COLONIAL DEFENCE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 142, 2 October 1863, Page 6 (Supplement)

COLONIAL DEFENCE.

Lobd Lyttelton presented a petition in the House of Lords on the subject of the distress brought upon the inhabitants by the native war. He remarked that it was a somewhat anomalous position of affairs that whereas we imposed upon those who left our shores every social duty, we reserved to ourselves to a great extent, that first and primary duty—self-defence. No doubt the imposition of that duty was, as was the case with everything else, liable to modification according to circumstances. As a general rule, however, the cost of war and government ought to be borne“by those for whose benefit it was carried out, and the Imperial Government ought not to be called upon as a matter of right to relieve the colonist of any portion of their responsibility in that respect. That being so, no better cause could, he thought, be found for the application of such a principle than New Zealand. Of course ho was not going to ask for direct pecuniary aid to the settlement. In the memorial it was stated that the colonial assembly had voted to the settlement a sum of £250,000 by way of compensation, and the Imperial Government might very well lend its aid, either by a guarantee 'or some other way, to facilitate the raising of that sum, so that the settlement might immediately receive the benefit of it. He trusted, too, that the noble duke would do all he could to expedite measures of peace in the colony. The noble lord concluded by moving that the petition lie on the table.

The Duke of Newcastle, in the course of a long speech, said—Though I have laid it down as a general principle that the colonies should provide for their own defence, I have never said that all assistance should be withdrawn from New Zealand, and that the colonists should be left to fight out their own battles with the natives. On the contrary, in the despatch of May 1862, I said expressly that the troops should not be withdrawn at present. Now, with regard to this petition, your lordships will not hear from me any expressions other than commiseration for the inhabitants of Taranaki; but at the same time X muslin justice say that they have a good,deal to answer for themselves in connection with the present condition of things in that province. The sum voted for the inhabitants of Taranaki by the inhabitants of New Zealand is £200,000, of which 25,000 has been paid from money which was raised in this country two years ago. There is at present an agent of the Colony in England with the view of raising a loan of from £500,000 to £600,000, to be applied in payment of the balance of the sum voted to the inhabitants of Taranaki, and about £200,000 to the English Government. Mr. Sewell, the commissioner appointed to enquire into the matter, estimated the compensation to the inhabitants of Taranaki at £158,000 ; and the colonists are prepared to pay a much larger sum than that. But my noble friends says that the Colony is too poor to pay such compensation. I am happy to say the colony is so prosperous that notwithstanding the war, the revenue of Now Zealand has, during a period of three years, increased from £230,000 to £160,000, and the imports and exports more than doubled the between 1861—the year in which the war commenced—and the following year. (Hear.) I therefore hold that there is no justification in asking this sum from the Imperial Parliament. For the last two years Sir George Grey has been pursuing a quiet, steady, but resolute policy of which we are now reaping the fruits. He began as a statesman and a soldier would begin by making roads through this difficult country. After doing this, General Cameron at the heacl of a few troops took possession of the disputed blocks without shedding a drop of blood, and instead of the resistance with which ho was threatened by the natives the Governor with the General and the troops was received with the utmost cordiality and goodwill. By the last accounts —and I have a private letter from the Governor dated three or four days later than the last despatch—he informed me that the natives, •who had so lately been fighting against us, were ■bringing in potatoes and other commodities for the us g of the troops. Now this is a very hopeful sign, and looks like the beginning of the end. tinder such circumstances, I hope that in this country and in the colony patience will be shown and that in New Zealand the voices of those men, whose object is war will be extinguished. Earl Grey said—With colonies situated as New Zealand was, the mother country should deal more generously with the colonists, and ought not to call upon them to bear the whole burden of defending themselves before they were in a condition to undertake the task. As a colony became prosperous and populous, it should be required to take upon itself a proportionate share of the burden of self-defence, but he could not approve of the doctrine of the duties of colonics to defend themselves being pushed to the extreme in times of difficulty and danger. He was of opinion that the abandonment of our colonies would be a mean and unworthy policy, and he was one of those who should most regret to see it adopted. Lord Lyveden believed that the chief cause of these wars was that the settlers, relying upon the force which would be sent from this country to back them, adopted an aggressive policy towards the natives. If they were left to their own resources peace would be much better procured. "Whatever remedy the noble duke might adopt for the existing state of things, he hoped that he would never resort to that which had been recommended by the noble earl—viz., that of retracting our steps, and abolishing responsible governments in the colonies. (Hear, hear.) Such a course, would, in in his opinion, be neither desirable nor possible. (Hear, hear.) Lord Lyttelton briefly replied, and the subject then dropped.