THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1871.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 42, 24 November 1871, Page 2

THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. FRIDAY , NOVEMBER 24, 1871.

Tiie strong point of tlic Government lifts been the native; policy of Mr. McLean. The Middle Island members attribute the absence of hostilities in the North Island to the controlling influence of the Native Minister. There is a good deal of truth, and a great deal of fallacy, in this ; hut unquestionably, tlic l fact is as we have stated. People are apt, however, to attribute much of the strength of tlic Government to the Colonial Treasurer. This is an entire mistake, in a political sense. Personally, no doubt, the Treasurer is the strong man of the Government; politically, he has not the strength of Mr. McLean. A knowledge of this fact enables any one to understand much that would otherwise appear to he inexplicable in tlic political transactions of the past two years. Whatever may he the merit of Mr. Vogel, lie is not, the man who keeps the Government together, or secures a large majority in the House, except for temporary purposes, and on an explicit understanding with members. On the other hand, the Southern members ch’cad the renewal of hostilties in the North Island ; and arc prepared to tolerate any Administration which /secures to them “the blessings of peace.” Tlic present .Administration, with Mr. McLean as Native and Defence Minister,lias fulfilled the required conditions, up to a certain point. Doubtless the cost of the peace policy has been great; hut as it is now defrayed out of loan, the pressure is not so directly felt. And although the sword ha's never once been sheathed since the Fox Government took oflice, the war is carried on in a desultory manner, and in the remoter districts of the North Island, so that the public only hear of it occasionally, and then through official channels. How long the prestige of the Native Minister may last, it were difficult to foresee. He has had Fortune on his side throughout. When lie took office the rebel natives were thoroughly beaten and dispirited ; and with : the means placed at Ins disposal he was able to treat with the'move tractable, and overawe the less friendly, thus separating Te Kooti from the great body of the Maori- people. Cut he lias made no material progress with the great King party, whatever may he said to the' contrary. The King still stands aloof; and from information tyliich lias come to us from a strictly reliable source, we venture .tp predict that the Government will not secure the friendship of the King and his followers without a complete restitution of the confiscated land. Indeed, we believe that the first demand that will be made of 1 the Governor, should lie attend the great native gathering at Tokongamutu, as anticipated, will he that which William Thompson made on the occasion of his visit to Wellington. “Give us hack the land. ■ Withdraw beyond Maungatawhiri, which is your boundary.” This, in substance, is what will he demanded of the Governor and Native Minister. Compliance, of course, would be impossible. Such a concession could not possibly he made. What then? Will the policy of the Native Minister he thenceforward tlic success it lias hitherto been, as judged by the Middle Island standard ? Time will show. Meanwhile, it is well for us who have so much at stake in the North to mark the signs of the times, and not to he lulled into a feeling offalse security. We are not so easily deceived in regard to native affairs as our Southern friends appear to he, neither arc we so terrified at the contingency of an outbreak, although we should suffer most. But we are hound in our own interest to look the facts fairly in the face. The attitude of Rewi Maniopoto is, perhaps, of the greatest importance at the present time. And Rewi Las sent a message to natives in the Taranaki province to the effect that the war is not over; hut that they are to remain quiet to see if the house he swept clean ; in other words, that the removal of the Europeans from the confiscated laud is

to bo *thq pledge, of 'peace, .otherwise hostilities may . possibly he renewed. But the Government are fortunate even now in the fact that.thcre is a division among (lib Ivirig’s/sttpportcrs, owing to thgipersonal rivalry of some of the leading chipfsA Tikis circumstance has been taken advantage of to forward the views of the Government, and no doubt it may he used with effect We sincerely trust it may. Peace is desirable above all tilings; and if the mutual jealousies of the leading men about r the King have" The effect of preventing a, eomjhmatiou dangerous .to the peace of the country', we sincerely trust these jealousies may long continue.

In connexion with this subject, it must he borne in mind that should hostilities he renewed in the North Island, the Middle Island will insist on political and financial separation. There can he no possible doubt on that head. Domestic legislation suited to the circumstances of the Middle Island has been neglected for the last ten years, native affairs engrossing nearly exclusive attention. Last session has been the first session of the General Assembly since 1860 in which the mttivc question lias not absorbed nearly all tlic time'aml attention of Parliament. During the last session the native question seldom cropped up, and then only in an indirect manner; and when it did, the Government and their supporters were jubilant at the. success of the peace policy of the Native Minister. But oil those biicasions the temper of the Middle Island members was not to he misunderstood. They made it to he clearly known that hereafter Southern interests should dominate the Assembly. There was peace in the North, and they would do nothing to disturb that peace; hut, and if there should unhappily he war, then let the North take care of itself. They would part company, force a dissolution of partnership, and go off with the partnership estate.

Such is one phase of tlic politico, situation of New Zealand at the present time. It is one also which this community would do well to take heed of. The future may be pregnant with evil for us, and all other North Island communities. ;But in the meantime we are at peace. The South still stands by us in the North, ami Mr McLean remains Native Minister. He has enP-anchcd himself in a castle at a cost of a half a million of borrowed money, and £280,000 spent before the borrowing commenced. His castle is an airy one, however. 1 A blast of the Maori horn would tumble it about his cars, and then tlic country would awake to the fact that it had trusted to a delusion and a sham. Meanwhile, let us hope for the best. The Maori leaders may yet come to realise the hopelessness of renewing tlic struggle with tlic wln'tc race, and accept existing facts. In that case, the policy of tlic Native Minister will he a complete success; should the opposite course be taken, it will he found to be a costly failure.