THE GOVERNOR’S NATIVE POLICY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 274, 26 December 1861, Page 4

THE GOVERNOR’S NATIVE POLICY.

These are some of the thoughts of the ' Governor, of Sir. George Grey, towards the Maories at this timeHis desire is, how to arrange things, that there may be good laws made, and those laws put in force : and how all men, both European and Maori, may bp taught to work for the common good of the country in which they live : that they may be a happy people, rich, wise, well instructed, and every yea# advancing.in, prosperity- . For it is the desire of the. Queen (whose heart was, dark when she heard of the troubles in New Zealand;) that all her aubj ects, both Europeans; and Maories, in all parts of these, islands, should have the benefits of law and order ; that the lives and persons of all men should be safe from destruction and injury ; and that every man should have, for lmnself an,d enjoy his own lands, his cattle, his horses, his sheep, his ship, his money, or whatever else belongs to him. And it is the desire of the Queen that all her subjects should help in making the. laws, by which they are governed, and that from amongst them should be appointed wise and good men as Magistrates, to adjudge in cases of disputed rights and punish the wrongdoer, and to teach the law, how it should be obeyed.

The Europeans in New Zealand, with the help of the Governor,' make laws for themselves, and have, their own Magistrates ; and, because they obey those laws, they are rich, they have layge houses, great ships, horses, sheep, cattle, com, and all other good things for the body. They have also Ministers of Religion, Teachers of Schools ; Lawyers, ie fceaph the law ; Surveyors, to- measure oveyy man’s land j Doctors, to-heal the " sick ;

Carpenters, Blacksmiths, and all those other persons who make good' things for the body, and teach good things for the souls and minds of the Europeans. It is because they have made wise and good laws, and because they look up to. the Queen as the one head over all the Magistrates, and over all the several bodies of which the English people consists. It is the desire of the Queen, and this also is the thought of Governor Grey and of the Munanga of the Pekehas, that - the Maories also should do for themselves as the Europeans do. They know that of late years the Maories have been seeking fqr law and order. The Englishmen have been more than a thousand years learning how to make law's and to. govern themselves well. The Maori has only just begun this work. Besides this, in order to have Magistrates, and Policemen, and other officers, it is necessary to, pay them, for. the labourer is worthy of his hire ; and he who work.? for. the whole body of the people should be paid by the people ; for while he works fqr them he must/more or less, neglect his own work. Now the thought of the Governor, is how he may help the Maories in the work of making laws, and how he may provide for the payment of the Magistrates and other Officers of Government till such time as the Maories shall have become rich and be able'to pay all expences themselves. In order, then, to provide the machinery ojf good government amqng the Maories in these islands, the Governordesires to, see established the following system, whereby good laws may be made, well disposed persons be protected, bad men restrained from violence, and security for life and property be ensured to all. 1. The parts of the Island inhabited by Maories will be marked off into several districts, according to tribes and the convenience of the natural features of the country. To every one of these districts. the Governor will send a learned and go.od European to assist the Maories in the work of making laws and enforcing them ; he will be. called the civil Commissioner. There will be a runanga for that district, which will consist of a number of men, who will be chosen from the-Assessors. The Civil Commissioner will be the president of that Runanga to guide its deliberations, and it the votes ate equal on any matter, he will have a casting vote to decide. This Runanga will propose the laws for that district, about the trespass of cattle, about cattle pounds about fences, about branding cattle, about thistles and -weeds, about dogs, about spirit sana drunkenness, aboiit putting down bad customs of the old Maori law, like Tam , and about the various things which especially concern the people living in that district. They will also make regulations about schools, about roads, if they wish for them, and about other matters which may promote the public good of that district. And all these laws which tlie district Runangas may propose will be laid before the Governor, and he will say if they are good or not. If he says they are good, they will become law for all men in that district to which they relate. If lie says they are not good, then the Runanga must make some other law which will be. better. This is the way the Europeans make laws in their Runangas, both in New Zealand and in the great Runanga of the Queen in England. 2. Every district will be subdivided into Hundreds, and in each of these there will be Assessors appointed. The men of that district will choose who shall be Assessors, only the Governor will have the word to decide whether the choice is good or not. The Magistrate, with these Assessors, v\ ill hold Courts for disputes about debts of money, about cattle trespass, about all breaches of the law in that district.' They will decide in all these cases.

3 In every Hundred there will be policemen, and one chief policeman who Svill be under the Assessors. ” These policemen shall summon all persons against whom are complaints before the Court of the Assessors, and when the Assessors shall have decided, the policemen will see that the orders of the Assessors are carried out. All fines which shall be paid shall be applied to some public uses. The Commissioner or Magistrate will keep this money till ft is required, 4 The Bunangas will also he assisted in establishing and maintaining schools and teacherssometimes Europeans, sometimes Maories, will be appointed. The Maories ought to pay part of the salary of the- school teacher, • the Governor wi|l pay the rest. 5. Where the Bunangas wish to, have an European doctor to live among them, the Governor will endeavour to> procure one to reside there, and. will pay- him such salary as may make him willing to. do, that work. The doctor will give medicine to the Maories when they are sick, and will teach them what, thing - 84' e good for the rearing of their children to make them strong and healthy, and how to prolong the lives of all the Maories by eating good food, by keeping their houses clean, by having proper clothes and other things relative to th,eir health. 'bl4 s . will be the business of the. doctor But all those who require the services of the doptor will pay for them, except such as the Bunanga may decide to be too poor to, do. so.

6, About the lands of the Maories.. It will b,e for the Bunangas to decide all disputes. about the lands. It will be good, that each Bunanga should make a register, in which should be written a statement of all the. lannis within the district of that Bunanga, so. that every body may know, and that there may be no more disputings about land. This, then, is what the. Governor intends to do, to assist the Maori in the good work of establishing law aixd order. These are the first, things the Bunan r gas, the .Assessors, tho Policemen 3 the

Schools, the Doctors, the Civil Commissioners to assist the . Maories tq govern themselves, to make good laws, and to protect the weak against the strong. There will be many more things tq be .planned and tq be decided ; but about such things the Kunangasand the Commissioners will consult. This work will be a work of time, like the growing of a large tree—at first there is the seed, then there is one trunk, then there are branches innumerable, and vexy many leaves : bye, perhaps, there will be fruit Rut the growth of the tree is slow—tlj§ branches, the leaves, and fruit did not appear all at once, when the seed was in the ground : and so will it be witlAhe good laws of the Runanga. This isVhe seed which the Governor desires, tq ssv :—the Runangas, the Assessors, the Commissioners, and the rest. By and by, A perhaps, this seed will grow into a very great tree, which will bear- good fruit ym , .all its branches. The Maories, then, in in the planting of this tree, in of its branches, in cultivating abqut'its roots ; and, qs the tree grows, the children of the Maori, also, will grow to, be a rich, wise, and prosperous people, like the English and those other nations which long ago began the work of making good laws, arid obeying them. This will be./he work of peace, on which thq . blessing of Providence will rest,-—.which will make the storms to pass away from the sky,—and all things become light between the Maoi'i and the Pakeba ; and the heart of the Queen will then be glad when she heai’s that the two races are living quietly togethei’, as brothers, in the good and prosperous land of New Zealand.

GOVERNMENT PiIIZES FOR SHOOTING. Colonial Secretary’s'Office, Auckland, 2 1 st Nov. 1861. His Excellency tlie. Administrator of the Government has been pleased to direct the publication of the following return of the results of the firing for the Govci*nment Prizes in New Zealand in the year 1861. » William Fox.

Return of tli.e results of the firing for Government Prizes in Nesv Zealand in the year 1861.

The following circumstances are to be taken into consideration in connection with the average of firing in 1861.

That it was the first time there was any prize firing on a large scale in New Zealand.. That the arrangements were unavoidably somewhat irregular. That a large proportion of the Militia had never fired before. That no proper firing ground was used, except in a few districts. That in most instances, the practice ammunition was given out and fired without proper supervision. That the period of the year (May) was about the worst season in New Zealand for firing being winter. Being in command of the “ Auckland” Bifle Volunteers, and having kept a very correct list of the firing, I compared it with that of a Meeting at Montrose in Scotland in August last, at which meeting, each company of , Vqlunteqfs was allowed to send ten competitors.,;who I conclude were the best shots. They fired five rounds at each range of 100,200, and 300 yards, total 15 rounds. §

The “Auckland” Bifle Volunteers fired three rounds at each range of .100, 200, and 300 yards, total 9 roumlsAiI took the firing of the first .46; Scotch Volunteers, and the first 46 “ Auckland” Hide. Volunteers, from the. four-different companies, and, after making the proper deductions between 9 and 15 rounds, the result was as follows : n! yds. yds. ydg.. points. 100 200 3C&O Total Auckland B-.V. 251 141 #o 468. Scotch Volunteers. 214 107 lfl 432. Points ;n favox of Auckland 36. The “ Auckland ” Biftc dVohj nteers have been/taken fox(as an individual Corps) ma'dh G the : largest average in New Zealand, although-Wan-ganui, as a best. H. 0. Balxeavis, Dep.-A<st. Gen. of Militia and Volunteers. Auckland, 15th Nov. 1861. . 4,1 No return, received from the Hutt.

A ine rounds were fired by each competitor. 3 rounds at 100 yards. 3 do. 200 do. 3 tlo. 300 ckv. The six best shots made. Auckland, 1st prize, 22 points, (3 ranges) Wanganui, 2nd do. 21 do do Auckland, 3rd do. 20 do do YTanganui, 4th do. 19 do do Wanganui, 5th do 19 do do Wanganui, 6th do 19 do do Average points made by the six best shots in each Province or District Auckland 107 17.83. Taranaki 101 16.83. Wanganui 114 19.0. Wellington 79 13.16. Nelson 97 16.16. Canterbury 83 13.83. Otago 34 5.66. Average of points made by all competitors in each Province or District. . No, fired. Points. Average. Auckland 307 2375 7 73. Taranaki 182 1315 7.22. Wanganui 150 1575 10.50. Wellington* 73 465 6.35. Nelson 101 866 8.57. Canterbury 66 466 7.0. Otago- 6 34 5.66. Totals . 885 7096 8.01.