The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5459, 25 September 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1878.

After having demonstrated to his own satisfaction, if not to that of tho House, that in the short space of eight months since his accession to office, he had completely changed tho whole aspect of native affairs and even the natural disposition of the Maori, Mr. Sheehan vouchsafed to the representatives of the people some indications of his policy for the future. First, he wants more Native Lands Court Judges ; not as permanent officers of his department, but only in order to work off the enormous arrears of work which he has found accumulated. There are even now, he said, JO2 reserved claims, and 800 claims the hearing of which has been adjourned. Before the new Native Lands Bill becomes law it

will be necessary that all arrears shall bo cleared off in order “to make a fresh under that Act.” The , new Land Bill was promised to he printed, translated, and circulated before the meeting of Parliament, in order that the natives and Europeans _ might have the opportunity of discussing its proposals, and expressing their opinion for‘the guidance and instruction of the Government and oh the Parliament. When the' Parliament assembled it was explained that by Mr. Sheehan’s and Sir Geoiige Grey’s “ face to face ” intercourse with the Maoris they, the Maoris, had learned what the provisions of the now Native Lands Bill were, and, had expressed—to'Mr. Sheehan, we presume—their entire satisfaction and approval. There was, therefore, no need fertile promised publication of the Bill. In the early part of the session Mr. Dmsu uky, the Government Printer, appears to have proved rebellious, and would not give Mr. Sheehan a Native Lands Bill

until he had got some “copy;” and thus the Hon. Native Minister, when ho obtained leave to bring in his Native Lands “Bill, was obliged to hand a germ of the future law to Mr. Si’EAKEK, in the shape of a paper with the title of the now Act inscribed thereon. -The House of Representatives on motion in due course ordered that Bill to bo printed; but it appears that the Printer is still inexorable, and delies the House, as he has defied the Minister. It is on account of this contumacy, as well as because of the arrears, that we are to have no Native Lands Bill at present. The other portion of what the Honorable Native Minister describes always as “my policy,” is very simple. First he requires that the provisions of the Civil Service Act shall bo abrogated in his favor, and that ho shall have the power of dismissing all the gentlemen employed in his department at his own will and pleasure, without fault and without inquiry ; he hopes as ho says “ that the House will stand by him,” and resist enquiry when any honorable member has the impertinence to want to know, you know, “in the Native Department especially it is a matter of personal Government.” Secondly, ho say's with regard to purchases of Maori land: “Wo shall reqiiire, before any title is declared to be complete, that it should pass through the ordeal of an Order in Council, and a certain number of months after this the title is complete ; wo shall reserve to ourselves the right either to take the wlr-do block, paying' purchase money, interest, and expenses ; secondly, to take a part of it if necessary on the same/terms; or thirdly, to make it a conditional rectification that a certain portion shall be cut up in small allotments for the purposes of settlement.” So' -much for the purchaser of the freehold. Now, with regard to the lands, amounting to more than a million of acres, for which the Government have obtained leases, with what is practically a pre-emptive right. “There is,” said Mr. Sheehan, “one feature of our land transactions to which I propose especially to call the attention of the House, and that is what is termed our leasehold transactions. Wo have a lar"0 tract of country under negotiation for*lease for a term of 21 years. X propose to ask the House to allow me to take ono of two courses, cither to acquire the land in freehold or to abandon the business altogether. (Hear, hoar.) What is the value to the Government of a 21 years’ lease ? What private parson will take the land for the remainder of the term of the Government lease, say 17 or 18 years 1 If we can acquire the freehold well and good. It is the object of all to acquire the freehold, and whop that can bo done no one will take this land from us, especially as most of it is of an inferior quality. That is what I shall ask the House to do therefore. MrMumiAY: Hoar, hear.)” If wo add to this the double Maori vote, the use of which Mr. Joum Lviwc/y has so

happily exemplified in the Bay of Islands District, and increase the Native representation, we shall besetting up avery influential Native Department indeed, which, under Mr. Sheehan’s intelligent guidance, and with occasional advice from the Premier, may rule the House of Representatives, and practically govern the Colony. Of course, as we said before, neither Mr. Sheehan nor Sir George Grey desire any extraordinary power, or would be capable of using it, wrongly if they had it; but let us imagine for a moment what might happen if, with such powers as Mr. Sheehan now innocently desires to endow himself, ho should be unfortunately succeeded in office by a Minister who desired to get votes for his party at any price, and who was eager to keep in the Government for seven years, or a longer time. He would first till tho Native Department with his own creatures ; he would, next, not allow any man to get an acre of land from the Natives unless he were a' Government supporter, and he would have on his hands more than a million acres of leasehold land having 17 or 18 years to run, with, as we said, practically a pre-emptive right to tho freehold, which ho might dispose of at his pleasure to secure Parliamentary support. When the member for Bruce (Mr. Murray) applauded this proposal he was, perhaps, taking a narrow or limited view of its operation. There are now a number of gentlemen whom we have tho pleasure of knowing who, having acquired paper titles to large tracts of laud, would bo charmed to make' a sacrifice in the public interest, and allow Mr. Sheehan to relieve them of their acquisitions. There are also some gentlemen whom wo could indicate who would be extremely glad to relieve the Government of those very leasehold interests which tho Native Minister speaks of with so much contempt. Last year tho Premier appeared to attach a great deal of value to leases of eight years, when ho went behind the Parliament in a secret and unconstitutional way to endeavor to upset a legislative Act by the Governor’s veto. But ho may have changed his opinion. On tho whole, probably the General Assembly may determine that having enjoyed tho constitutional control of Native affairs for so many years, it is not worth while to abandon it now in order that Personal Government may bo substituted for it ; and that although there is confidence almost unlimited in the present Government, there is great danger that the power of dealing with native land purchases and leases, which Mr. Sheehan desires to obtain, might be abused—not by him, of course— by some unscrupulous successor in his office. The new Native policy, then, with the beer tax, will probably be postponed.