Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addiclus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1870.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 768, 10 March 1870, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addiclus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1870.

It will be interesting to some to turn over the pages of " Hansard " and to note the speeches made by the present Government during the wearisome debates of last session. We have made a few extracts which we shall not apologise for laying befor our readers, as they have probably not had time to wade through the state papers in question. Here is one —the style sufficiently identifying the speaker :—" I cannot! help saying, that if we leave this work of pursuing always to oar native allies, our European forces will lose prestige." This was part of a criticism upon the Ngaiapa operations. Once out of their stronghold, Te Kooti's men and half-starved prisoners was considered weak enough to be pursued by any troops, however inferior ; for pursuit meant anything but danger, and was at tended with considerable "loot." The Ngatiporou being exceedingly fond of the latter, and appreciating the absence of the former, begged to undertake this duty alone. In Col. Hanltain's manly and straightforward reply this is fully explained. But if confiding the work of pursuit to the friendly Maoris is to lower the prestige of our Europeans, how much moie must their prestige be lowered by seeing the work of put-' ting to flight given to these sameallies? Again we will quote : —" The young chief said, ' This is a curious way to treat us. You pay your own people, but when we Maoris go out yon say—' No, no ! you nxuet go for nothing.' Is this justice ?' I conld make that young chief no answer." Of course not, more especially as " I '* had been the main advocate for the employment of this young chief, and " I " had given a written undertaking of service on his behalf, upon these very terms. Once more we select from " I'm " speech :—" These are little things, and they show the wretched mismanagement there is of native affairs, and the danger it is bringing lis into; for if such things arc continued these people will soon be in such a state that they cannot be maanged by anybody." To whom are we indebted for this state? More, perhaps, to "I" and his coadjutors than they care to allow. But how differently "I" regards things now? To talk of payment to friendlies for service was lately called unpatriotic. We have indeed changed our views upon some of these subjects, and the system of no pay, which was once so objectionable, is now quite a point we take a pride in, especially since the Treasury is exhausted, and we do not want to meec the Assembly till we have managed to do something. " I" is generally belied if he has not had something lately to do with the "no pay" notion. It is true the occasion was not like that so severely criticised in the speech from which we quote, where a few natives went a short distance from home for a fortnight, and came back again without suffering hardship or

firing a shot; it is believed that the economy referred to the payment of certain natives, who at the urgent request of " I," in the dead of winter and in full belief they were to be paid like the rest of the force, were hurried up to Taupo to fight, and kept there on short rations for three months. It is true a small bag of sovereigns, in total equal to 5d per diem to each, was tendered as an equivalent for their services: but after three months' work, the loss of their horses, and some damage to one of their most distinguished chief*' the young man could not be persuaded to accept the proffered gold from " L" If walls could speak, those of a certain room would tell a tale of liard pleading for his due ; but "I" was inexorable, it was said. Those walls can now tell another tale, showing that " I'"' has not since found it easy to " manage " this young chief; but the difficulty has arisen from the non-fulfilment of the original payments, not from any prior mismanagement of Native affairs. Chinese tailors, when they make new trousers, ate unable to shape them without a pattern. If the model happens to be an old and patched pair the Chinaman reproduces the original, patches and all, out of the new stuff. So the present Government, prompt to descry patches in the trousers of its predecessors, have copied the garment and even exaggerated its imperfections. Nothing at which they railed when in opposition has been omitted in their own programme. We have had the "offensive" "distant expeditions," " unpaid natives," and " unmanageable people," We have seen larger musters of men, greater waste of money. We are returning to the Uriwera invasion, and Waikarimoana. Is there anything they condemned that they have not repeated 1 If so, it has to come between now and June next.