Hawkes's Bay Times Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1872.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1482, 16 November 1872, Page 2

Hawkes's Bay Times Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1872.

In dealing with the matter of the claims of the Wellington Province against the General Government of the Colony, Mr Vogel appears to. have found at least his equal in the Superintendent of the said Province. It was rather like a master stroke of diplomacy on the pait of Mr Vogel when he made the proposition, contained in our telegraphic colamn the other day, to the effect that the whole question of those claims should be referred to the Speaker of the House of JReprcsentativea for arbitration, and that the award, if any, should be paid out of the sums voted by the House for native land purchasing. The proposal had, on its surface something of the appearance of fairness, and the lion, gentleman doubtless expected i,t would be accepted without a too critical of its naturQ. M*

Fifczherberfc, however, is far too wary to be so easily ensnared. He saw at once that it was a mere attempt at evasion on the part of the General Government. The fund from which it was proposed that the award should be paid is one that is actually provincially provided, being charged to the account of the province in which it is expended. It was clear, therefore, thai the proposal was not one for paying the Province of Wellington any just claim it might Lave against the Colony; but, in the words of the telegram, one that would make Wellington virtually pay itself. It is not then any matter of surprise that such a proposal should be rejected. It cannot fail to strike the reader that in making the proposal Mr Vogel has been playing into the hands of Wellington. The proposal consists ol two parts :—First, an admission that the claims are sufficiently well grounded to bo worthy of arbitration by a disinterested party, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives must be regarded ; aud, secondly, it indicates the source from which the required funds to pay an award shall be derived. These two parts form, in fact, two distinct proposals, of which the first can be taken without reference to the second) and doubtless will be so taken by the Superintendent of Wellington. Mr Vogel can no longer object to the examination of the claims by an arbitrator, and it will remain for the House of Representatives to specially vote the amount of the award. It is quite clear that Wellington has come off best in the contest, while Mr Vogel's position is somewhat ridiculous, after his bold assertion on his late resumption of office that he would never recognise these claims, and that the Colony should hear no more about them.

The proposal that the claims be referred *o the Speaker of the House of Representatives for arbitration did not, after all, originate with Mr Yogel, but witli Mr Fitzherbert, and it was in this manner that it came about : Towaids the end of the session an attempt was made in the House of Representatives to "settle the Manawatu difficulty" by passing a Bill to give authority to the Governor to issue Crown giants for the lands given by Mr M'Lean to the malcontents out of the block purchased by Wellington at Manawatu. In this Bill it was that Mr Fitzherbert, in direct opposition to the Government, succeeded in getting a clause inserted to the effect that the Speaker of the House should arbitrate and decide the question of the claim of Wellington to this land—for it must be remembered that Mr M'Lean, in pacifying the malcontents in bis approved way of giving them what they want, gave in this case what was not quite his own to give. He, as an officer of the General Government, gave away provincial property, though it does not appear to have struck him that it was so at the time. U remained for Dr. Featberston on his return from England to point out to him what he had done, ami assert the claim of the province. Mr. Fitz herbert's clause was, however, rejected by the Legislative Council, and the Bill itself was. finally slaughtered by the prorogation, before the House could, re-consider it. We believe that the claim of Wellington stands quite as fair a chance of being recognised as the Manawatu. difficulty does of being finally settled.