THE REASON WHY COLONEL WHITMORE SHOULD BE VOTED L10,000.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1934, 17 July 1869, Page 3

THE REASON WHY COLONEL WHITMORE SHOULD BE VOTED LIO,OOO.

The reason why is told by Mr Fox. He says ; —“ I luive lieard numbers of statements as to Colonel Whitmore’s conduct in his attack upon Tito Xowaru, which it is most difficult to believe to bo true of any officer placed under such circumstances. A trooper, whoso own house was destroyed—a braye man, and p.ue as trust-, worthy as any man in the force—told me that he and others spoke? to Colonel Whitmore before the assault, telling him that they knew cvexy inch of the ground, that they knew all the tracks, and that they could show him where to place troops so as to cut ofi retreat by the rear, but that the answer was

that they had better mind their own business —not in those words at all, but to that effect. lam afraid, Sir, that it has too often been the case that Colonel Whitmore has thus neglected plain advice which would have been most useful if he had acted upon it. Why, an honorable member of this House, Meti Kingi, told to a friend of mine, some time before the escape^ of Tito Kowaru, the exact line that Tito Kowaru would take- -actually pointed out the particular ranges and ridges by which he would go, Yet all this information was neglected ; and, consequently, when Colonel Whitmore took his force up to the front of the pa, he found the place deserted —the Maoris had slipped out by tire back door, their previous arrangements had been carried out, and every man who had been in the pa had gone to his home. There was not even the sign of an enemy. Colonel Whitmore, in one of his despatches, actually tells us that he was obliged to send men in all directions in order to find a track of a force that, according to his own estimate, numbered 800.” Who will say after this that Colonel Whitmore has not deserved the trifling acknowledgement for his services of LIO,OOO.