THE NATIVES IN WELLINGTON.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 674, 19 April 1869, Page 2

THE NATIVES IN WELLINGTON.

A principal item in the expenses attendant on the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to the Colony will prove to be that connected with the conveying a body of natives to Wei • lington, and their maintenance there for some weeks —ot course at the public expense. At a time like the present, when the whole of our resource* are required to carry on the Government and the defence of the Colony, such an expenditure should have been undertaken with veiy great caution. Indeed, we do not see why it should have been incurred. Most of these natives are well-to-do a« regards property, being in the receipt of large sums as rent of land occupied by Europeans; and all of than, we presume, are professedly loyal. Their desire to see the Prince —a son of the Queen —would, we believe, in the majority of case?, have proved a sufficient inducement for them to go at their own cost, if they did not choose to do this, their absence would not have been very material When it was understood that a delay of some days beyond the date of his expected arrival would take place, the news, to others a source of annoyance, was to them one of gratification, as it meant just so many more days of feasting at the expense of the pakeha, which was of more vital consequence to them than the sight of the Prince himself. A characteristic incident, illustrative at once of the nature of these people and of the policy pursued towards them by the Government took place during the stay of the Prince. A war-dance was arranged for Tuesday, the 13th inst., and we might have supposed that their loyalty would have led them to enter with enthusiasm into the plan for the gratification of his Royal Highness. But no —they knew that here was a chanoe for the exercise of their cupidity, and they refused to begin unless they were paid for the performance—fixing the remuneration at the modest sum of Two Hundred Pounds ! As usual, their demand wrs acceded to—though this time not to its full extent —and £6O was paid over to them. The consequence was that the Prince saw a paid-for performance instead of what he probably expected, an exhibition of the enthusiastic loyalty of the friendly Maoris. He saw also how the Europeans are compelled to submit to the dictation of these people. In one sense, perhaps it was well so, for the true state of matters was shown him a. little plainer than was intended.