The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 1886. The Native Disturbance.
The Native disturbance on the West Coast of the North Island, to which we referred in our last issue, may direct attention to a very real grievance of which the Maoris complain. This grievance, it appears, is the very common one of the non-payment of rent. A very large area of Native land is leased to European settlers; the lessees pay, or should pay, the rents to a Government officer, who, after deducting charges, commission, and various Governmental etceteras, pays the money over to the Native owners. It is almost unnecessary to say that a certain number of the tenants experience some difficulty in making the required provision for rent day, and others fail altogether to meet the demands of the collector. There is nothing unusual about these circumstances. they occur the world over; but it is stated, apparently with a great deal of truth, that serious and quite inexcusable delays occur in having the amounts paid over to the landowners, and when they are paid, they are found to have been severely “ sweated,” that is, the Government process of collection and distribution is far too costly. If Government conducts its land agency business with no greater economy and expedition than it observes with regard to its other commercial transactions, we can well believe that the Native landowners have very good grounds for complaint. The New Zealand Herald , an undoubted authority on this subject, says:—“ The system will be ruinously unprofitable for the Government if, whenever there is any complaint about non-payment of rents, the colony is put in a state of alarm, and bodies of policemen are marched about, threatening the Natives on one day and dining with them hilariously on another. The delay in the payment of rents and the heavy charges made, are the only grievances we have heard of, and in all probability they are real, and are the causes I of the present agitation on the West i Coast. This is a danger which must always exist under a system of Maori landlordism and Government agency. Native lands ought never to be dealt with under such a system. Ample reserves should be laid off for the Maoris, and they should be encouraged in eveiy way to cultivate them, fand to settle down to habits of industry. The remainder of their land should be sold, either to Europeans, or to the Government tor purposes oi settlement." We shall not presume to say that the remedy proposed by our contemporary would exactly meet the difficulty, but it is quite certain that the Maoris make about the worst landlords and the Government the worst bailiff it is possible to conceive. The Natvic habit of
formulating grievances is a peculiar and very objectionable one; settlers who have promptly paid their rents, and even those who are occupying their own freeholds and have no reins to pay, are made to suffer alike with the defaulters. The whole country is thrown into a state of alarm, and the j Government is compelled to adopt costly measures of repression. Of course, this grievance, which we believe to be a real one, is no excuse for the illegal acts to which the Natives have been incited by Te Whiti. The prophet of Parihaka has sufficient intelligence and sufficient acquaintance with the law of the land to know that other means arc provided for the protection of the landowners' interests. But, while we hope the ringleaders in the disturbance will receive exemplary punishments, we trust the Government will take such steps , as may be necessary to remove the aggravations to which we have referred.
We are almost weary of directing attention to the ridiculous and costly Munders which are perpetrated, year after year, by the gentlemen entrusted with the management of our railways, but an advertisement published in another part of this issue referring to special passenger fares In connection with the Grand National calls for passing notice, 'i'he advertisement states, among other things, that return excursion tickets to Christchurch, available for return up to and including Monday next, will be issued from Tinwald to-day and that similiar tickets will be issued from Ashburton to-morrow Now, the effect of this is that any person whoraay wish to travel to Christchurch by rail to day from Ashburton will .have to pay 11s Id for a single first-class ticket and the same suat for a similar ticket with which to return, a total of 22s 2d. But the same person might obtain ac ticket from Tinwald which would enable him to travel to Christchurch to-day and return
anytime up to next Monday for 10a. As a result of this ridiculous arrangement, which is quite enough to condemn the official who made it, a number of Ashburton resident* have obtained excursion tickets from Tinwald during the day and will join tho. express at Ashburton this evening. And this is not the only anomaly in the advertisement before us. Dromore, Ohertsey, and Rakaia will not issue excursion tickets, but Saturday return tickets to Christchurch available for return up to Monday next, a ill be sold at those stations. These latter tickets from Dromore will cost 12s 9d, and from Chertsey 11a 2d, so, evidently without any rhyme or reason, Tinwald will receive a wulho day, In point of time, and a considerable mono tary advantage, as benefits over and above the conceaaions made to equally important districts But we do not complain that Tinwald has been treated too well ; we complain thift Ashburton and ah stations north of this have not been treated well enorgh, and we chiefly complain that the whole of the arrangements are unbusinesslike, ill-considered, and a disgrace to the Department from which they emanate.
The Wei ington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times sends the following with regard to the District Railway Purchase scandal: In spite of'the fierce speech Sir G. Grey made last night, there is no question on tho Order Paper about any further enquiry. The House does not want to follow dir George Grey in this matter, and it will not second his efforts. The fact that Sir George does not follow up the course he so boldly declared for yesterday is regarded as a proof that he has found out that it is useless for him to atttempt to lead the House. The idea in many quarters is that the majority of the House is of opinion that, the Treasurer having taken action in the law courts, the Legislature ought to be silent. Sir George, however, gave£ notice to-day of a question . asking 1 Government would give members of the House power to inspect all papers bearing on tho appointment of Justices, which may revive the slee episode, and Mr Wi Pere gave notice of a motion for giving effjot to his suggestions to devote Mr Steward’s commission *o the relief of the Tarawera sufferers. This if it can only get through on the Order Paper, will certainly re-open the whole question, bat it has not much chance of getting high enough on the Order Paper.
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Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1294, 21 July 1886, Page 2
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1,190The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 1886. The Native Disturbance. Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1294, 21 July 1886, Page 2
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