OTAGO ON THE NATIVE CRISIS:

Patea Mail, 28 October 1881, Page 3

OTAGO ON THE NATIVE CRISIS:

The Otago Daily Times strongly approves Mr Bryce’s appointment, and the firm policy embodied in the proclamation. It concludes an article on the situation as follows:—“ As the Commissioners most properly, to quote again from their report, say— ‘ A time must soon be fixed when the offer and promises of the Crown must be either accepted or refused once for all.’ That time has come, and the Government are only consistently following on the policy initiated by the Commissioners in taking the important step of issuing the Proclamation which appeared in our colums yesterday. It is somewhat singular that his Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon should have arrived unexpectedly just on the day when this important document, signed by the Acting-Governor, Sir James Prendergast, appeared, but we hope his Excellency will not feel it needful in any way to interfere to weaken the hands of his Executive in the decisive steps which they are taking. We presume that in this, as in other matters, he is bound to follow the advice of his Ministers, unless he is prepared to take the responsibility of dismissing them; but there is cause for some apprehension lest the supposed philoaboriginal tendencies of Sir Arthur should lead him to interfere more than is desirable in the present dispute. We are sure that Ministers have the full support of the whole colony in what they are doing, and we hope they will be also fully supported by the Queen’s representative.”