The Evening Star SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2226, 25 June 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1870.

CtfSTNiNO Mr Stafford is beginning to find out the value of the support of Otago, and is prepared to pander to the popular lidea on the Otago Hundreds Regiilatfon Bill. We should not be surprises if, after, all, he shoxild condescend to become a candidate for the

Ll " , y ' ! Jbfrge&u at the next we should recoOQmead l|iotSfb offer for some rural ;‘disti||bj or Waikou-'.•aitf^-ob % to-, place himself under the instructions of Mr Henderson or Mr Thomson, or perhaps were he to become a small farmer iii the district, he would be better lip in the wants and distresses of the outlying settlers, and their grievous oppression by the squatters. He, however, did manage one point ; his sympathy with the settlers oppressed by the weight of evils they have brought upon themselves, enabled him to soothe the neophyte, Mr Brown, and to induce him to moderate his zeal so far as to wait the issue of the course adopted by the more experienced and moderate Mr Magandrew. As a matter of coarse, Mr Stafford’s sentiments were echoed by his attache . Mr Haughton ; and thus we. have the beginning of that divide et impera system which forms so distinguishing a feature in Mr Stafford’s crooked tactics. The Misses Carandini used to sing with great archness a pretty comic song, “Trust “ her not—she is fooling you.” Like many other such like warning morceavx it contains sound philosophy, and its moral should always be ringing in our ears, whenever there is a little coquetting going on*-by a statesman who has always shewn that he is not very particular what tools he uses, so long as : they bail be made to do his work. Assuming the points of his speech to be correctly transmitted, he has enunciated a doctrine that sounds very well,' and which may be very safely asserted of every laud system in Australasia. There-is not one that-can be said to be founded upon anything like sound general principles. Like all legislation based upon old feudal notions, the endeavor to accommodate them to ,new circumstances to which they are totally inapplicable introduces complexity, uncertainty, and loss. Ihit •Mr Stafford’s sympathies are £rpt altogether with the settlers./ : He AJojims forward as the champion of the squatters too, and proposes to relieve them from their “ ruinous rent.” How the Pi’ovince is to thrive after being deprived- of revenue—-how public works are to bo prosecuted without money—how interest is to bo paid on loans already contracted, will puzzle many a more astute politician than Mr Stafford himself. What is really wanted is reliance in the permanence and stability of our land laws. Mr Stafford’s words, as reported, are vague enough.'to create a distrust in things as they are, and to give him the utmost latitude , in his future course. He is quite right on the broad principle he lays down that uncertainty is at all times a source of inconvenience and loss." No one will invest in any •hraploytoent when those regulations on which he founds his calculations may be swept away at the next meeting of Parliament; or, on the other hand, members may be found ready to specu- : late upon the advance that may take place in the value of an article by the removal of a fiscal duty or by the abolition of existing restrictions on land. The foreshadowing of Mu Stafford’s course of action ia to produce -the very evil he condemns. The whole system he says is wrong. It is a wonder he could not see that before : many men jwith less pretensions to political wisdom knew that. - But since the ways of error are infinite in number less one, that which Mr Stafford points out as a panacea is open to grave objections now that interests have grown up which may be imperilled by the meddling of land-quacks. Mr Stafford’s admission that last session he was “ unacquainted with the merits of the “ case,” is .very candid, and, as an excuse for adopting any course that may suit his purpose, very plausible. But it is inconceivable that the Prime Minister of a Colony should consent to the appointment of a Commission to enquire into alleged abuses without investigating the merits of the coinplaints .made. The Commission issued an elaborate. report based upon exhaustive evidence. That report was the theme of newspaper 'comment throughout New Zealand, and now we are asked to believe that the matter was too indifferent to lead him to examine the merits of the case. In dealing with the matter.he may take the right course, and if so we shall freely accord to him full credit fordoing so ; but in the present aspect of affairs his words appear to us to be calculated to do the very damage he deprecates, by introducing additional uncertainty into a matter that requires to be speedily and permanently settled, if the Province is to progress.