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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5187, 6 November 1877, Page 2

“ Things is progressive,” said Mrs. Partington, and tilings are as often purgatorial as progressive, especially when Governments and Governors are concerned. Just to look into the matter carefully, suppose we say the great Public Works scheme has not got Sir J ulius Vogel to move it along ; and we know Mr. Richardson left it when the money became scarce, and he could not carry out the original plan. Well, what is to be done ? The King country is the stumbling block, and the proposed public works there are effectually stopped. What would redound more to the credit of the new Administration than to overcome this native difficulty bugbear, and say all is right, and the empire is at peace? Supposing a Native Contingent Major, on the impulse of the moment, and with the zeal of a cleansweeping new broom, should desire to make things pleasant, and say, “Now, Sir George Grey, Tawhiao is favorable to roads and railways through his country and although this Maori King had not been consulted in the matter, did telegraph to a Premier that a new public works scheme under the direction of the said Major Te Wheoro had been initiated, assuming all this to be gospel, then imagine our disgust at receiving from an ignorant pakeha correspondent the following telegram: —“ Alexandra, October 30, 1877. —For fear that yon might he under any misapprehension about the Te Wheoro and the Nuihaere telegrams, let me tell you that there is no foundation for the statement that Tawhiao voluntarily telegraphed to a Minister that he wanted to see him. You will not believe in your editorial heart that Tawhiao did consent to roads and railways going through his country.” Perhaps ' the N ative Contingent Major" thought the session was nearly over, and that time and space had not been annihilated by the electric telegraph, and he might make favor with the “ mammon of unrighteousness.” Now we hear Tawhiao objects to the Public Works policy brought down by the Native Contingent Major, and that his “Excellency’s responsible advisers” have been had at less than their own price, and considerably sold. Progressive Maori Majors are not always reliable, and we hear a vote of want of confidence in the colleague of Sir George Grey in the Kohekohe schoolhouse business has been tabled at Tokangamutu. Again, to return to our friend Mrs, Partington, we would remark that there are telegrams and “ tell your crams,” but, in despite of her “purgnosterkashuns,” we adhere to the statement that the Maori Major is right, and that we shall'signally succeed in making roads and railways through the King country. It is a mere matter of opinion. We may be wrong, and we may be right; and objecting, as we do, to the views of our Alexandra correspondent, we hope that no one will be accused of making Press or other telegrams to order.