The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5476, 15 October 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1878.

We have had occasion before to notice the thoroughness with which bur contemporary, the “ Otago Daily Times,” gives its support tb the present Government. Only upon the simplest faith could such support be based, and it is impossible not to wonder at it, A few months ago our contemporary startled the people with the announcement that Eewi, the Ngatiraaniapoto chief, was about to give, out of his “ vast estates”in the North, not only as much laud as would be required for the line of railway from Waitara to Waikato, but that he actually would make a present to Sir Georoe Grey’s Government of as much land in addition as would defray the whole cost of constructing that railway. If Kewi had any such purpose at any time, which we take leave to think he never had, our contemporary will see that the Government have “at last” became aware of a change of sentiment on the part of that Chief. In his little Bill for railway construction, the Hon. Minister for Public Works proposes to take considerably more than a million of money for that particular work. We reprint elsewhere another article from the “ Daily Times ” of the 4th inat. upon the subject of the report made by the Sessional Committee on Native Affairs to the House of Representatives on the Maori petitions from the North regarding the placing of 400 bogus Maori electors on the electoral roll of the district witli the view of swamping the European vote. It would be doing injustice to our contemporary to curtail or make extracts from that article ; we therefore give it’*;i extenso. It will be fair at the same time to reprint the report of the Committee, of which the article makes such an eloquent exposition. It runs as follows ; ’ Report on th« Petitions of Heromala To Avi and 43 others, and 'WTrirau Katene and 43 others. These petitions refer to an alleged impropriety iu making np the electoral roll for the Bay ot Islands. They pray that the system of allowing Maoris to vote for European members should coasc, and tint tho number of native members in the Assembly should ba Increased. I am directed to report as follows: —That In the opinion of the committee tho Government was justified In requiring Mr, E. Williams, the brother of Mr. J. Williams, M.H.R., to resign his position of registration and returning officer for the electorate which his brother, Mr. J. Williams, represents in this House; and that in similar cases a similar course ihould bo pursued. That tho Government should, without delay, and if possible during tho present session, take steps to cause an inquiry within the district by Royal Commission into tiro charges made in the petition of alleged improper practices in the making of claims to vote for the electorate of the Bay of Islands, That such Commission should be composed of persons not being officers of the Government, residents or owners of property in the district, or having the right to vote therein. With reference to so much of the petition as relates to the Maori dna voting, tho committee consider it unnecessary to make any recommendation, as tho whole question is now under the consideration of tin. House. John Bryce, Chairman. 4th September, IS7B. Tho facts of the case, our readers will remember, are that Mr. Williams, the Registration Officer for the electoral district of tho Bay of Islands and Mangonui, did in his official capacity publicly make objections to the claims of certain natives to be put on the electoral roll in his district, and that on the day before tho sitting of the Revising Officer’s Court, Mr. Williams was dismissed from his office, and by that action the whole number of Maoris objected to—more than 400—were nt once made electors. Before the verdict given by any tribunal upon a political party question can be accepted fts fair and judicial, the constitution of that tribunal may properly bo examined, and if our contemporary had taken the trouble to do so in this particular case, we feel 1 sure that the article which wa have quoted would not have been written. The Native Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives is composed of eighteen members. Tho Government claim, properly we think, a right to be largely represented in that committee. There are four members of the Government on it; of tho fourteen others eightare supporters of the Ministry. Ibis, under theseoircnmstances, not exactly thekindof court in which a political charge against tho Government would be certain to receive impartial consideration. As a matter of fact, it is stated by those who have the best opportunity of knowing, that an attempt to.get the evidence of Mr. Williams, the ex-registration officer, of Mr. Lawloe, the revising officer, and of other witnesses from the North, was resisted by the Ministry and their supporters, and that a resolution, moved by the Hon. Mr. Sheehan, that a Royal Commission should be appointed to take evidence in the North, was cairiod instead. Enquiry was thus shelved very completely. , It is said, and we believe with truth, that when the above-quoted report was agreed to, there were twelve members of the Committee present, nine being of one side, throe of the other;. that amongst tho, nine wore four members of the Government—Sir George Grey, the Hon.. Mr. Maoandrew, . tho Hon. Mr. Sheehan", and tho Hon. Mr. Nahb. The accusation being against Ministers, they were thus acting as judges in their own cause, and tho result has been what wo seel As an abstract proposition, it may have been right to relievo Mr. Williams of ‘ his duties as Registration Officer, because of his family connection witli the sitting member, for the district ; but that ought to have been dono at the proper time, in March or April, before • the., day ■ when, according to law, ho was required to make out and publish the . list of claims objected to. To have allowed him to make up the list of objections and publish it, and then to dismiss him bn the eve of the sitting of the Court, so as that he was prevented by that act from prosecuting his objections, was a stretch of authority for party purposes, of which oven the majority of the Native Affairs Committee dared not oxpress approval. attempt, we are glad to observe, is being made in the House to redress in some way the cruel wrong which has been inflicted by the Government on 1 the 1 European electors of the Bay of Islands, , If that attempt should fail, we will not ourselves cease to keep this great scandal before the public, in season and out of season, until a remedy ■is-found, The whole fabric of constitutional Government is based upon the franchise ; > if unscrupulous Ministers

may at will corrupt other electoral rolls as they have corrupted that of the B&y of Islands and Mangonni, the freedom of the people is in danger or gone.