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New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4602, 20 December 1875, Page 2

Whatever may be the feelings which animate other constituencies,, there can'be no doubt about the sentiments of the electors of Napier as expressed last Wednesday, and Sir Donald McLean has every reason to be justly proud of the reception given him by his constituents. The meeting altogether appears to have been a great success; the speech was short but straightforward and to the point ; and the result was that a vote of full confidence was not deemed sufficient, and that an amendment, seconded by another candidate for one of the Napier seats, was carried, pledging the meeting to use every exertion to bring Sir Donald in at the of the poll. That this will be the case we.have not the slightest doubt,.and we congratulate the people of Napier on having shown in so emphatic a manner their appreciation of the merits of their late and future representative. So much has been said in dispraise of the Native Department, of the supposed extravagencs with which it is credited, and of the so-called mystery attending it, that it is perfectly refreshing to find a constituency which knows a good deal about native troubles awarding to the Native Minister the honor which is his just due. On this subject the opinion of such men is worth taking ; they have had opportunity of watching the working of the system, and they have seen how, by a quiet and steadfast persistence in the course he had laid out for himself, Sir Donald McLean has eliminated from among them all causes of hostility, and has secured what we thoroughly believe to be a permanent state of peace, not only for their own heretofore so troubled district, but also for the entire North Island. With the sad experience they have had of the past, of the miseries and ruinous expense of a continued state of hostilities, it is not surprising to find that the inhabitants of Napier fully endorse the policy of the Native Minister, and show, by the unanimous pledge given him on Wednesday, that they recognise its wisdom. As we have said, Sir Donald's speech to the electors was short, and was free from verbiage, and in a few words contained a good deal of matter. To his past political career, and his connection with Hawke's Bay, he made but a brief reference, and, after touching on the public works policy, he went on to show that the charges made so constantly against him of extravagance in his departments were unfounded, and then spoke of our relations with the natives, when he pointed out that the system of native education introduced by him was paving the way for the abolition of all special legislation. From that he came to the future policy of the Government ; and here we find no uncertain note sounded; there are no platitudes, no theoristic fallacies ; in one word, there is no bunkum : a broad general principle is laid down of a system of real local government under which municipalities and road boards, assisted by supplementary, contributions from the general revenue, are to have the control of local matters and local works. As Sir Donald happily put it, theirs is to be the administrative" part, while the legislative functions remain with the General Assembly. This is a programme such as was ardently asked for, and with which we believe the country will be thoroughly satisfied, notwithstanding all the efforts made by a few theorists to destroy the unity of the colony by separation. On the important topic of taxation Sir Donald's »pinion, and we fervently trust he may be correct, is that for the present none additional is needed ; but at the same time he foresees that the'time will come when it will be a necessity, and he favors the idea of a tax on property. On the whole, Sir Donald's speech has been an honest exposition of the policy of the Government, and of his own views, and we cannot wonder at the decision arrived at by the electors of Hawke's Bay to once more repose the fullest confidence in the representative who has achieved so much for the colony.

Mb. Travers denies in posters and letters of various sizes that we have fairly represented his opinions. We confess at once that in some respects Mr. Travers' opinions are difficult of representation, owing to their variety and changefulness. But so far as education goes, we reiterate that we have never attempted to misrepresent Mr. Travers, and that all we have done has been to judge him by his own words. Doing this we judged his opinions on education from his admission that the Bible should, under certain restrictions, be read in State schools. Now, with much noise and violence, he and. his advocates call us names, and he himself amends his educational platform by saying that the State should deal with secular education alone. Does Mr. Travers mean by this that any system of education adopted by the State should be strictly confined within secular limits, or does he mean that the State might assist denominational schools according to a standard fixed by an examination of such secular teaching as they furnished ? We have no hesitation in saying that Mr. Travers is a man who requires pinning to his words, those words being shifty and evasive, and alterable by him to suit the political atmosphere. We say nothing unfair in asserting that Mr. Travers' last declaration in regard to education would be quite compatible with a subsequent support by him of a system under which the State should recognise the secular teaching imparted in denominational schools, and pay for that alone. Mr. Travers could easily show how, in doing this, the State would deal with secular teaching alone. We care not in this matter how our own good faith may be called in question, and our motives misinterpreted. We have a plain duty to perform, and neither Mr. Travers' verbosity nor virulence shall turn us from it. His previous public career has given us evidence of his shiftiness and unreliability, and we are bound to say that his present campaign is affording further evidence in the same direction. We are determined that, in addition to the candor which characterises his abuse of the New Zeaiasd Times, there shall be perfect, candor in his political statements, even though that candor involve the daily contradiction afforded by the expression of his viewa on triennial parliaments.

Mil. Pollock, a butcher carrying on business in Wellington, was fined 10s. in the Resident Magistrate's Court on Saturday, under circumstances not altogether creditable to the Kailway Department. Some week or so ago a large slip took place on the Hutt-road, near Kaiwarrawarra, blocking it up completely and stopping traffic. A number of persons—principally butchers—of, whom defendant was one, ■won anxious to get into town, for their business was seriously interfered with by the slip, and therefore they themselves set to work to cut out a passage. Part of the fence which divides the railway ground from the road was taken down, and after about two houre' labor a roadway was cut just inside the fence, and four or five yards from the line. No objection was taken to this by the persona in charge of the lino, and so soon as the opening was finished the mail coach was allowed to pass through. Defendant and others wished to follow, but wcro peremptorily stopped by a ganger, or something of the sort, who, with that offensive-

ness men dressed in a little brief authority can so well assume, threatened violence to the first person who came inside the fence. No train was in sight, oj; likely to come by for some time, yet those who had been waiting and working so long were kept three or four hours longer. Defendant, being the first who attempted to cross, was elected as the person of whom an example should be made, and a letter was sent to him asking for an explanation of his conduct, and stating that unless he did explain a summons would issue ; but owing to the very peculiar manner in which business is transacted in the Railway Department, the summons was served three days before the letter was delivered. On these facts a fine of 10s. was imposed. It is true the ganger said defendant had struck him, but the evidence also showed that much provocation was given; and moreover, the striking was not mentioned in the information.as a cause of complaint. It might be supposed that when these unfortunate slips occur on the Hutt road every facility would be offered to allow of traffic being resumed as quickly as possible, but the Barnacle and Stiltstalking family are well represented in some departments.