THE Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31, 1879. THE NATIVE DIFFICULTY.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 103, 31 December 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31, 1879. THE NATIVE DIFFICULTY.

" Words lire thing*, and a drop of ink falling like dew upon * thought, piodaces tlu-t whic.i makes thousands, perhaps millions think." ■■—-■ ■ • ■ . -

Pebhaps there is~nb' matter at* tlie present time fraught with so much impbrtance ro the colony as a definite settlement^ the Native Difficulty Had the spark oi rebel lion hich appeared 'whoa tho Maoris stopped the survey of the Waimate Plains, beeu fanned, into a blaze, the country would not now be'rejoicing over the successful floating o£ the English loan. Luokily the., danger which then loomed out with ominous aspect has beeu tided over, and Time and Fever, have done .more to break tho back-bone o£ Wative obstinacy than had desperate efforts been taken at the outset. Sickness and suffering have played sad havoc-' iu the ranks of the adherents olHhe fanatic pk>phet, and to-day Te "Whiti stands upou the wreck of &is former greatness. While the life-blQocl of his p rty has been slowlyr but surely ebbing away, the. Government 1 lias b i en massing men. and materiel withiivthe. vicinity, until they stand m auoh* a positiqn as to snap their .fingers at the threats of'the whilom dictator. Fanatic as'.Tjs White may be, Tie is possessed of sritiicieat common sense to admit his own. v eakness and the power of his opponents, so that with a cuuning and craftiness whicli is characteristic of the man he is prepared to bow to the hand of fate, and if not painting "Defeat" instead of "Defiance" upon his banner, he has proclaimed that henceforth 'his policy* is to be one of peace. Too much reliance, however, should not be placed upon this apparent submission, for it is possible that the serpent is on)y scutched, not killed, and conbe(juqutly the should well follow up the advantages which so far have attended their efforts. Although, | however, the action, *o£ the Government 'ip to the present is worthy of commendation, their efforts will be perfectly futile unless.. well followed up. It is true the band of rascally malcontents are now completely disorganised, their lawlessness kept m check, and their aggressive designs frustrated, . by the imposing force wjiich has been massed at their very doors ; but it is a state qf things which cannot last. The finances of the colony will not allow of tho maintenance of" a standing army^to watch over the inovemonts of a band of turbulent a^d treasonable savages, and steps will soon have to be taken to sweep away for ever, the impudent pretensions of "the. arch -hypocrite Te Whiti and ;his gang of deluded followers. i At present the number of armed men which the Government uave niasaed m. the vicinity of Panihaka is a heavy drain upon the revenue, and .therefore we havg' read with pleasure a - document lately appearing m our evening conteinpo^ rarj r at iv which the writer grasps the subject m a masterly .manner, and foreshadows what appears to be a most practical scheme for the final settlement of jjhe difliculty. The name of the^ author has not yet appeared/ but we* have the guarantee of the editor of the journal m which tho offer appearefl that; the gentfetaan. i$ well

I ittoJ to carry out the scheme which lie has propounded. It is as follows : — I should propose to raise a force if 240 men to be divided into four* .•ornpanies, each consisting of 3 officers, 5 non-oommissioned officers, and $4> rarik and file. Men should bo enlisted for. five. years subject to military discipline, pay to be determined by Government. In addition to pay they should be entitled to .50 acres per man, non-commissioned-officers* to receive 80 acres each ; for this they shonld bo charged at the rate of £L peraere, to be paid on delivery of .Grown Grant (on the expiration, ot then* term of service): In the event of death, their heirs should be entitled to receive, for each year of actual service, ouc-fi£th of the total amount which would accrue if the full term were cohiploted. Iv no instance should they have power to, alienate their gran.-s pribr to the expiration of their engagement,, all. arrangements entered into before that period being absolutely hull and void. All men discharged for misconduct should forfeit, all claim, to }and. In addition to their pay the men should receive rations on the xisUal : scale ; these would .cease as soqn as the necessary supplies could be^obtained from the sto.de and cultivation of the fpftje, & small increase of pay being given instead as an ehcoTiragement to the men to improve their selection as rapidly is possilile, compatibly with the completion of such public yorts as they fnav be 'employed : upon. The position of the various' posts must depend >upon' the character of the country to be occupied I would suggest they should be four m number, eacli consisting of a company defended by a small block 'Honse and redoubt at the central position, which"- should be - chosen foi? its ; .filnesS fgr a future township as well as for its suitability for defensive operations. A somewhat larger block- would be required to serve for a store or dep&tv and so arranged as' "subsequently to be available for, pubjic . offices, j Plans and elevation of "'them' could] be given if rpquired. In.enli sting men, preference should bfe glren to artisans, who should be allowed a small increase ' of p.iy when imployed Qn tsvt3rric-vr'kt?re-skillod labour is rrquired. Theoffii-ers, some at least", should have some slight knowledsro of engineering and road work. They .^itli the class of men likely to be obtained if care is taken when forming the corps, slipuld.be able to undertake ancl carry 'put well all the work 5 ; likely to be required m the dis- [ tr\cii for some timn 'io-edmei--.-- The com- - 1 party to be sub-divided with the view 'of getting a fair number of skilled , tradesman m each squad m propoution to tho pick;and shovel men. The corps ; J should bo independent of the A.0., ex--1 cent whori actually on service m the field ; they should not be used for military purposes except -m case of emergency or to guard against surprise and ensure the safety of working parties. The drill -.taught shonld be as simple ; as possible, especial attention .being ffjven to insfrnction m the use. of their weapons, which might consist of short rifle, swdrd bayonet and revolver. The ZJiuivo system of drill would be as good as any, m which th r men are taught to jj-cfc independently oi* m parties of four or greater numbers, the men composing them being well known to each other, and Jiaring a thorpitgh mutual confidence, the latter being most essential. Immediately on the completion of tho necessary works for defence, as surveying progressed the land might be allocated to the corps, the subdivision to be conducted m such a manner as may afterwards be determind uponi Tliis and several matters of minor detail I have not 'touched, as I think the point requires to be thonght out. having before one the system alEeadv tried, which I believe proved unsatisfactory ; "and ; the circumstances judging by my own past experience, pnuld b° easily dealt with as they arose. The question of rates of pay for officers and i\\Q amount of land to be granted to them I hare not entered into/ deeming it a matte c to be dealt with by the Government. In round number the amount of land required, supposing Hie grants to be on the usual scale, woul.l bo about 6000 acres. It necessary I will draw up a detailed .scheme for the interior economy aud penal discipline of the corps.