The Press. SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1903. THE TRUTH ABOUT TE WHITE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11478, 10 January 1903, Page 6

The Press. SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1903. THE TRUTH ABOUT TE WHITE.

The volume of the "Nineteenth Century Series," which deals with "The progress of " New Zealand in the Century," is reviewed at some length in another column. It is on the whole an admirable work. There is one chapter, however, which contains such a grotesque perversion of an important

event in our history that we cannot, in the interests o! accuracy, allow it to go unrelated. It deals with what the author terms tbe "Parihaka-Fiafico," but what we have no hesitation in saying was a bold and statesmanlike achievement which prevented the last chance of a Maori war in this colony, and rendered possible the tmcoeasfui development of a large and fertile district which was for years the most backward in New Zealand co far aa settlement was concerned, although one of the most richly endowed by nature. As a result of th© war in 1865 a great block of land on tho west coast of the North Island, including the fertile Waimat© Plains, was declared to be confiscated. The confiscation was not followed up by effective occupation, the Maoris were allowed to continue in their holdings, and promises were made that they should receive out of the confiscated land. In 1879. the Grey Government, without having allocated these reserves, advertised 16,000 acres of the Waimate Plains for sale, and set surveyors to work to survey the land. A number of Maoris, acting under the orders of Te Whiti—-the Maori prophet of whom we gave a brief sketch the other day— pulled up the pegs as fast as the surveyors put them in. Being arrested and sent to prison, they v.ere followed by fresh bands, who were al=<o arrested. When this process had gone on for some time, Te Whiti, as Mr Alpers, the writer of the chapter to which we are referring, says, determined on retaliatory measures, and sent ploughmen to plough up the grass lands of the settlers. These were also arrested. A change of Government occurred, Sir John Hall succeeding Sir George Grey as Premier, while Mr Bryce became Native Minister in place of Mr Sheehan. One of the first acts of the new Government, was to appoint a Royal Commission to enquire into the grievances of tho natives. The Commissioners (Sk W. Fox and Sir Dillon Bell), who went into th© merits of the case with scrupulous .aimers, recommended; the setting apart of 25,000 acres for the natives in i he Parihaka block, and steps were taken to carry out their recommendations. Te Whiti, however, continued Ids aggressive tactics of ploughing, etc., and finally the Government, on the advice of Mr Bryce, sent an armed force of, 1700 men to Parihaka, arrested Te Whiti, Tohu, and other Maoris, sent away the strange Maoris who lxad assembled at the settlement, and so ended the difficulty, so far as Te Whiti's obstruction and influence were concerned. So far, probably, there would be littia difference between Mr Alpers and ourselves. Undoubtedly the Grey Government did wrong in attempting to sell any portion of the Waimate Plains without first setting aside the reserves for the natives. But Mr Alpers shows not only a most inadequate knowledge of the gravity of the crisis with which Mr Bryce had to deal, but grossly misrepresent* the motives and actions of the latter. Apparently he has not troubled.to consult any authority but Mr Rusden, the most notorious partisan who ever issued a political pamphlet under the. pretence of publishing a history—the same Mr Rusden who had to pay exemplary damages for his vindictive and unfounded attacks on Mr Bryce's character. Mr Alpers represents T»r Whiti as a model of inoffensiyeness and high-mi—dedness, who was always open to reason, aud with all* the right on his side; while Mr Bryce is described as a man, " with embittered feelings on native questions," whose policy was " simply coercion," and who utterly refused to negotiate with Te Whiti. He also writes as if the Government infused to carry out the recommendations of the West Coast Commission. " They had evidently determined," he says, "not to try "the one way that was right until they " had exhausted the nineiy-ttine ways that " were wrong." Nothing could be more ludicrously wide of the mark. Sir Arthur Gordon, who was Governor when the -urihaka affair took place, was aa ardent Philo-Maori, totally opposed to the policy of his Ministry, whom he would not dismiss simply because, as .he said, he knew the feeding of practically the whole colony was with them on this question. His relations with his advisers were virtually a condition of' veiled nostility during the whole time. Yet, ■ if Mr Alpers had studied even Sir Arthur Gordon's despatches he would have been saved from th* blunders into' which he has fallen. In. 1879, when the Maori*' were ploughing up the lawns and gtardens of the settlers, there is no doubt we w«f« on the 'verge of war. Sir Hercules Robinson (who was then Governor), Sir George Grey, and Colonel Whitmore went to the district ami superintended the arming of the settlers. Sir Arthur Gordon succeeded Sir Hercules Robinson in 1880, and writing on this period, said that although the Maoris would have been amply justified in taking TO eh steps as might have raised the issue of ownership, yet "the persistence of their pro"ceedings and the alarmed excitement " created by them rendered tbe forcible ac"tion of the Government imperatively "necessary." He subsequently expressed the opinion that "the recommendation of " the Royal Commissioners seems to co_"done any injury which they (the Maoris) " might be considered to have suffered, and '* to afford a fairly Batisfactory settlement "of a very troublesome question." So far from the Hall Government, ignoring the recommendations of the Royal Commission, "they made every effort to carry them out, but Te "fljuti persistently prevented the bulk of his followers from accepting the reserves or even listening to the proposals of the Government. The few who were not deterred by his influence from accepting the terms specified by the Commission, received, Crown grant* for the land, which was allotted 1 to them before the raid on Parihaka took place. Te Whiti refused even to listen to any talk on dhe subject from anyone accredited by th* Government, although there is evidence that he knew what was.in the Commissioners' report. When Major Parris was sent to explain the reoo__ne_dations to the Maoris, and to express the desire of the Government for an amicable settlement, Te Whjti would not allow his people to liste. to him. Mr RollaUon, *

member of the Ministry, went ia ta^^_H| to convey tlw proposals of the'flSijlHll meat, and met with the same ti_j|^^ffßp acOTrnpanied by personal rod«_M (^^a^S'Mi when governor Gordon himself && %k'-__M jf virte Te Whiti for an interview _* -f%. ® ■"**__4 ■ 0 with a su-uh for his pains. . ":.- f\ It was after this that the S§ issued a proclamation calling on theWi- 1 ! ''- to accept the irex>omn»ndatioai flji - Royal Cc_imisaio_ers within *"Ttmf V "V ' or to take the consequences. T_--Zfj raent, by the May, was signed br;*** Rolleston, and not by Mr tjf \ of which the writer of the history -n, . >;. to be unaware. The time %' unquestionably arrived when -"' V question had to be decided wktW - h the Government or To Whi_ £ to be the paramount power over a hgai. C and fertile tract of tho North Island. U__ fquestion had been raised in another shite: ( which it was impossible to disrepmi '* ' j Maori, named Hiroki, who had _mr__fcj : i the European cook ait tilted to a ■ten*'* pjriy, had taken refuge at ParHnfr, - When Te. Whiti was called upon to __\~ him up to justice he made the - reply that tho Supreme Couit could to Parihaka and try Hiroki "r.N_ai v direction's !" This fact alone, in m'< opinion, would havo justified the interna, tion of force on the part of the Gonn. \ inent. When the fourteen days n_nt4 » , \ the Proclamation had expired, the aA I vance on Parihaka took place. \\. writer of the "history" gives a Higjkty imaginative account of the scene, xv labours under the delusion that the Amu. Constabulary, who constituted th* mjj body of the force, wore red coats, vbi .* is incorrect even in his statement H to who was the officer in command, ' speaks of the Whole affair as *-a fio*_.» It is quite true that Tohu, who had nt* ! very bellicose in his speech a few fat before, altered his tone when he to\mi tU village surrounded by armed men. Thm were 2200 Maoris in the marae, howevtr and there is no question that it was owiw ' r to the firmness of Mr Bryce, and tha «f. fectiveness of the dispositions made W-Lieut.-Colonel Roberts that the diAe_tr \ wa. ended without bloodshed. Havinf v- \ tablished the Queen's authority, tha* Government proceedied to carry out jttrtie* to the Maoris, by allotting reserves to sfl who would accept them in accordance __tk • the Royal Commissioners' report. Tb" result is to be seen in th» total and "'%%. \ medialte cessation of the _orest, whk_ far "''". years had harassed toe countryside, wit-*' the prosperous condition of th* T « T Hn_i'' of to-day. There at least the settlers, Wv cognise the debt of gratitude they owe \v* Sir John Hall and Mr Rolleston, and lMt£v' but not least, to "honest John Bryox*H,^