THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2012, 5 August 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1880.

We are pleased to observe that tho mystery that enveloped the construction of the dofective railway waggons is cleared away. Infinite pains were taken to thrown discredit on the report of the Civil Service Commission. The Commission had indeed, as we explained in an article of the 29 th ultimo, fallen into the inaccuracy of stating that the waggons wore built by the Public Works Department at Dunedin, instead of by the Rail-

way Department, but this inaccurary lay at the door of the Dunedin Locomotive Engineer, backed up by Mr. Conyers. In everything else respecting these waggons the report of the Commission was entirely correct. Mr. Blair endeavored to shelter the Railway Department of Dunedin in his explanation to the Commission; Mr. Shrimski threw out dark hints that the waggons were made by Messrs. Brogden at Oamaru; and altogether there was a general desire on the part of the enemies of the Commission and many others to shift the blame from Dunedin at all risks. However, the matter is pretty well clearod up at last, and Mr. Oliver has declared in the House that the responsibility has now been fixed upon the railway workshops at Dunedin. It might very well have been done so long ago if certain members had not been so very anxious to score a point against the Commission as to be quite careless as to the manner in which their object was attained.

The arrest of Maoris fencing near Parihaka is now a matter of every day occurrence. Every morning the constabulary bag their quota of prisoners, who are duly despatched to New Plymouth, and from thence distributed over the various prisons of tho Colony. The Maoris captured are perfectly prepared to go, they have made their family arrangements, said good-bye to their friends and, as a rule, do not give their capturors any trouble whatsoever. The whole matter is cut and dried beforehand, the excitement of novelty is worn off, and the thing to be now done is to conjecture where the matter will end. The present state of affairs evidently cannot last for ever. Not far from a fourth of the fighting force of Te Whiti have already been laid by the heels, and presumably the Government are prepared to quietly dispose of the remaining three-fourths in the same manner. At one time it was thought that Te Whiti would send a large number of men in a body to fence, in which case blood would probably have flown, but nothing of. tho sorjj; has been done. At another time it was rumoured that a body of women and children was to be sent to the scene of action, but neither has that strain on the gallantry of the constabulary eventuated. And now there comes an on (lit from Wellington, that Te Whiti and Tohu will, in a few days, present themselves at the usual time and place, in which case they will, of course, be duly marched off to durance vile. If this was to come to pass the situation would be materially changed—but whether for the better or worse it is almos t impossible to conjuctnre. On tho one hand the Parihaka Natives would be left without a head, and possibly become less united than at present. On the other hand, the power which has restrained them, and which has hitherto been always in favour of peace, would have vanished and the Natives would be left to their own devices. The whole position is becoming more complicated every day, and nothing appears certain but the solid fact that a considerable body of fighting men are removed out of harm's..way to secluded retreats, where they will have every opportunity of discussing the mission and merits of their prophet.

The vexed question of the Indian opium trado was before the House of Commons a short time'back, and the question was taken up with a warmth that shows that the bulk of Englishmen are beginning to recognise the fact that the said trade is of a most immoral tendency. To force the Chinese to admit a poison against their expressed wish cannot be recognised as a transaction worthy of a great nation —-of a nation that piques itself on the the high standard or its legislation. So much was admitted on all sides. But the arguments against > an unconditional abolishing of the trado wore overwhelming. India could not stand the loss of seven millions; as it is at present situated, under such a loss it would become bankrupt. Mr. Pease and numbers of other members talked glibly of the iniquity of the traffic, but none of them proposed any scheme by which the Indian Government would be recouped the money which would be lost by the abolition of the opium revenue. The Government in effect put the position thus: —'' We have inherited the trade, not created it; wo recognise its iniquity, and if you supply a substitute for the revenue so raised, we shall bo most glad to abolish the traffic, but until then we cannot move in the matter and financially ruin Qur great dependency. The affair must be viewed from an Indian standpoint. You talk as Englishmen, who will not be affected financially by the loss of revenue. Invent another tax as remunerative as the opium tax, and we are altogether with you."