THE MINISTERIAL POLICY.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1932, 15 July 1869, Page 2

THE MINISTERIAL POLICY.

Commenting on the policy of the Government, as sketched by Mr Fox, the Lyttelton Times remarks :

Wo think there is no doubt that Mr Fox’s professions are sincere, but whether or no external circumstances, over which he has little or no control, will allow him to act up to his professions is quite another question. It is a pity Mr Fox did not go farther, and state that he was prepared to retire from the greater part of the confiscated lands, not of course with a view of relinquishing our title to them, but for the purpose of narrowing our sphere of operations. Mr Fox, however, states that he does not say we shall continue to occupy all that territory, and it will be for his Middle Island supporters to insist on bis continuing to occupy as narrow an area of it as possible. It will be for them also to use their inlluence to compel Mr Fox to keep the Defence expenditure as nearly as possible within the limits of the revenue, and > to keep him up to his word, that the interest and sinking fund of any permanent loan that it may be necessary to raise shall be charged upon the revenues of the North Island. With respect to asking the Imperial Government for troops, it appears to us that if there were any reasonable chance of obtaining troops it would be silly self-assertion on our part not to ask for them, but we confess that we have little hope of obtaining troops from the Imperial Government, except upon terms which it would not be worth our while to accept. We have said that it is the duty of the Middle Island supporters of Mr Fox to use their influence to induce him to withdraw from the confiscated lauds and to keep the defence expenditure, if possible, within the revenue. It seems to us further that it is the duty of those Middle Island members wliq opposed Mr Stafford, but who have not yet given in their adhesion to Mr Fox, to do so without delay, and to exercise _ their influence in the direction we have mentioned.

There is a happy absence of Weldism about the Fox Ministry that inspires us with considerable confidence. They put forward their plans with practical simplicity. They don’t collect a lot of fine phrases such as selfreliance, unity of the colony, and the rest, dignify them with the name of principles, and hold them up for us to bow down to. So far as they have gone, they have spoken in a straightr forward, business-like way, like men who recognise the danger of the situation, and know what they are about. Our great aim should be, whilst giving them a generous support, to try to make their policy more peaceful and economical than they themselves at present contemplate. In these en-r deavors we shall not be without allies. We must not forget that a large proportion of the European inhabitants of the North Island are opposed to war. In the last few months the Thames Goldfields have raised the jjrovince of Auckland from the lowest state of commercial depression to a state of great prosperity. The Auckland people no longer want war. War near Auckland means the Waikato overrun, and panic and uncertainly, in the place of confidence and peace. No commissariat expendituae would compensate for the change. War in other parts of the Island brings no expenditure to Auckland, but draws her increasing customs revenue to aggrandise Wellington. Although we have good grounds for hope in the desire of Auckland for peace, yet no one in the Island should forget the important difference of interest between ourselves and the whole of the inhabitants of the North Island. All the North Island settlers wish to extend their boundaries, and to acquire Native land, some indeed by peaceable bargain, others by baigapi i£ pqssibjej if not, by war, The Natives, on the other hand, wisli to maintain their boundaries, and are prepared to resist aggression. If peace were established to-morrow, these elements of war remain, and we can only avoid the danger by separation. Nothing will more surely hasten this desirable event than the rise of the Province of Auck : laud to wealth and prosperity.