The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JUNE 4, 1902.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 433, 4 June 1902, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JUNE 4, 1902.

MR CARROLL AT AUCKLAND. The people at Newmarket a few evenings ago succeeded in inducing the Hon. J. Carroll to make a speech. He had attended Mr Lawry’s meeting and being called on, gave an address that put Mr Lawry quite into the shade, Mr Carroll refused to make a speech as a Minister, stating that the subjects within his own Ministerial province were not vet ripe for Ministerial utterance, but at the same time lie indicated pretty clearly the Ministerial Tu'ind on some points. 111 regard

to the Kawliia lauds, the action of tli Government having been condemned b Mr La wry, Mr Carroll held that “ i was desirable that the State shout keep control over the lands of th people, and that the State should b actuated by the circumstances of th times as to the methods it should cm ploy in dealing with these lands, an in offering them to the public. Tli Government might be blamed for hav ing advertised the lands in one parti . ciilar way, and afterwards withdraw ing certain of the conditions, but thu far only should the condemnation c J the Government go. Mr Lawry ha said that those who came to look a the lands and were disappointed a the alteration of the conditions, Ini a claim for compensation. But flies people might have been disappointed in any case. They could not get po. l session of the lands except throng the ballot, and all those who inspected the land could not possibly be success ful at the ballot. It would be just a justifiable to say that those who wer disappointed at the ballot had a clam for compensation on the Government The Government, in the pcrformanc of its duty, especially on the lam Question, often came into conflict will private interests, and when that ( . c enrred they were condemned and de flounced on all sides. But Lie Gov eminent's chief consideration was th i public interest, and to secure tha they might have to deny privilege and obstruct the consummation of mi vate desires. They should judge by re suits—whether the greatest good w.-> secured for the greatest number. Tin Government was determined to'endea vor to put a stop to the speculatim going on in the lands of the comny Notwithstanding the safeguards thei had adopted speculation was still go' ing on under their very eyes, leopli secured land through-the 'Ballot, com plied with the formal conditions, am a year or two afterwards they sole (lie land and secured the ncreasec value put on the lands, through tm increase of population and public expenditure on the opening up of the country. The Government wms denounced whenever they took steps tc stop that, hut the Government * nmrl he fearless and put that sort of thing down with a strong hand.” Mr Carroll has certainly made the best defence of the Government poliev in the matter that lias yet been given. Aftei declaring that New Zealand was prosperous and likely to continue so, that more people were wanted, and that tin colony was at present fit to carry a population of about 3,000,000. Mr Carroll went on to deal w th the Native question, saying that it was now practically a matter of administration, the difficulties having been got over. By wise selection of officers to administer the Native lands through the Land Councils there was, he said, no reason why side by side with the development- and settlement of the Crowm lands the settlement of the Native lands should not also be realised. i'll' Carroll considers there is much to hope from the forthcoming conference in London. We must now, he said, endeavor in dealing with national concerns to deal with them from the broad point of view of Empire instead ,of from the purely colonial standpoint, —looking to England only as a market for our produce. We were in the throes of extension, and were realising that for years w ! e had been following a mistaken theory, and that what might have fitted the conditions of 50 or 60 years ago were entirely unstated to present conditions. When England was the market of the world the

policy of freetrade was no doubt .suitable. That policy had become a sentiment, and it was always difficult to disturb a thing that had the mark oi age upon it. Yet the British people must protect themselves. Germany, America, and other countries had been protecting themselves against us. They had been" making use of our free trade markets, with the result that to-day they could under-manufacture the British people. They could prevent our articles going into their markets except under "a severe handicap, while our gates were thrown wide open to thfem.' ' This should not be. Our first duty must lie to the Einpire, and to the component parts of the Empire. Let us protect our markets and our produce and the carriage thereof, and then, as a secondary consideration) let

us study the interests of others. Ii this policy was ‘profitable to other countries, why should it not be profitable to us. It was hard, no doubt, to devise a practical way of doing it, but by all means let it be brought about by some system The brief telegraphic message in regard to Mr Carroll's remarks on the question of licenses in the King Country hardly did him justice. It was made to appear that he was supporting those who have been so ardently seeking to get hotel licenses introduced into tiie King Country. He said lie did not think the granting of licenses in the King Country would be a solution of the great difficulty there. There was yet a solution to be discovered. He did not believe in prohibition, yet he doubted if licenses would settle the question. Some new method would have to be applied to the question, and no doubt that would be evolved as time went on. There was no douot that the convenience of the travelling public should be studied. There ought to he some provision made for tourists and others travelling through the cuiintry. He had no anxiety whatever so far as the native population was concerned whether there were licenses in the King Country or not, because recent legislation "had given self-govern-ment to the Natives, and the Maori Councils had power to pass by-laws to prevent any loose living or debauchery within the limits of the kaiangas, and from the short time the law had been in operation lie was sure that the natives were able to look alter themselves in preventing any demoralisation taking place from “ lire-water." liljlG were derelicts among the natives, as would be found in European communities, but lie was glad to say the percentage among the Maoris was small. Taking the bulk oi' the native people of the colonv, he ventured to say they were becoming more temperate every day. There was a change now coming over the Maori. He had turned the corner ; he was leaving behind him the very worse times he had gone thiough, and there was daylight in front oi' him, and the extra respoiismilil es in the way ot self-government being placed upon him would help him to become a man. Nothing helped more to make a man than the placing of responsibilities upon him. A Maori school was being established up the Wanganui River, where technical education would be brought within the reach of the Maoris. The natives must be taught trades ; they could not all be tillers of the soil. Let those go on the land who had a bent that way, and those who could not must let their lands to those who would take them up. Those who wished to learn trades should have the opportunities put in their way, so that they would be able to carve out their own livelihood in the struggle for life. When they had done these things, then they should say to the Maoris, “ You should hear the same responsibilities | and the same burdens as your brothers

the pakehas. You should be subject to the same taxes and the same responsibilities ; you should not he free because now you are in the same position as the pakehas, in the full enjoyment of your own, and at the same time under the same responsibilities as your pakeha brethren have to labor under.” In that respect Mr Carroll ’said lie looked forward to the time when there would be an utter abscence of difference either in sentiment, loyalty, or in anything human between the two races. That was the dream of those who entered into the treaty of Waitangi—those noble and illustrious chiefs who had passed away, and the early pioneers of the colony. Their dream was that there should he one people working for the ultimate end and destination ordained for this country, working together to build up a nationality, working in partnership for the good of all in the colony, for the good of the State, and for the good of the Empire.