Maoris and the King.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14980, 29 May 1914, Page 6

Maoris and the King.

Whou the Maori delegation was about to leave New Zealand to lay grievances before the King, wo pointed out that its hopes could not be realised, and today we aro informed by cable of the inevitable outcomo of the trip. The Secretary for the Colonies has promised to assist tho visiting chiefs in securing them an audience -with the King, on the understanding that it is purely a courtesy callj and no grievances aro discussed. The High Commissioner has explained tho constitutional position,

" and tho Maoris now understand that "Mr Harcourt and the* King willre"ceivo them as hearers .of historic " names." It is a great pity that they could not be made to understand this before. It was not for want of telling. Other deputations have gone to England with complaints about the allegod" violation of the Treaty of Waitangi, and have had no moro success. Mr Lindsay Buick's book on the Treaty contains official correspondence on these visits, which makes the constitutional position very clear. When, in 1884, " King" Tawhiao and other Maoris went to England to appeal to the Queen,-' their petition was' referred to tho New Zealand* Government* In reply to our Government's memorandum on this petition, Lord Derby, tho Colonial Secretary., said that it was most important for the Maoris to understand clearly

that under tho present Constitution of New Zealand tho government pf all her Majesty's subjects in tho islands is controlled by- Ministers responsible to the General Assembly, in which the Natives are efficiently represented by persons of their own race, and that it is no longer possible to advise' the Queen to interfere actively in tho administration of Native affnirs anjvmore than in connexion with other questions of internal government.

Copies of the correspondence were transmitted to Tawhiao through the Now .Zealand Government. Furthermore, when Sir John Gorst was in New Zealand in 1906, he publicly and privately urged, on ■ Taingakawa. one of tho chiefs now in London, the futility of appealing to tho Imperial Government. Hte reminded Taingakawa that the only result of the appeal of 188-1, when the Maoris' case was competently laid before Lord Derby, was that t>y wcro referred back to their own Government. It is to bo hoped that tho present delegation to England wilL be the last of its kind. Even tho Maori mind, with its inherent idea of the power of kingship, should now realise that it is Parliament that governs and not the Crown, and that New Zealand has cdm*plete control over her own affairs.

A good many people, no doubt, havo wondered with us whether the destruction of our defence system lies within or without the vino-tenths of the Red Fed. programme which the local Opposition organ says every 'Liberal" must support. It can hardly be said that tho Opposition orators have failed to increase- ' the public's suspicion and uneasiness on the- point. Even tho antimilitarists are puzzled. In their local publication, the '"Repeal," theso people say: —

Remarks made by prominent Liberals make it evident that tho most radical section of the party are not at .all proud of their past actions on tho Defence question. Sir Joseph Ward desires a reduction in tho age limit, and would favour a referendum on the question of compulsory service. Mr Wi~ finds reason to joat at th« pblon-playing officers, while Mr Ruesell desires less spent on land and more on navnl defence. Why do they not manfully confess their grievous blunder, instead ri being such weak, miserable, quibbling apologists for the conscription idiocy?

We detest the anti-militarists' ideas, but we do sympathise with thorn in their contempt for those politicians who will not come out boldly on the question of national service. The difficulty with Mr Witty. Mr Russell, and Sir J. G. Ward is that they want to please both sides, and tho result will probably be that they wi4l bo trusted by neither.

Wβ have always thought our "Liberal" friends very ■ short-sighted in rejoiciug over what Sir J. G. Ward's chief newspaper calls tho "wholesome fact" that tho "progressives"' howl down, their opponents while the. Reformers give the "progressives" a polite hearing. Ono of our correspondents, referring particularly to Mr Wjtty's Soast that ho did not need police -at his meeting, puts very clearly what all decent -people havo thought of the Odposition'is singular treatment of this matter. "Surely," he says, "there must bo something •■ rotten in the State o£.D.6unjark. because , a _meniber_of Par-.

liament should bo ashamed, instead of boasting about a constituency that, would not hear the other side of tho question without the necessity of police protection." At the same time* it would be unfair to blarno any constituency for the behaviour of tho ■"Liberals" m it when a Reformer :s making a speech. No constituency can help having people of that sort in it. Mr Witty cannot bo expected, being Mr Witty, to understand that ho is paying hie opponents a compliment and rendering his own side a poor service, when ho boasts that the bad: manners and the rowdiness arc monopolised by the ''Liberals.' , Everyone else understands that, however.

The eccentric anti-drink order issued by Mr Daniels, the United Statos'Secrotiiry' for the Navy, which was briefly mentioned by cable itxsb month, turns out to be exceedingly drastic and unreasonable. After July Ist no wines or alcoholic beverages will bo permitted on board any United Scutes warship, or in any naval yard or station. As a result of this order, an oflic-er living at a. shoro station will not be able to offer wine or whisky to his friends or guests. Naturally the action of tho Secretary for tho Navy i« severely criticised everywhere excepting in rabid Prohibitionist circles. Some of the newspapers declare that Mr Daniels is merely seeking to strengthen his position in North Carolina, whero the prohibition movement is growing. Tho New York "World," which thinks tho order a "sbamerui reflection on the honcui of a noble profession,'' puts very effectively the view which must bo held by ail rational Americans: —

Xo doubt there can bo navies without wine, just as there can bo navies without ceremony or culture, but there can be no navy worthy tho namo that is clothed in humiliation. Under this tyrannous rule wo send splendid ships to sea with their officers tutored like schoolboys and chaperoned like schoolgirls. "Whero" has intemperance cost the American Xavy a man or a 6hip? Men who are fit to command ships may be trusted to regulato their own habits. But the logic of tho last-quoted sentence is not in tho least likely to appeal to the faddists who set their prejudices above clear reasoning. ■■

In Great Britain, as in Xew Zealand, there aro Labour politicians and wouldbe politicians who are %*ery anxious that tho Labour Party should sink its identity ii? tho Radical machine. But in both countries also there are Labour men opposed to this treachery towards tho Labour cause. The "Christian Commonwealth," in a recent issue, discusses the rumours of a Liberal-Labour arrangement. In some instances these rumours have gone the length of suggesting that tho Liberal Party has added to its wheedling tho chink of gold. To many honest Labour men it would naturally occur that no Labour politician of any intelligence could fail to sco tho injury to Labour in a surrender to Radicalism, and that therefore some unusual influence must be at work. Tho "Christian Commonwealth" expresses its own conviction that in Great - Britain an electoral arrangement has been agreed upon. The idea is to "engineer tho situation," as Mr P. C. Webb ivould say, but to do it "in such a. way as not to excito tho suspicion of tho rank and filo." But.-wo aro promised that "if the rank and file do sco clearly through the gamo thoro certainly will bo such opposition as will shake tho Labour Party to its foundations." In New Zealand, it is pretty certain, a '\Libe-ral"-Social Democrat arrangement such as is being striven for wiil mean the as is being striven, for will not advance the real interests of 6ane unionism.