New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5157, 2 October 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1877.

Whenever the Government or any one of its supporters can be found to be connected with native land purchases even in a remote degree, Sir George Grey and his followers raise a cry of corruption and of fraud, and demand an enquiry before a select committee. We have often enough pointed out to the representative for posterity and those who hang to his coat tails that it is unfair, unjust, and impolitic to use a set of circumstances, in themselves perfectly innocent, so that, by twisting up one with the other, they make those circumstances tell criminally against a political enemy. But the lessons to Sir George Grey, Rees, Sheehan and Company have been in vain, and we now therefore purpose to give them a practical one, by which they will see that certain connections of the great Proconsul with native land purchases, whilst themselves involving nothing dishonorable, might be much more easily twisted into damaging political accusations than anything he has as yet brought to light in regard to the Government and their party. On the 10th November, 1866, an officer of the Native Department paid a deposit of £ls on a block of land at Lake Taupo, known as Tapuaeharuru, which included the greater portion of the Oruanui Block. We trust our readers will keep this latter name in remembrance, as it is essential to the due connection of the narrative. The officer at the same time paid a deposit of £lO on the lands for which Mr. Cox and others subsequently dealt, and which were the subject of the well-known discussion recently initiated by the Hon. Mr. 'Ormond. At the time the deposits were paid the officer was informed by the natives that the Government or the Governor had expressed a desire to obtain these lands for the colony. Sir George Grey travelled through the country comprising these lands in December, 1866, and on the 31st of that month was at Rotoaira, at the south end of Taupo, from whence he wrote to the Superintendent of the Province of Auckland, stating that the natives were friendly, and that there was country fit for settlement. Ho then returned to Wellington, and wrote the well-known despatch proclaiming that the country was at peace, arid that he had been able to travel in perfect safety through those portions of the colony that had been disturbed. In reporting of his purchases! and payment of deposits, the land officer! before mentioned stated that he had heard that Government was anxious-to acquire land at Taupo, and that the •Tapuaeharuru Block was at thehead of the Waikato River, at the outlet from Lake Taupo, and commanded all the principal native roads (or tracks) in the interior. It will bo remembered that a pet plan of Sir George Grey’s was the acquisition of land at Lake Taupo by the colony, and the stationing of a regiment there, so as to command, the interior. It will, be also remembered that ho attributed the failure of his plan to the fact that the Commissariat Department did not see how troops could be provisioned in such a situation. The correspondence which ensued relative to the payment of the deposits before mentioned disclosed—Firstly, that the Government had expressed no dpsiro to buy the land in question ; and secondly, that. Sir George Grey, in a minute in,his own handwriting, arid signed by him upon one of the letters, said, “I think the Government should not purchase this land;” and Government of course did not, the matter being so knocked on the head. Well,-now what do we find from Parliamentary records? Why that in respect to one portion of this land Sir George

Grey for a time . was at one with Mr. Cox; as to the advisability of its-purchase; and that with regard'to the Oruanui Block Captain . Holt states .that S(r. George offered' to purchase his "lease .of that block, , and, absolutely’ paid money towards the same. Now, we may as well say at once that we do not, by the narration of the circumstances noted above; desire for a moment to attribute to the ex-Governor any of the vile and contemptible motives which he has so frequently attributed to his opponents. On the contrary, writing without prejudice, and having no desire to injure an opponent at the expense of truth, we may say plainly that there is nothing about the circumstances named calculated in well-balanced minds to produce an impression that Sir George Grey acted otherwise than honorably and fairly. But this we do say, that could Sir George Grey, Mr. Rees, Mr. Sheehan, or some others of our patriot purists, piece together such a set of really innocent facts as the above, in connection with a member of the Ministry or a Government supporter, we should in the House hear in season and out of season all sorts of dark and malignant hints, which would culminate in furious charges of wickedness and corruption. Let us hope that Sir George will ponder these things.