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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5007, 11 April 1877, Page 2

The Prince of Wales, some years ago, expressed a desire to visit all the principal dependencies of Great Britain before he came to the throne. He has already commenced giving a practical effect to his wishes by visiting Canada and India, and we are glad to hear that Australia and New Zealand are to be honored in a similar way. , Some people may ask what good we expect to flow to this colony from such an event ? Our reply is that it is in itself a good thing that the future King of England should have as large a personal knowledge as possible of the people and countries over whom it is his destiny, should his life be spared, one day to rule. For many years to come it is desirable that the link which binds these colonies to the mother country should be strengthened. It may be that in the fullness of time Australasia will be altogether an independent kingdom, biit as yet such a consummation would be premature. If the dissolution does take place, it will be in the distant future, when the population and wealth of these colonies have attained such dimensions as to warrant the change. It would not then, we believe, be resisted by the Home authorities, but on the contrary, the severance would take place amid amity and concord, instead of amid strife and bloodshed, as was the case when America achieved her independence.

There is another reason why a visit from the Prince of Wales is likely to do good here. It would make the tour a fashionable one, and we should have all sorts of people, with plenty of money to spend, following in the wake of the Royal party. Some of them perhaps might be so pleased with the scenery and climate as to settle here, but even if they did not become colonists they could hardly do otherwise than be delighted with their trip, and would so speak of it on their return home as to induce others to come after them.

The wonders of the Taupo region alone, if sufficiently known, are such as to; draw thousands here annually from the old country, and the extraordinary medicinal virtues of the hot springs must ultimately obtain a world-wide fame. It has often struck us that more should have been done to render accessible and popular this part of the country. If Ohinemutu had been in America instead of New Zealand, we believe a railway would ere this have connected it with the port of Tauranga, notwithstanding that the configuration of the country over which the line would pass is rough and broken, presenting, of course, some engineering difficulty, aud that the natives in the locality ate prone to throw obstacles in the way of the acquisition of land. All they want, however, really is money, and we believe it would be true economy for the Government to pay liberally for the acquisition of a large portion of this territory. That this will become one of the great watering and show places of the world ore many years have elapsed, we feel confident, and we believe the visit of the Prince of Wales to the district is calculated to accelerate the progress of events towards that end. The Maoris, we are told, now seek to prohibit persons from taking photographs of the scenery unless they pay for the privilege, and other vexatious restrictions are sought to be imposed on the pakeha by the native owners; but their object is evidently to make money, and if they could be induced—as 1 we believe they could be—to soli out altogether, it would be wise to pay a good price to buy them out. At present there is no district in the colony more behindhand as regards progress ; there is little cultivation ; the accommodation for visitors is not what it ought to be, although better than it was some years ago, and the roads are certainly capable of improvement. The buying up of the vested interests of the dusky owners of the Lake country would be one of the best speculations that could be undertaken, and we should rejoice to see it accomplished. In these colonies wo cannot boast of antiquity or splendor, but for climate and. scenery, and for the wonderful progress that has been made in a few years, wo can fairly say that Australia and New Zealand can match the world. We believe the proposed visit will not be the least interesting- of those which the heir to the throne has already paid to portions of his mother’s dominions, or any which he may hereafter pay, and that the advantages to himself and the colony resulting therefrom will be reciprocal.