The Evening Star. MONDAY, APRIL 29, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2868, 29 April 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star. MONDAY, APRIL 29, 1872.

Wb like fair play. It is what every man lias a right to expect in. all the relations of life. Wo dare say Mr

Reid professes to value it equally with jurselves 5 but, if so, we do not see bow he can reconcile the love of it with the implied misrepresentations in bis speech at Outram. There is no occasion to use very harsh terms towards him, for he himself must be the sufferer provided the truth he has suppressed reaches the ears and understandings of those whom he addressed. The conviction must be forced upon them that political fair play is neither understood nor practised by Hr Reid. He professed to draw a comparison in favor of Mr J. C. Richmond, who preceded Mr M'Lean as Defence Minister, and bv an adroit twist he wishes to lead his constituents to believe that the cost of defence in the North Island is greater now than under Mr Stafford’s Administration. In his speech at Outram he said : He was bound to say that Mr M‘Lean had £170.000 at his disposal, while Mr Richmond had only £70,000. At the time Mi Stafford was in office, Mr Richmond administered the Defence Department, and the full amount expended for Militia and Volun-

teers was £70,000. We leave it to the candour of every man to say whether any other inference can be drawn than that Mr Reid intended it to be understood £70,000 was all that the Defence Minister annually expended on defensive purposes during his term of office. Appended to the Financial Statement made in 1860, is a table of expenditure of money paid out of revenue for Native and Defence purposes since 1861, a few figures from which will set this matter in its proper light. It must be remembered the sums mentioned do not include any portion of the loan of three millions so lavishly wasted in war :

In 1869-70 the whole cost of constabulary and volunteers, including office expenses, prizes, &c., was £164,470. On a further investigation we find it stated in a return to Parliament that the amount spent for defence purposes from July Ist, 1868, to May 31st, 1869, was £226,699, and the liabilities incurred were £80,866. How stands this statement with Mr Reid's figures ? Mr Richmond was in office at this time, and it was mainly the lavish expenditure of the Stafford Ministry on waillKo preparations that led to their expulsion from power. The present Ministry were appointed about the end of June, 1869, and in July the Colonial Treasurer explained his own and colleagues' views thus ;

The Government recognize that it would he very easy to expend any amount of money in those purposes (Native and Defence) that the House was willing or able to provide. But we cannot advise the Assembly to supply the Government with, funds to keep Up an expenditure which would involve the Colony in bankruptcy. It is the purse which lights upon the Maori’s side, and well he knows it. Let us ask ourselves what is the result of the last eight years’ prolonged rebellion. A certain loss of life on both sides ; some loss of land on one side ; an enormous loss of money and of property on the other. The land remains to be disposed of, and, as the rebels mistakingly hope, to be won back. But the money is gone—it cannot be recovered. You cannot get money from-the Maori, for he has none ! You cannot commit him to an enormous debt, for there is no one from whom he could borrow, were he even disposed to do so. Every fresh hundred thousand pounds he adds to our debt is a fresh triumph gained by him, which it is impossible to win back. Are we so blind as to fail to see that the financial ruin qf the Colony would be victory to the rebels ? In restraining a reckless expenditure beyond the means of the Colony, we ask the House to arrest the steady progress the rebels have hitherto made in fixing on the Colony overwhelming burdens.

But fair play demands something more than this mere statement of figures. During Mr Stafford’s administration, English troops were in the Colony, and they had to be paid in addition to the militia, volunteers, and armed constabulary. Very timid were the present Government when the British regiment was withdrawn. For our own parts, we never shared in their fears, but that there was some reason for them, a letter written by Sir George Arney, C.J., to His Excellency the Governor, on his arrival in New Zealand, sets forth very powerful language. His Honor said :

I will not venture to speculate on what may be done : but of this I feel convinced, that the Colony must .... brace

itself up to hold its own until the time may arrive when the Native race may feel constrained to respect our strength as they now despise us in our weakness. Meanwhile I I do not envy you having to take up the government of this beauteous country at precisely that period of its history when, I believe, it has been left more embarrassed in its finances, more crippled relatively in its power, and more exposed, from its advanced settlements and increased cultivations, to the savagery of the Maori race, than it has been left to any preceding Governor, That letter was written when Mr Stafford and Mr Richmond were in office. In writing Horae, Sir George Bowen expresses the opinion In a word, it seems to be very generally

agreed that the conquest of King TAWHiAO and the Hau-haua would have been a much greater military feat than the conquest of King Theodore and the Abyssinians,

That despatch was dated December 7th, 1868, and Native affairs grew blacker and blacker up to the time that the Ministry of Mr Stafford was superseded by that of Mr Fox. Three years have past away, and the war is over ; the Natives have been brought under the influence of law; the Government has dared to punish Native murderers, and though it would be too much to expect perfect immunity from outbreaks, the superiority of the colonists is acknowledged and established, and this at about half the cost of Mr Richmond’s mistakes. Mr Reid has not dealt fairly with the Native question, and the plea of being one of the Opposition cannot excuse him.

Year. Militia &c. Interest, &c. Total. £ £ £ 18604 - - 7,794 2,000 9,794 1861-2 . 7,020 8,120 15,140 1862-3 . . 9,766 11,848 21,614 1863-4 . 26,163 23,844 50,012 1864-3 . 27,914 73,506 101,420 1865*6 - 26.600 142,406 169,006 1866-7 - 110,022 178,270 288,292 1867-8 . 20,125 218,174 238,299 1868*9 - > 223,479 225,310 448,789