Untitled

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 26, 26 December 1861, Page 6 (Supplement)

[Although the following appeared in our extra, wc give it now in a more permanent

form.]

NATIVE POLICY.

The folio-wing document, translated into Maori is being circulated amongst the Natives : These arc some of the thoughts of the Governor, of Sir George Grey, towards the Maorics at tins time.

His desire is, how to arrange things, that there may be good laws made, and those laws be put in force ; and how all men, both European and Maori, may be taught to work for the common good of the country in which they live ; that they may bo a happy people, rich, wise, well instructed, and every year advancing in prosperity. For it is the desire of flie Queen (whose heart was dark when she heard of the troubles in New Zealand), that all her subjects, both Europeans and Maorics, in all parts of these islands, should have the benefits of law and order ; that the lives and persons of all men should be safe from destruction and injury ; and that every man should have for himself and enjoy his own lauds, his cattle, his horses, his sheep, his ship, his money, or whatever belongs to him. And it is the desire of the Queen that all her subjects should help in making the law by which they are governed, and that from amongst them should be appointed wise and good men as Magistrates, to adjudge in case of disputed rights and punish the wrong-doer, and to teach the law, how it should be obeyed.

The Europeans in New Zealand, -with the help of the Governor, make laws for themselves, and have their own Magistrates; and, because they obey those laws, they arc rich, they have large houses, great ships, horses, sheep, cattle, corn, and all other good things for the body. They have also Ministers of Religion, Teachers of Schools ; Lawyers, to teach the law ; Surveyors, to measure every man’s land •„ Doctors, to heal the sick ; Carpenters, Blacksmiths, and all those other persons who make good things for the body, and teach good things for the souls and minds of the Europeans. It is because they have made wise

and good laws, and because they look up to the Queen as the one head over all the Magistrates, and over all the several bodies of which the English people consists. . It is the desire of the Queen, and this also is the thought of Governor Grey and of the Eunanga of the Pakehas, that the Maories also should do for themselves as the Europeans do. They know that of late years the Maories have been seeking for law and order. The Englishmen have been more than a thousand years learning how to make laws and to Govern themselves well. Besides this, in order to have magistrates, and Policemen, and other officers, it is necessary to pav them, for the laborer is worthy of his hire ; and he who works for the whole body of the people, should be paid by the people ; for'while he works for them he must, more or less, neglect his own work.

Now the thought of the Governor is how he may help the Maories in the work of making laws, and how he may provide for the payment of the Magistrates and other Officers of Government till such time as the Maories shall have become rich and be able to pay all the expenses themselves. In order, then, to provide the machinery of good government among the Maories in these Islands, the Governor desires to see established the following system, whereby good laws may be made, well disposed persons be protected, bed men restrained from violence, and security for life and property be ensured to all.

1. The parts of the Island inhabited by Maories will be marked off into several districts, according to tribes and divisions of tribes, and the conveniences of the natural features of the country. To every one of these districts the Governor will send a learned and good European to assist the ?■ aorics in the work of making laws and enforcing them ; he will be called Civil Commissioner. There will be a Eunanga for that district, which will consist of a certain number of men who will be chosen from the Assessors. The Civil Commissioner will be the President of that Eunanga to guide its deliberations, and if (he votes are equal on any matter, he will have a casting vote to decide. This Eunanga will propose the laws for that district, about the trespass of cattle, about cattle pounds, about fences, about branding cattle, about thistles and weeds, about dogs, about spirits and drunkenness, about putting down bad customs of the old Maori law, like the Tana, and about the various things which specially concern the people living in that district. They will also make regulations about schools, about roads, if they wish for them, and about other matters which may promote the public good of that district. And all these laws which the district Eunaugas may propose will be laid before the governor, and he will say if they are good or not. If he says they are good, they will become law for all men in that district to which they relate. If he says they are not good, then the Eunanga must make some other law which will be better. This is the way with the laws which the Europeans make in their Eunangas, both in New Zealand and in the great Eunanga of the Queen in England. 2. Every district will be subdivided into Hundreds, and in each of these there will be .Assessors appionted. The men of that district will choose who shall be Assessors, only the G overnor will have the word to decide whether the choice is good or not.

The Magistrate, with these Assessors, will hold Courts for disputes about debts of money, about cattle trespass, about all breaches of the law in that district. They will decide in all these cases. 3. In every hundred there will be Policemen, and one Chief Policeman, who will be under the Assessors. These Policemen shall summon all persons against whom there arc complaints before the Court of the Assessors, and when the Assessors shall have decided, the Policemen will see that the orders of the Assessors are carried out. All fines which shall be paid and applied to some public uses. Commissioner or Magistrate will keep this money till it is required. 4. The Runangas will be assisted in establishing and maintaing Schools and Teachers; sometimes Europeans, sometimes Maorics,'will he appointed. The Maorics ought to pay part of (ho Salary of the School Teacher, the Governor will pay the rest.

5. Where Runangas wish to have an European Doctor to live among them,- {ho Governor w"'. endeavour to procure one to reside there, and will pay him so much salary as may make him willing to goto that work. Ihe Doctor will give medicine to the Maorics when they are sick, and will leach them what things arc good for rearing of their children, to make them strong and healthy, and how to prolong the lives of all the Maories by eating good food, by keeping their houses clean, behaving proper clothes and other things relating to their health. This will he the business of (he Doetoi'. But all those who inquire the service of the doctor will pay for them, except such as the Runnnga may decide to be too poor to do so. G. About the Lands of the Maories. It will be for the Runangas to decide all disputes about the lands. It will be good that each Ruuauga should make a Register, in which should be written a statement of all the lands within the district of that Runanga, so that everybody may know, and that there may he no more disputings about laud.

This, then, is what the Governor intends to do, to assist the Maori in the good work of establishing law and order. These are the first things :—the Runangas, tho Assessors, the Policeman, the Schools the Doctors, the Civil Commissioners to assist the Maories to govern themselves, to make good laws, and to protect the weak against the strong. There will be many more things to be planned and to be decided ; but about snch things the Runangas and theCommissioncrs will consult. This will be a work oflime, like the growing of a large tree—at first there is the seed, then there is one trunk, then there are brandies innumerable, aud very imvnv haves : ], v by and bye, perhaps, there will" be fruit also. Rut the growth of the trees is slow—the branches, the leaves, and fruit did not appear all at once, when the seed was put in the ground : aud so will it be with the good laws of the Runauga. This is the seed which the Governor desires to sow :—the Runangas, the Assessors, the Commissioners, and the rest. By and bye, perhaps, tins seed will grow into a very great tree, which will bear good fruit on all its branches. The Maories, must assist in

the planting of this tree, in the training of its branches, in cultivating the ground about its roots ; and, as the tree grows, the children of the Maori, also, grow to be a rich, wise, and prosperions people, like the English and these other Nations which long ago began the work of making good laws, and obeying them. This will be the work of peace on which the blessing of Providence will rest, —which will make the storms to pass away from the sky,-—and all things become light between the Maori and the Pakeha ; and the heart of the Queen will then be glad whep she hears that her two races arc living quietly together, as brothers, in the good and prosperous laud of New Zealand.