PUBLIC OPINION.

Southland Times, Issue 613, 2 January 1867, Page 3

PUBLIC OPINION.

THE NATIVE DIFFICTJI/EY.

(From the Nelson Examiner, Dec. 22.) The completion cf the Manawatu Block purchase by the Superintendent of Wellington, is an event of great importance to that province, but in addition to this it is one of much interest to New Zealand at large. The who!e subject of Maori title to land is one which is calculated to puzzle even those best acquainted with the peculiar customs of the natives. Nor could it well be otherwise. If the history of the Maori race generally rereceived be the correct one, complication of title to land was the necessary consequence of its occupancy by them. A mere handful of savages landing on these islands and fighting —we might say eating — their way into the country which they could not possibly occupy beneficially, are found by us now to be exceedingly tenacious of even the shadow of a claim to a piece of land derived from some distant ancestor. It would be easy to account for this by putting it down at once to the credit of the well-known covetousness of the race ; and we might conclude at once that all this tenacity about titles to land, took its origin from our placing a value upon it. Pacts contradict this, however, as those who know the Maoris best say that quarrels about land were the main causes of the old wars which devastated the country continually before our arrival in New Zealand. We are reduced, therefore, to the necessity of going to a deeper reason than that of covetousness, and in doing so we shall probably find a moral which may illustrate the tale of the Manawatu land purchase. Insecurity of life and property is of the very essence of an uncivilized state of society. Originally, no doubt, the position assigned to Ishmael was almost literally true of all savage communities, and the rule was, individual against individual — every man's hand against his neighbor. This state of things is too unbearable, however, to last long, and from man against man, it gradually grows to family against family, and tribe against tribe. It requires a great advance of civilization, apparently, to raise men to the position of considering themselves pitted nation against nation as natural enemies. To thus last height of development Europe has attained for a good many centuries, but she has not yet fully passed it ; we can scarcely feel surprised that it is a height to which the natives of New Zealand have barely been able to reach, even when brought into contact with ourselves. Before this contact, however, they had not an idea of such a thing. Each tribe had all its neighboring tribes for natural enemies, against whom it required to be continually on its guard. Eor this reason it was that, while a few acres supplied the kumeras and potatoes needed by the tribe, it was still a matter of vital consequence to the welfare of each that they should possess a wide territory. Isolation is the true policy of barbarism, and space is needed for its accomplishment. It was this end that was kept in view by the natives when they claimed and fought for large tracts of country which to all appearance were useless to them, but which indeed served as their best bulwark against their neighbors. And although this account of the Maori reason for valuing land may not seem to explain the tenacity with which they now cling to their claim over territory — with which they have no connection in some ' cases — yet. even here it must be considered that many of these things are matter of tradition, and that what people have fought for during generations they naturally think a good deal of. It may be asked what all this has to do with the Manawatu Block, oritspurchase ; and the answer is tolerably simple. Our readers probably know already that this block of land was bought by the Superintendent of Wellington from its native proprietors, and that, as some of theße objected to the sale, it was thought that a new war might spring out of the business. The reason of this was, that three tribes claimed the land, and of these three, one tribe was not friendly to Europeans, while the other two were so. None of the natives had the smallest need of the land for purposes of cultivation, but this was no new thing, as probably the land had never been valued on that account. Jhe tribe that objected to the Bale did so on the old ground that they wished to keep up the old isolation of their people. The natives who are hostile to us know that they, can only be so with effect while they are out of reach, and they will cease to be out of reach so soon as settlement takes place in the interior of the country. According to our latest accounts, Dr Eeatherston has been successful in overcoming the objections of the dissentients, and has completed the sale. If this be so, it is a matter of sincere congratulation to every part of the colony. A purchase involving a new war would have been madness ; but one accomplished peaceably, of a block like that of the Manawatu, is really one of the greatest possible steps towards the extinction of wars. Erom this point of view it is impossible to rate too highly the importance of this piece of news to the people of this island. The pressure of taxation makes us sensitive on the subject of native wars, and justly so ; but there is an unwise as well as a wise way of shewing this sensitiveness. Some of our fellow colonists are fond of showing it by a constant outcry about Separation, at least financial. They are eager to prove that they know little about native affairs, and would gladly know less ; and they seem to think that by some such course as this they must get rid of future burdens on account of native wars. But after all this is somewhat childish, and will not bear the test of reason for an instant. Taxes are very serious things, if only because they lead to taxation ; but a mere outcry about taxes has little effect in reducing them, while a studied ignorance on the subject of .native affairs can only lead us into further difficulties. •--•-'.

In our opinion the native war is very nearly at an end for the present. Such purchases as those at Manawatu, and at Taupo the other day, seem to us to prove this ; what is now wanted is to take such steps as will prevent its recurrence at any future time. This is quite as much our business as that of the Northern Island settlers, and we shall do well to look to it at once. Separation, as is well known, we have held to be most undesirable ; but in addition to that we now say that 4t is impossible to the extent of freeing the South from a money risk in the condition of the North. So long as this risk lasts, it is our interest to provide against future wars, and we are persuaded that there is but one sort of provision worthy of even a moment's consideration. It has been a common cry among politicians of a certain class — " Leave the Maoris alone, and all will be well ;" and in one sense there is truth in this, — in another sense it is the grossest fallacy conceivable. The Maoris are beaten now ; they are, in fact, worn out and dispirited by this long contest, so they are ready for peace, and will drop into a peace very soon, we have no doubt. But they will recovertheir spirits by-and-by, and they may then find themselves ready for war, if they areby themselves. They will not do so if they have plenty of nearneighbors. The aim,therefore, of our legislators should be to give every possible encouragement to the alienation of native lands to every one — Government or individuals — for by this means, and by this means only, we believe, can future wars and future taxes be with certainty avoided by us. It may be thought that this has been done by the Native Lands Act, but we learn on good authority that, like too many of our Acts, this one is likely to prove a failure. Such failures, let ns remember, are very costly things, and it is to be. the duty of every Southern Island member to give his very best attenion to this subject, as we believe it will do more real good in the way of relieving us from future taxation than any number of Separation resolutions passed by any conceivable quantity of Provincial Councils throughout the Island.