BAY OF PLENTY TIMES. “The spirit of the times shall teach me speed„ KING JOHN, ACT IV. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1873.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume I, Issue 46, 8 February 1873, Page 2

BAY OF PLENTY TIMES. “ The spirit of the times shall teach me speed „ KI NG JOHN, ACT IV. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1873.

lx November last it was announced in tho public journals of tho colony « “ of the items of news of the day tint v James Mackay had gone up the WaS oa a visit to tho so-called Maori KW bmee that announcement was speculation has been rife as to the object ho had in view, whether it was simply ! friendly visit, or whether it was a mL'ini, undertaken to further the interests of If! Stafford’s party, to which Mr Mackay 1! supposed to be closely allied. * VV itbin the last week, as we noticed k our last issue, a story has been in circut lation amongst the Maoris, 1 which has been traced back to those of the Tauraiwa party who were present at the MaunX tautan meeting, to the effect that Mr Mackay when at Totangamutu, proposed tnat all the country south of a line starting at the Waikato Heads, follow mg the course of the Waikato River to Ngaruawahia, thence to Cambridge, and from thence to Katikati, should be handed back to the King, and be acknowledged by the Government of the country as King territory. The proposition is said to have originated with Mr Stafford, Mr Mackay merely acting as his agent. D

JNow while we admit that it is necesaary to receive Maori rumours with extreme caution, especially after passing through a number of tortuous channels, still, as public journalists who have the interests, of the country at heart, we are bound to draw attention to this matter. It may be that the natives have greatlv exaggerated something that Mr Macbay may have said, but when we compare the rumour to which we have drawn attention with the humiliating and ruinous policy propounded by Mr Stafford, we can come to no other conclusion than that an attempt has been made to sacrifice the colony m general, and this province in particular, to subserve to the interests of a miserable party. Mr Stafford’s profound ignorance of native character —in fact, of native matters altogether-—is so generally known throughout the colony that one is hardly surprised that such a proposition should emanate from him, but that Mr Mack ay, who has the reputation of being thoroughly up in all subjects connected with the natives, and, although rather reckless at times, in the main judicious and far-seeing, could lend himself to repeat the wild and impracticable utterances of Mr Stafford we cannot conceive. "W e make bold to state that it is our deliberate opiuion that this mischievous meddling in Maori matters has delayed ’ndefinately the day when we shall arrive at a thorough understanding with the Waikato King party. The natives are shrewd observers, and will not fail to take advantage of our wretched party squabbles—and who can blame them? Ol all party cries, in our opinion, the “ native difficulty ” should be religiously avoided. If there is one question more than another upon which political parties of every shade of colour should be unitea, it is the native question. The interests of the country and our credit at home demand it, and unless we make up our minds to this, the native difficulty will bang about us like a night-mare for years to come.