The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, WEDNESDAY, 21st JUNE, 1863.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 5, Issue 281, 21 June 1865, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, WEDNESDAY, 21st JUNE, 1863.

In our last issue, we gave the resolutions on the subject of the illegal occupation of native lands, proposed by Mr Buchanan, on Friday last, and the amendments of Mr M‘Lean and Mr Colenso, together with the division lists on these questions. We now resume the subject by giving, from our contemporary, a report of the speech made by Mr Buchanan in proposing his resolutions, as we believe tht subject to be of the greatest importance to the public. For the resolutions we refer our readers to our last issue. Mr Buchanan spoke as follows: In rising to move those resolutions, he trusted he might accept as a good omen the fervour which had been displayed by members opposite in referring to the interests of the poor man. If his resolutions resulted in putting an end to the system of illegal squatting, theu, perhaps, some good might be done for that mythical individual—the poor man. For he believed that, after all, the right to vote was but a poor advantage when constituencies were apt to be betrayed by their representatives. Respecting the great evil which was sought to be stopped by means of the resolutions before him, they all knew how that system had been growing—• the height to which it had attained—and the strength which had been gathered together for its support. They knew how the illegal squatters had bound together, arid how they had worked might and main to secure them*

selves and to establish their position. And he did not blame, them for so JJes blamed the government of the country', dot individual trespassers. It was quit^natural| ; indeed, that those people, seeing before 5 them* tempting tracts of unoccupied land?'and knowing the weakness of the government and the immunity with which they knew they would be permitted to break-the law,should seize hold of those advantages; ./But: the government should, not have thus ..allowed., the Jaw to be treated with scorn and contempt. They all knew that, within a comparatively recent period, the cream of tile Ahuriri Piains had been secured by one individual, whom be thought he might name without acting offensively—Mr. Tanner. Having done so, he at once saw the necessity of strengthening his position, and gathered around him a coterie who, unitedly, could afford him that strength which he had not individually. First of all, he selected an influential missionary, and thus secured the powerful support of the church party; then, he secured the support of the local government by giving a share to a member opposite, the chief of the executive. Next, he thought he might as well secure the hanking influence, and accordingly the manager of the Union Bank became one of the coterie—• even the Inspector also was one, according to report. Mr. Tanner was indeed wise in his generation to gather around him such an array ot strength and influence. It would be very difficult to defeat such a combination; it might be that the effort to do so would he as fruitless as Don Quixote’s tilting at a wind-mill. But he (Mr. Buchanan) was determined at all hazaads to attempt it. If he failed in that Council he would take it to another _ tribunal—-the General Assembly. If he failed there, he would expose such iniquitous doings before the British, House of Commons. He would do so through Matthew Henry Marsh—the man who, when no other could be found to stem the torrent of scorn and contempt which, on a late occasion, was poured upon the heads ot New Zealand settlers, rose up in his place in the House, and, knowing little of New Zealand, hut imbued with the feelings of an old Australian resident, rose up and defended the Now Zealand colonist against the aspersions which, from all quarters, were cast upon him. Through him would the truth in reference to this province go forth to the world. It was not merely one member of the Executive who had thus shamefully broken the law; he (Mr. Buchanan) charged the chief Executive officer of the province with the same offence. Recently, and for long years past, that officer had broken the law—thinking himself shielded in so doing by his official position and his influence with the natives. He (Mr. Buchanan) well remembered one member of that Council saying, that Mr. M’Lcan had the confidence hot alone of the European settlers but of the Maori population. That,, indeed .was . the special qualification upon which he was elected Superintendent. He (Mr! Buchanan) wished that gentleman had the confidence of one section of the'community only, and that section his own countrymen. Rut he need not expatiate further upon a subject which was so well understood. An attempt had been made to stave off the evil day, by acquiring at the last moment the fag end of the plains—the morsel that was left—a mere fringe of the lands suited for agricultural purposes. This it was proposed to cut up for the benefit of the poof man, in such a manner that, unless he had £'3oo or£4!00, he could not enter upon its occupation. That was the boon to the poor man. He (Mr. Buchanan) inferred that a class of capitalists rather than of working men were what was wanted. They all knew how closely tjie Maories noted the doings of the government —how they watched the laws and the manner in which these laws were carried out. They could see well enough that the Jaw was powerless among Europeans; and would naturally say—how, then, could it have power over the Maori ? They saw the laxity with which the laws were administered—they saw vacillation displayed by the government in every matter, and knew very well that by procrastination they could succeed in all their objects. He did not know exactly how much the natives received for rents in this province. There was no data upon which to base a calculation; but it was generally put down at £28,000 or £30,000. But whatever the sum might be, it was well known that a large proportion of it Was. seat to; aid in carrying on the war. They had; not very long ago, received that admission from the lips of an Ahuriri chief at Petane, Kaiwhatu, who stated openly enough that he and his brother chiefs had supplied the king party to a large extent with the sinews of war, money. All the while that the colonial

government was spending tjjree millions of and employing 10,000 raen s i§ p u j.. the nsftiires|o| : fjyj? pjf°y%ce were receiviitf flfrom. |he£B||t]ersl thousands of pounds "Whph mo.stnpt to nullify those efforts. It was well Known that, for war purposes among the natives, a few pounds would go further than “any, hundred A looney woufd be .better, applied andused with fdr -greatfef effect/ 1 ‘ That/ thferefoi-e; dis-satlsfactib-a non-enforcement l of a law framed'do check such a state of, things, he was not surprised at. That efforts had been made to enforce the law and had proved aiailure, was true; hut the reason was that the law had been set going, not with an honest intention to remove a crying evil,' but sithply as a political engine or for the attainment of some private end. An honest, well meaning, attempt on the part of the local government would, even in the private interest of its members,, haye -been much more v advantageous* than tfre' course they had chosen to pursue. With regard to the resolutions by way of amendment, the effect would simply be to shelve thequestion. He would conclude by moving the resolutions standing in his name.