The Hawke's Bay Times, Published every Monday and Thursday. "NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI." MONDAY, 13th AUGUST, 1866. THE NATIVE POLICY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 402, 13 August 1866, Page 6

The Hawke's Bay Times, Published every Monday and Thursday. "NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI." MONDAY, 13th AUGUST, 1866. THE NATIVE POLICY.

We have already given our readers an outline of the speech of the Native Minister, in which ho indicates the future policy of the Government in native matters, and we lmv t intimated that we approve of much that he

nab urougni lorward, while we must dissent from a certain portion. We now resume the subject, in order to make a few remarks on the speech and policy, asjpromised in our last. It is with unmixed gratification that we learn the intention of the Government to bring the false, foolish, and exploded flour and sugar policy to an end. We have uniformly taken every occasion in our power to show that the petting, pampering, bribing, and toadying policy that has hitherto obtained has been an unmixed evil, calculated to increase and prolong our troubles with the race, who, seeing no reason for the display of s ■> much benevolence on our part, place it and always have placed it to the account of our fear of them, and have, in consequence, held us in the most supreme contempt. It would be most absurd to suppose that this bribing for good behaviour has ever or could ever have any of the effect intended, but must unvaryingly have resulted in the direct contrary, as we well know lias been the case. We also cordially approve of the intention to make them aware that they are amenable to British law, and while they have the rights and privileges of the European settler, they are not to be exempt from his responsibilities, and in this connexion perhaps the most gratifying portion of the speech is that that informs us of the intention of the Government to abolish the native office, believing the ordinary machinery of Government to be sufficient for the protection and contiol of both races. But while we regard these several matters with satisfaction, there arc other matters from which we must withhold our approval; these are the proposals for making special arrangements for the representation of the natives in the two chambers of the General Parliament, and the abolition of certain restrictive laws having for their end tire benefit of the native race. Mr Russell thought they should be heard in the Assembly, and proposed that they should have three representatives in the Legislative Council, and six in the House of Representatives, as if they were unrepresented now, or could uot be heard in the house—while, on the contrary, it is only too well known that a great proportion of the time of both houses is always taken up in special legislation for them. We should regard it as a very great error if any alteration were made in this matter. As the law now stands they have the same electoral rights and privileges as their fellow-subjects—a suffrage almost universal—and there is nothing but unfitness even now to prevent a Maori elector from sitting*in the house as representative of any electoral district for which he may choose to stand. Many of the natives do register and record their votes—their claims are received and adjudicated on in the same way as those of other electors, and a most liberal construction is placed upon tlieir claims—occupation of a hut with door, window, and chimney being usually considered sufficient. Surely a more liberal franchise than this could not be desired, and anything further in the way of special representation would be neither more nor Lss than a retrograde movement from the avowed policy of Mr Russell, tending to retard or prevent the fusion of the races, and defer the time when, a native office can be dispensed with, and the native race be governed by the ordinary machinery of the Colony. On the repeal of the restrictive laws we have few words to say. It is not the exist mice ’>f these laws that leads to the irritation and contempt complained of; it is the permitted

■ violation, of them. The remedy is not to be fouud in the repeal of the laws, but in their enforced observance. The permitted violation of the law in certain cases has been and always will be a contempt for all law, and the responsibility rests on those who should enforce the law, but from fear, favoritism, supineness, or whatever else may be the reason, neglect their duty, and suffer laws to be infringed with impunity.