the same shall remain unappropriated, par-
ticularly the powers of regulating the use of such land un-
der pasturage and timber licenses, and of deciding disputes
between parties relative thereto. And having further read
and considered the report from the council of colonists con-
taining recommendations relative to pasturage licenses, to-
gether with Mr. Oodley's letter thereon, the committee re-
solved, that by the provisions of the several acts of parlia-
ment, and the terms of purchase as settled by her Majesty's
government upon which the contracts of the association
with land purchasers must be based until 100,000 acres of
land are sold, the right of land purchasers to select their
freehold and pasturage allotment and of the entire field of
unappropriated land cannot be in say way restricted.
"That any conditions for giving to squatters a Axed
tenure as against such land purchasers, or a prescriptive
right, or a claim to compensation for improvements over
the unappropriated pasturage would be restrictive of the
rights so guaranteed to such land purchasers.
"Resolved further,—That subject to the before-men-
tioned conditions, from which the association have no
power to depart, the framing of regulations for licenses of
such unappropriated pasturage, and the terms thereof, be
entrusted to the aasociation's chief agent in the colony, and
that he be instructed to act therein as he may think beet
with the view of facilitating and encouraging to the ut-
most of his power the occupation of unappropriated
laud by pastoral capitalists. And, further, that the associa-
tion's chief agent be empowered to carry the said provi-
sions of the said 10th clause of the said act into effect in
such manner as he may think fit, consistently with the
conditions imposed by set of porliameot, the association's
charter, and the terms of purchase settled with her Ma-
jesty's government."
That was the resolution, by which the meeting would see
that the committee had left the chief agent in the colony,
who would no doubt consult with the colonists to settle the
terms upon which the lands would be distributed.
Lord LYTTELTON did not think he could add much to
what had been already said by Mr. Sewell, who had stated
the substance of the detailed recommendations which had
been received from the colonists. The committee had al-
ways kept this in view—that as soon as the colony should
be actually framed, all matters of local regulation should be
left as much as possible to the colonists themselves, and
they had deliberated upon the recommendations which had
been sent over, notes much with a view of criticising every part
of them, as of considering how much they could do for the
colonists, subject to the legal obligations by which the
association were bound. What was in their power to do
they would not oppose, but they could not concede that
which was illegal, and they did not think it would be ex-
pedient to sacrifice any important principle. The two
points of licensing fees, and of the price of them, Wall
matters of expediency which the committee had power is
deal with under the new act of parliament, but they had
not the slightest wish to interfere with them, or with the
question whether the rent should be 11. or 10s. the hundred
acres. These were points for the consideration of the colo-
nists, and let them deal with them. But it was an im-1
portant point to consider whether these squatters should
have a hied termer years in their occupations, and whether
they should have a right of pre-emption, and a claim for
compensation for improvements. These were terms which could
not poosibly be consented to, because, as they had already
heard, the association was bound to leave sU the territory
open to land purchasers until 100,000 acres had been sold.
Practically speaking, the right of the squatter was now ,
almost absolute over the great unsettled districts, but the
settled districts were managed in a very different way, and
in the same manner as they were managed in South Aus-
tralia, which was not only a pastoral but an agricultural
colony, and where they had only done what had been done
in New Zealand. It was certainly visionary to suppose
that they could prevent this system of occupation by squat-
ting, and he did not know that it would be desirable to do
so were it possible, for that system at least created a great
deal of stock. With respect to the act which had
been obtained in the session just closed, there
was, besides some clauses of mere detail, and the
clauses relating to pasturage, only one clause of
moment, being that which gave power to appoint a com-
mittee of colonisation its the colony, and that clause had
been inserted by the committee of management, in order
that they. might be able to give as much power as possible to
the colonists themselves in the regulation of their owuaffairs,
and the committee of management could now invest the
committee of colonisation with the powers necessary for
that purpose. Some time ago a scheme hail been laid before
the association for the regulation of ecclesiastical affairs by
a mixed body of clergy and laity, and now under the new
act they would be able to act upon the same principle in
civil matters; and he repeated that they would be anxious
to allow the regulation of mere local matters to rest as
much as possible in the hands of the colonists themselves.
A few months ago he had informed a meeting
of the association that it was the intention of the
committee, by the bill they were then about to obtain,
to take power to raise a loan, but the present meeting were
aware that in the act as it had passed there was no such
provision; and some persons appeared to imagine that the
omission was a fatal blow to the association. That, how-
ever, was entirely a misconception of the object and pur-
pose of the loan. The loan was not for the direct objects or
ordinary workings and operations of the aemciation, but
was only to enable them to do at once and more rapidly
in the colony that which they must now do more gradually,
and take a longer time about, and also, for their convent-
cure, that the debt to the New Zealand Company might he
discharged. It would have been no doubt good to have paid
it off at once, but it was a mere matter of cousenience
whether it was paid now or hereafter, and it would be
seen by the blue book that there was no objection on tha
part of the government to the loan itself, but
the government very plausibly said that they could
not allow the partial arrangement of the debt
being discharged by a charge on a portion of the land only,
bat that if done at all the charge must be extended to the
whole. So far as he knew of the whole scheme he did not
see what improvement could be made.
Mr. BADNAILD and Mr. SYDNEY expressed some doubts
and made some suggestions relating to minute and local de-
tails, chiefly in relation to the rights or supposed rights of
the squatters.
Lord LYTTELTON expressed his obligations to the gen-
tlemen for ascir saggestions, but he did not know how they
would be received in the colony. It was vain to expect that
the squatters could be kept out, and the only thing the com-
mittee could do was to lay down such regulations as they
thought ought to be observed. He did 'not, for his own
part, see why the squatter should not rentals if nobody
tame to disturb Dim. The question was how to reconcile
conflicting interests. If it was desirable to encourage them
squatters it was also necessary to encourage purchasers of
land. At present nothing ought to be done to impose a
check upon the purchase of laud by persons in this
canntt7. It was easy to see the arguments on both
sides, sad all they could do was to make the beat
aera=t. t
i they were able between them. The noble
bird dunng a pause in the reading of the follow
is essay, that the Nquestion flew Zealand must come on
one for consideration of parliament.
• paper was then read which had been received from
Mr. wield, who had been a very successful flock-owner of
some years' experience, in which that gentleman gave an

aceriont of the extensive plains and downs of the middle
island of New Zealand, and proved the capabilities of New
Zealand as • pastoral country, showing the causes of the
advantages it presented, and referring them more especially
to climate.
A slight discussion ensued, after which a vote of thanks
wee passed to Mr. Weld for the kind ieformation his paper
had afforded, and
Lord LYTTELTON having announced that the Fatima
would sail for the settlement on Wednesday, the 10th of Sep-
tember, and that all letters must be forwarded on or before
the 9th to the office,
The meeting terminated with a Tote of thanks to the
chairman.