HOW NEW ZEALAND IS SLANDERED.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1472, 23 April 1873, Page 2

HOW NEW ZEALAND IS SLANDERED.

The following letter appears in the Alliance News of November 23, 1872 .w "Sir,— A deep interest in the advancement of those grand principles which are embodied in the United Kingdom Alliance leads me thus to address you from the ends of the earth. I read with great avidity of what is being done in ' my owft, my native land,' to further the '-reign tff temperance ; but cannot shut my eyes to the many startling things that are from week to week occurring around me,,, in this my adopted country, and which, Tarn sure, will not be uninteresting to your readers. The Maori races are getting their eyes opened to see tb^e ; condition to which drink is reducing them,. ; and. are frequently and earnestly appealing to the Government of this Colony, by petitions, which are signed by large numbers of them, to do away entirely with this debasing and demoralising traffic, * the enemy alike of the pakeha and the Maori.' Yet, I am sorry to have to inform your readers that the Government of N,ew Zealand can rioTvnp. longer boast, as, hitherto, that the lands of this Qolony ar§ not ob tamed from its aborigines , in the same way as the vast prairies of America were bought-from the Indians, viz., by giving them 'fire-water.* Alas ! no V That which has been their ju3t boast and firm principle for twenty years is now theirs nb more. And though the Permissive Prohibitory Liquor Bill was lost this year only by 26 against 23j ; and will, it is to be hoped, be passed next session ; though the opinions of our legislators are thus gradually turning to tbe side of right, yet the practice of the Government, not to pay the Maoris for their lands in intoxicating liquors^ has for some time past been deviated from. I will give but one instance of several which have come to my knowledge during the past six months.'.' Qnly last we.ck } . about' .3,oo" 'Maoris were assembled within a Very few miles from this, place to receive payment for a. large tract of land, bought by the Government through their agent. So far, very good • their right to buy: Maori land, by all fair means, no one will dispute.. But how did they pay ? In money, as all private individuals must do ?■ No! They- supplied the Natives with large quantities, of provisions, and several hundred gallons of grog. Is this a. Christian Government? Tf so, I ask, why does it bring forth suca evil fruit?— l remain, sir, yours truly,' John R, Randbksc^.— Qbronian'del, Srci; vince of 4«<sland, ' Jfeyr gealanfl. Sen* temberi, JBY2." .".,."... The Carcmuwdel Mail sympathises with Mr John R, Randerson after this fashion • --"Mr Randeraon of this place is sparoely, we think, receiving fair play at the hands of the Auckland press. He is accused of slandering the fair fame of the Colony," but, as we have said before, the question whether Mr Randerson's statement is/a slander or not depends entirely upon hjs/ substantiating it. Jf he can do this, and he infprms us. that he cs*n, he js b'oqnd $ do so, not qnly for his owij sake but foj that of the cause he advocates, and. fay the sake, of the Qolony also," And again — " Until Mr Randerson has, fair time to prove his statement, it is scarcely fair jto denounce him as a slanderer." The charges were made in November last, and surely since then there has been ample time to ascsrtain what evidence was forthcoming to support them. Indeed Mr Randerson had no fright to make such grpßs charges against the Colony unless he were ready

to substantiate them whenever they should be called in question. The probability is that Mr Randersen has had too much time to think the matter over, and that what he wrote in November last in haste he has since found to be a mare's nest. If Mr Randerson has any evidence to support his statements, let him produce it at once.