New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1875.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4379, 2 April 1875, Page 2

New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1875.

The details of the interview at Whakatane, between, Sir .LgY-VI-E .McLean - , and the tribes inhabiting that part of the Ray of Plenty and the interior, which we published yesterday, ‘ are ‘exceedingly interesting.. .TherNatiye Minister appearp • to have conducted the : interview with his usual good sense and firmness, and the Maoris present were satisfied with the fairness of his decisions. This'is unquestionably a different state of things from that which existed in the same district a few eyeara - .ago.:: .TheHwthe - Bay of. Plenty was the theatre of war. Life and property were-insecure-;-and-many of-thp‘ very 'men who assembled 1 the ! other day at Whakatane to consult with Sir Dokald. McLean, - and' adjust J their differences; with the Government,: had; been promt-; nent in their hostility to the European^.. Some of them indeed, during the excitement of the Hauhau delusion, committed, enormous excesses; but they now see the criminal folly of their conduct, and propose settling down to peaceful pursuits. The contrast .between the condition of native affairs on the East Coast at the present time, and what it was when the. Fox Ministry took office in 1809, as we have already said, is very marked. When,, therefore, Sir Gkorob Grey- declared on the Auckland hustings,, that the interests of the country were being sacrificed by the Government for the personal aggrandisement of one member of it, he must, have been wholly forgetful of the successful administration of ’native affairs, for- one- ■ thing.. We say “it,without fear of contradiction, that native affairs , have been ..better, and. more economically managed by Sir Donalu McLean - than they were by Sir George Grey. The former' succeeded - Ibo 'the costly and mischievous system which Sir George established under the pretentions title of ‘-‘ New Institutions he also succeeded to the legacy of. blunders and blood which ■ had accumulated from 1860 till 1869, and to which Sir George was' a large contributor ; but with all these drawbacks , against ; himy,: with an impoverished Treasury and a-diminishing revenue, he was successful in pacifying the country, and securing the 1 confidence pf both races, a feat which, it is not too much to say, “the great Pro-Consul” never could have achieved.

Let us ask, therefore, whether the interests of the colony have been, or are being sacrificed, by the Native Minister 1 Sir George Grey is bound in honor to say “yes” or “no”, to this question. His accusation was sweeping, and as damaging to the reputation of Ministers as it was precise in its terms. The present Ministry would fall to pieces l at once but for Sir. Vogel, the country has been told; also that the interests of New Zealand are being sacrificed to subserve the purposes of one man ; that “one man” being Mr. Vogel. Now, does Sir George Grey mean to say that the Native Minister is not politically a strong man 1 Does he imagine that Sir Donald McLean is a lay figure on the Executive shelf ; —that he is a puppet in the hands of the Premier ? If he does he is greatly mistaken. The political conflict of 1872 established, beyond any shadow of doubt, that the Native Minister was then the strongest man, in the House ; that he had more political weight than any other member ; and that without him it was impossible to form a strong Government. In his retirement, Sir George Grey may have overlooked these significant political events. If he regarded them at all, he looked through the wrong end of the telescope, the proceedings of the Assembly at Wellington being of the most insignificant character in his eyes. The report of the native meeting at Whakatone, however, should awaken him to the fact that there are political forces at work outside and beyond his control, and that when he talks of the interests of • tho country being sacrificed by the Government of the day, he speaks without consideration, to the great injury of gentlemen who are doing their best to promote its welfare. Now, the case of the Native Minister is by no moans exceptional. We have the Minister for Public Works devoting his best energies and professional training to the control of a new department, which more than taxes the energies of any man. The results of his administration are not at present so apparent as those of the Native Department, but in good time tho country will have proof of the measure of supervision with which the Public Works Office has been conducted. In no possible sense, however, can it be fairly said that Mr. Richardson is sacrificing the interests of the country. Ho has no object to serve by doing so. His interests are bound up with the colony ; and, to put it on the lowest possible ground of self-interest, he is not likely to sacrifice himself for tho sake of any other public man. We might cite the case of the other members of the Government, whose duties do not come prominently before the public eye, as contradictory of Sir George Grey’s sweeping condemnation of tho Executive. But wo have said enough to show its. injustice. As Superintendent of Auckland, he has an opportunity of showing what ability he possesses as an administrator. That province is not in tho impecunious state ho would have the public believe. Thanks to tho liberality of tho , much-abused General Assembly, a sum of £116,000 was appropriated last session for public ourposos therein ; and if the new 1 Superintendent be a man of that infinite resource ho so modestly assumes to himself, he can have little difficulty in satisfying the urgent demands of Auckland in tho matter of public works. Wo do not think it necessary to defend Mr. Vogel from the

aspersions cast upon 'him. Ho is absent Afrom the colony, - charged" with most .important duties, and we leave his defence/ with confidence: tp ithd'sense of hbubrAnd fair play of the public ,'of Now Zealand. "w