MAORI TITLE TO LAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 98, 16 March 1863, Page 3

MAORI TITLE TO LAND.

Can any one inform us what lias become of the Maori Messenger ? It is many weeks since we have seen a copy of that Journal, which used to reach us pretty regularly once a fortnight. Has it been beaten out of the field by the rivalry of the Hokiol Here Atu Na ? or is it considered that the money hitherto spent on this periodical would be better employed in rewarding the treason of rebellious Maories ? Or is it that the Aucklander has been so successful in exposing the false statements it was wont to contain as to the

success of the “New Institutions,” that it has ceased to make its regular appearance. The New Zealander of Friday last has informed UR. that. “a. nrintPfl ramn. in ' ” V - j.*i j_iaagj.io.il and Maori has been circulated amongst the Natives who were in attendance upon the recent arbitration in the land quarrel between Matin and Tirarau.” We transfer the English version from the colums of the New Zealander, not having been favored with a copy of the original in English and Maori. There are obvious reasons why such a paper as this should obtain as limited a circulation as possible both amongst the settlers and amongst the Maories. The decision of the Secretary of State upon the Bill for setting aside the Treaty of Waitangi, and for creating legal titles to take the place of aboriginal titles to land, may he expected almost immediately, and as the provisions of the Bill were agreed to in anticipation by the Duke of Newcastle, there can be little doubt of its receiving the Queen’s assent, although we have no idea that it will altogether escape notice in either House of Parliament. We have always maintained that the natives would receive more than justice required, or than true benevolence would ask, by carrying out the provisions of the Treaty of Waitangi, and maintaining in the Crown the sole right of purchasing Maori title ; and that this, moreover, was the only means to prevent the transfer of the native title from becoming a fruitful source of disturbance. But it is characteristic of those who are capable of trampling upon the weak, that they should truckle to the strong. It is now more than two years since a portion of Her Majesty’s subjects, who were settled upon land purchased from the Crown, and who, in addition to the ordinary protection to winch all subjects of the Crown are entitled, were especially guaranteed, in the posscssiou of that land, by a Deed, running in the name of the Queen, and testified by the public seal of the Colony, were driven from their homes, which were in most cases reduced to ashes ; deprived of their property ; and in some cases bereaved of their children murdered in cold blood by rebels against the Queen’s dominion. And these unfortunate subjects of the Crown are still kept out of their possessions, while the Governor of the Colony seems unmindful that what is required of a Governor is to administer and maintain the law, and to redress wrongs ; not to truckle to rebels or to condone murders. This, however, is the “policy ’ in which he is supported by men who are leagued with him to hold each other in office, and by a majority of an assembly which mortgaged every estate in the country to raise A 50,000 a year to support him in a “policy” of bribery—a policy which is enough to make a Briton ashamed that he is such. But this is not all. The colonists are to be deprived of their share in the advantage which their settlement in the country gives to its public lands, and those who thought it no crime to deprive a poor man like Louden of his four acres, or a poor widow like Mrs. Forbes of eight acres out of nine-and-a-half, which was hers by as just a title as the title by which Sir George Grey holds the Kauwau, are taxing the colonists, and borrowing money upon the security of their property, to create for the Maories a legal title to nineteen millions of acres out of the twenty-five millions which the Northern Island of New Zealand contains. Our object in referring to this on the present occasion, is to draw attention in connexion with it, to the fact, that, in reward for submitting the dispute to Sir George Grey, instead of maintaining it by the strong arm, 1 irerauis to be deprived of the privilege which the law is to grant to other Maories of selling his land to whomsoever ho will. In order to prevent difficulties arising again soon, none of the land in dispute would be brought except by the Government, nor by them till the ill feelings arising out of the recent bloodshed had calmed down.”— Aucklander, Feb. 17.