South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1882.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2830, 20 April 1882, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1882.

The colonial Press has lately been daily furnished with news of the doings of Sir Henry Parkes, Premier of New South Wales, who is at present engaged in a triumphant tour of the world. Sir Henry is of humble extraction, but he possesses both commanding ability and unusual humility considering the progress he has made in life. It is no light matter for the sister colony to have been represented at Home by so great a man. Wherever he has gone he has always had splendid receptions, and the civilities that have been extended to him have given ample proof of the interest that all English people take in the welfare of the Australasian Colonies. Such interest is, in this instance, as lucky a thing for New South Wales as it is creditable to the man who has excited it. Socially Sir Henry Parkes is a grand success. So far, too, as the general object of his mission is concerned, he has been even more than successful. He has rendered his colony incalculable service in directing towards it the attention of capitalists and a stream of emigration. In the direction of obtaining commercial reciprocity between his colony and other countries, however, he has not succeeded quite so well. The one project that he had in view on his departure we had always regarded as somewhat chimerical. It was to obtain a reduction of the American import duties on wool from the Australasian Colonics. In this, as ive learned very soon after Sir Henry’s arrival in the States, he has been entirely unsuccessful. It is surprising that a man of Sir Henry Parkes’ ability and opportunities had not supplied himself, before undertaking this mission, with sufficient data on which to make a reasonable forecast of the result of his efforts. He seems to have gone somewhat blindly to work trusting to chance, always the good genius of great men, to smooth the path before him. The fact is free trade in America is just now in a very languishing state, and has neither any distinguished individuals to advocate it nor any number of people to support it. Both sides, Republican and Democratic, regard it with aversion. Protection in the States is not unfavorable, on the whole, to the commerce of England, particularly in the matter of shipbuilders’ materials. But for us at the antipodes there is nothing to make up for the exclusion of our wool. We have only that to depend upon in our trade with America, and heavy import duty will simply cause it to collapse. In addition to this general disposition of the United States to prohibit the importation of our wool there arc two special cicumstances to be noted ; first, that the manufacturers and the working classes, having of course identical interests, are utterly opposed to the admission of colonial wools ; and secondly, at the very time Bir H. Parkes landed in America there was then sitting, or had but just then risen, a Congress of manufacturers who had met for the express purpose of strengthening the proiiibition and making the import duties still more severe. When all these circumstances arc considered there can be no wonder in

anybody’s mind that the mission was a failure. We might add, not unreasonably, that it was an ill-considered and puerile sort of proceeding altogether. The other object of bis mission to the States was to obtain the concession of a subsidy to the Pacific Mail Company. Such a concession, if granted, would bo highly beneficial to the colonies, and it is known to be part of the policy of the present Government of the States in view of the opening of the Panama Canal. For this would have the effect of carrying the trade of the colonies past the American shores right over to Europe, unless, by a liberal policy, the States can manage to secure a portion of it. The results of a concession of the kind from Congress would be immediately felt in the colonies. When the Company enjoys a double subsidy,that from the colonies and that from America, they will be in a position to augment the speed, frequency, and comfort of their boats to the gain of the travelling public. We arc not disposed to quarrel with Sir Henry for his miscalculation as to the import dnties, and we trust he will obtain the mail subsidy concession. Whether he dots or not, however, bis tour will have done the colonies great service. The self-made man, of humble origin, has returned to the older communities of Europe and America (himself an example of what industry, talent and integrity may raise men to in colonial life) to direct the attention of the outside world to the Colonies. Sir Henry Parkes goes Home not as a mere official, but as a leading statesman, and he is accorded a reception befitting his position, for as we have seen, all classes unite in doing him honor. A man •so received has opportunities of advancing the interests of the colony in thousands of ways, directly and indirectly. That Sir Henry will never knowingly allow an opportunity to go by of doing good to his adopted land, and consequently to all the colonies of Australasia his past unblemished career of earnest patriotism leaves us no room to doubt. Should he visit New Zealand on his return, we trust he will be received not as the First Minister' of another colony, but as a colonial statesman who has fitly represented, and has upheld the honor and reputation of the colonics in the proudest and most distinguished circles of the Mother Country.

The following letter appeared in the “ Dunedin Star ” of Tuesday last : “To the Editor. Sir, —-At first sight it might appear that the motion of the Hon. theAttorney-General (Mr Whitaker) to change the venue of Te Whiti’s trial was that justice might be done to the Maoris. I regret to state that I believe it was made for no other purpose than to stave off the trial ti 11 after the meeting of Parliament, and if necessary to allow one of those disgraces to New Zealand legislation—a special Act —to be passed. If the Ministry had desired that Te Whiti should be tried at Christchurch, why was he not tried at the April sittings ? The ill iTor 3?ljr moufcli bn£pn at the end of this month or the Ist of May i|hnt, just as the trial seems at hand, lo ! the venue is changed, and Te Whiti kept longer in gaol. Is this fair ? —I am, etc., Robert Stout.” Our contemporary, the “ Herald,” seizes upon this and drops a few tears over this “ unkindest cut of all.” Et iu , Brute ! is the burden of its editorial on the subject, this morning. In all it has to say, however, it offers no reply to the very pertinent observation of Mr Stout. Why, if it is thought desirable to change the venue of the trial of the Maori agitator, was it not done in time for the April sittings? It.will be a very hard matter for the apologists of the Government, the most ingenious of them, to give a satisfactory answer to this question. The idea of a “ change of venue ” looks more like a “ happy thought ” than anything else, occurring as it does, just as Parliament is about to sit. The flimsiness of the “Herald’s ” reasoning on the subject is well illustrated by this : —“ Mr Stout, in a letter to the Dunedin “ Star,” asks the public to believe that Mr Whitaker’s only object in applying to have the venue of the trial changed, is to prevent its coming on until after the meeting of Parliament, in order that a special Act may bo passed to dispense with a trial altogether. He does not offer a shadow of evidence or even argument in support of this extraordinary statement,” If the reader will refer to Mr Stout’s letter, above, he will find something more than shadowy evidence and argument. To Whiti was not tried in April in Christchurch, the New Plymouth sittings begin at the end of this month or the beginning of May, and it is just on the eve of this that the Government, being actuated by their “ happy thought,” see fit to remove the prisoner. Parliament must now meet before Te Whiti is tried. Comment is needless ; and the “ Herald,” if it can do no more than snivel over the alleged “ malevolence ” (what a word to apply to such a man !) of one of the most honest-hearted public men that New Zealand ever produced, had better leave ihc subject alone.