The Akaroa Mail. AND BANKS PENINSULA ADVERTISER. FRIDAY, MARCH 28.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 281, 28 March 1879, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. AND BANKS PENINSULA ADVERTISER. FRIDAY, MARCH 28.

The " Native difficulty," which we have been officially informed for years past had been laid finally to rest, appears to have started up into renewed life and vigor. What may perhaps be called with propriety the national party among the Maoiis have, ever since the cessation of open hostilities maintained a policy of sullen isolation from the dominant race. There have been among them men of sufficient discrimination to see that from their- point of view this was their best policy* Open acts of violence would be sure to arouse the latent bulldog spirit of the pakeha, but he found he could make little headway against the passive resistance offered by men who said in effect: —" Let us alone. We ask nothing but that. Your boasted civilization is to us a very doubtful blessing. Your rum is an undoubted curse. Keep the lands you have acquired, rightly or wrongly ; keep your railways, your telegraphs, and the rest of it; but leave us to go the way of our fathers." Of course one bnrning question has always been the confiscated lands. These lands have been taken (by proclamation) irom various tribes as a punishment for their participation in rebellion. But to a very considerable extent they have never really passed into the possession of the conquerors. It is hardly to be expected that the beaten party should quietly acquiesce in their patrimony being taken from them under any circumstances, and in fact they have invariably protested against this confiscation, and ignored it much as civilized nations ignore what is called a paper blockade. Occasionally this protest has taken the form of the murder of a surveyor, but the Government, though talking very big on such occasions, have never yet found themselves in a position to avenge these murders. Of late there have been meetings between members of the Government and the most influential of the Maori chiefs. The public have been told that great good had resulted from these meetings ; but from the proceedings at the latest one, it would appear that the good results anticipated are still in the dim vista of the future. A meeting has lately been held at Parihaka, at mhicli the Native Minister met Te Whiti, a man of great influence among the Maoris, and in the presence of three thousand of the latter race. At this meeting, according to the telegraphic report of the Lyttelton Times —

"Mr Sheehan said there was not much to speak about, but there were two burning questions. One was Hiroki, the other the Waiinale Plains. As to Hiroki, he had little to say. Hiroki stood charged with a capital offence, and nothing could relieve him of this, but standing trial before the ordinary legal tribunals. For many reasons the Government did not desire to attempt force to take him, but his deliverance up to Justice was necessary, perliminary to any final settlement of questions between the Natives and the Government. "Te Whiti here interrupted Mr Sheehan, and asked how would Hiroki be tried, and would any Maoris be on the Jury. "Mr Sheehan replied that the law allowed half the jury to be Maoris. " Te Whiti seemed surprised at this, and asked would the Court come to Parihaka to try him. "Mr Sheehan said no. The Supreme Court only sat at certain places at certain times. Hiroki must be tried in the ordinary course. Referring to the Wai mate Plains, Mr Sheehan said the land had been confiscated 14 years ago as punishment for the Rebellion. He was only the instrument of the law in carrying out the completion of this survey, and on its completion, the old owners would be consulted as to the reserve to be made for them. The Government would deal with them more liberally than it had dealt with others, but the surveys must go on as the land was taken with the authority of the law, and Parliament had sanctioned it. "Te Whit: immediately jumped up and asked who the Parliament were, and pointing to his people said they were the only Parliament he knew, and they had not consented. He continued to talk in this strain excitedly for half an hour, asserting that the Europeans had stolen the Maori lands under the pretence of confiscation. " Mr Sheehan reminded Te Whiti of his promise not to interrupt, but no notice being taken Mr Sheehan quietly sat down and lit his pipe.

" When Te Whiti sat down, Mr Sheehan rose and said : ' When I began 1 especially demanded to be allowed to finish without interruption,' and you agreed. You have broken this condition, and I shall talk no further with you. Then turning to the people he said I have said enough to make my meaning clear. This work is being dorm with the law, and those who oppose it do so at their peril.' The meeting then closed." A significant commentary on the effect or want of effect of the last remraks of Mr Sheehan is furnished by the fact that within a few days of the utterance of these words of warning, the Natives to whom they were. addressed quietly proceed to clear out the surveyors from the Waimate,.Plains, the land which had been the subject of dispute, and pull up all their pegs. Under date of the 25th inst>, the Herald's Hawera correspondent sends the following telegram:—" Skeefc'** survey party and camp were taken possession of by twelve Maoris, Titokowaru being present. The Natives carted the 'party tothe south side of Waingongord river. About a hundred Maoris met them. When they came upon the main road, after leaving the party on the other side of the bridge, the Maoris rode off, saying they were going to remove Climie's camp, I hear from the Natives that they are acting under Te Whiti's orders, ' to remove all the surveyors froni off the plains.' "•

Now, there is no use in blinking or disguising the fact that the Government and white population of New Zealand have only two courses open to them— either to temporize, and practically give up (for the present at least) the points in dispute, or to go to war. It is of no use to blame any Ministry for vacillating, of no use to suggest that they should " show a bold front and maintain the attitude they have taken up," as a Northern exchange does, unless the country is prepared to sanction a war, and a war too which this time would have to be thorough, would have to be pursued to the bitter end, and which ought not to cease till the Maori was rendered absolutely powerless for all time. Is the country prepared to sanction all that this involves for the sake of possessing itself of a few thousands of acres of land ? We believe not. From a mere money point of view, we are sure that the acquisition of territory by conquest is the most expensive method of acquiring it, but the injury which another miserable Native war would inflict on every hole and corner throughout the country is simply incalculable. We have no doubt that the best efforts of the Government will be directed to obtain as favorable an issue from the difficulty as is consistent with the mafntenence of peace, and we hope that public opinion will support any such attempts, and not complicate them by suggestions of a nature which, if carried out, would render recourse to arms inevitable.