SOIT QUI-MAI
D
ET
MON
DROIT

SUPPLEMENT
TO THE
NEW ZEALAND
GOVERNMENT GAZETTE,
OF WEDNESDAY, 9th FEBRUARY, 1842.

Published by Authority.

VOL. II.] AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1842. [No. 6.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 1842.
The Council met this day, pursuant to adjourn-
ment. Present all the Members: His Excel-
lency the Governor in the chair.

The minutes of the last Council (including the
following long and argumentative Protest of
Mr. Earp's, against the "Municipal Corporation
Bill,") were read and confirmed.

PROTEST.

The Municipal Corporations' Ordinance having
passed the Legislative Council of this colony, the
undersigned feels it his duty to protest against
the same, for the following reasons:-

"That by this Ordinance it is enacted, that Mu-
nicipal Corporations are empowered to erect
Light-houses, Beacons, and other works of the
highest importance to the prosperity of the Mara-
time Boroughs, and the safe navigation of their
Harbours; yet notwithstanding that works of
this nature will necessarily be very expensive in
their construction, and still more so in their main-
tenance, no provision whatever is contained in
this Ordinance for levying such dues upon ship-
ping, as might become necessary to detray the
expenditure which will unavoidably arise from
the establisbing and maintaining such works, as
aforesaid, in an efficient and proper manner, al-
though it is a well-known fact, that Ship-owners
and Masters at all times cheerfully pay Light
dues, and all such other dues as have for their
object the safety of life and property. That from
the non-possession of powers to levy and enforce
such trifling dues as might be necessary, the Bo-
dies Corporate of such Maratime Boroughs will
not be able to construct Lighthouses, &c. without
a heavy tax upon the rate-payers, thus causing
the inhabitants of such Boroughs to be doubly
taxed; firstly, for the Customs Duties, from which
such expenditure, as aforesaid, ought to be de-
frayed, in proportion to the amounts received by
the Customs' department, and secondly, for a.
direct Borough rate for the construction of works
within their Harbours, which, whatever may be
their inclination, they may not have the means
of constructing in such a way as the nature of
the Harbour may demand, without taxing them-
selves to such an extent as, in a new colony, is
neither desirable nor warrantable.

"That from the non-possession of powers to levy
dues for such works as aforesaid, the colony will
be again indirectly taxed, inasmuch as it may
be reasonably supposed, that in a new colony
many years must elapse, before the inhabitants
of Boroughs will be able to afford great outlay in
lighting, surveying, and buoying their Harbours,
in such a way, as will give confidence to the In-
surance Companies of Great Britain and her co-
lonies, the consequence of which will be a high
rate of insurance on ships and cargo destined to
such ports; whereas, such dues as aforesaid, if
levied to no greater extent than might be abso-
lutely necessary to construct and maintain such
works as aforesaid, would be small in comparison
with the sums paid for insurance, in consequence
of their non-erection; which sums, although paid
in a distant country, are still a tax upon the
colony, inasmuch as such additional charges must
be placed upon all merchandise arriving in the
colony, as will cover the additional expense paid
for insurance, in consequence of the Harbours
not being properly surveyed, lighted, and buoyed;
such additional charges being, to all intents and
purposes, a tax upon all imports and exports,
without being in the smallest degree beneficial to
the colony."