The Evening Star FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2309, 30 September 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1870.

The great Native meeting is over, but it is impossible to gather much of the probabilities of the future from what took place there. It appears that, after all, Tito Kowaru and some eighty followers did put in an appearance, and that a kind of religious Billingsgate took place between him and Mr Parkis ; that a new aspirant for leadership trod two sticks under his feet—one of which represented Her Majesty the Queen, and the other the Native King; that Tito Kowaru sneered at him for not being of kingly n- chiefly descent, and then withdrew j

woclaiming a determination to keep he peace unless others, came up and scratched his face. It would appear from these symptoms that the Natives are not at one amongst themselves ; that their councils are divided ; and that in all probability, after this great consumption of potatoes, pigs, and fowls, and their seven days sina'fl if only there is common prudence exercised the Colonists will have theit own way. Still it is not a very comfortable idea to the Middle Island, that its prosperity is made to depend so much upon the whim or passions of a few dark-skinned savages, who compliment one another with being angels or devils —agents of the Deity or destroyers of his works. The more the exact relation between the Colonists and these Maoris is known, the less satisfactory will this state of uncertainty be felt to be. We are too much accustomed to | look upon the North Island as a splendid property, which only requires protecting in order to become available for settlement. But this is not really so. The only possessions of the Europeans are a strip round the coast. For aught we know, the interior of the island may be fertile, rich in minerals, and abounding in resources —but it is not ours ; and all the vast expenditure of blood and treasure that has taken place is to retain this fraction of the area of an island not so large as the Middle Island. There is a passage in an article in the Edinburgh Item mo for January, which shews how clearly the true relationship between the North Island and the Mother Country was apprehended ; and it is equally applicable to the relative position of the two islands. Ihe writer says—“ As long as there exists “in any Colony a party having a “ vested interest in the continuance of “ hostilities at our expense, we may be “ perfectly certain that hostilities will “ not cease.” Now what was true of the North Island as regarded the Mother Country, is equally true as regirds the South Island. Many people seem to imagine that Mr Reynolds exaggerated when he pointed out the proportion proposed to be expended on the two islands, and how much more was to be devoted to the North than the South. It appears to be of no consequence how it is obtained, If the money can be got by peace, well and good—but they will have it; and until the South rouses itself to a true appreciation of the : position and insists on the North paying its own expenses, there is no security. The present peace is really more of a personal matter than a sincere fraternisation of the two races. We are not by any means certain that Te Kooti is not better at liberty than in prison, for he gives employment for an occasional hunt to some of those Maori spirits who might otherwise be troublesome to us; and it is cheaper to pay them for not catching him than it would be to have them turning their arms against us. But then, not only are the Natives changeable, but our Government might change. No Min-

is try, in a country with representative institutions, can hold office for many sessions in succession. Party outside or within the House is sure to oust them sooner or later, and a change of policy might once more involve us in a Native war. With the hustings in view the constituences should make up their minds. We quite believe that every general measure that is passed renders political separation of the two islands more difficult, hut the necessity for localising expenditure remains the same. And one condition of support to any candidate should he that, in Parliament, he should insist upon the North Island bearing the cost of its own internal defences and improvements.