THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. “Véritè sans peur.” Wanganui, December 4, 1862.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 6, Issue 320, 4 December 1862, Page 2

THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. “Véritè sans peur.” Wanganui, December 4, 1862.

Some time ago a Mr. Adderley, with the boldnesß which usually characterises gross ignorance, stated, in the House of Commons, that the war in New Zealand was costing the home country a million and a half per annum ; and called upon the representatives of the hearths and homes of Old England, as they had regard to the domestic happiness and pecuniary, interests of their constituents, to put their veto on such a scandalous waste of public money, which was taken out of John Bull’s pocket—cruelly injured and patient victim! —and transferred to the already well-lined purse of the New Zealand colonist, who promoted the war for his own purposes, and would not raise a finger to stay its ravages. Thi3 cry, certain to be popular, was re-echoed by the Times , and is still harped upon by public organs in Great Britain. The last echo that has reached this country is from the pen of Mr. Goldwin Smith, who, by pertinaciously thrusting himself before the public with a crotchet that is generally looked upon as absurd, has been begun to be quoted as an authority, and to be listened to with a reverence which a man of far superior intellect, but a little more modesty, would never excite. On two former occasions we endeavonred to expose the misrepresentation! of Mr. Adderley

and the Times. We must now have a look at what Mr, Goldwin Smith propounds. He says, “We”—the British people—“are keeping up an army of 5000 or 6000 men, at an expence of at least half a million, to protect the colonists of New Zealand against a horde of savages, whose number does not exceed that of the colonists themselves. , While we bear this burden, the colonists refuse to tax themselves to defend their •own homes, and ■ even taunt us with avarice because we complain of these unrecompensed and unceasing exactions.. “We believe,” adds the Times, “ this is the sum of Mr. Goldwin Smith s letter ; and we have no desire to deny that the grievance is substantial.” “ You may as well kill a dog>” says the proverb, “ as give him a bad name ; and now that this imputation i’s fastened upon this country,' it will be difficult to disabuse the prejudiced minds of our countrymen at home ; but. the attempt should at least be made. What is the real value of these statements of Mr. Smith’s 1 He declares the cost of the troops here to be at least half a million (a year, we presume). Now what is the cost 1 The last time we re- • 4-,'n fiiJa on'hipnt we complained that the financial statement of last session Had not been made public. Since then we have received a copy of the New Zealander of 13th Sept., which gives the statement in full, and in order that our readers may have all the information it contains on this subject, we lay before them the details of. the expence of the troops now here for one year, as stated by Deputy Commissary General Jones in a minute to General Cameron; and surely than this there could be no better authority. The details are Regimental Pay of the troops ... £171,000 General and Commissariat and Hospital Staff ... ... ... 11,000 Hospital Expenditure ... ... 5,000 Land and inland water transport ... 6,000 Field allowance ... ... ... .500 Military Store, Barrack and Royal Engineer Civil Department ... 2,700 ■Local Expenditure ... ... 500 Lodging money ... ' ... ... 8,000 Hire of Buildings... ... ... 3,000 Wages and Extra Labour ... ... 1,000 Clothing ... ... . ••• .100 Provisions, &c., including pecuniary allowance ».. ... ... 110,000 Warlike Stores ... ... ... . 500 Royal Engineer works ... ... 5,000 Sea transport .... ... ... 5,000 Total per annum in. time of peace £329,300

Not much more than a half of what Mr. Smith declares to be the lowest amount at which the charge can be estimated. But the truth is, the above, sum would have had to be paid if. the troops had been stationed in England; so that there is an absolute gain in their being stationed here, so long as the mother country is at peace. As we stated seven or eight months ago, the only charge that can properly be laid to New Zealand account is that of transport from India to this country and back ; from which ought to be made a considerable deduction for the increased vigour of the men from the change of climate. Another statement made by Mr. Smith, and homologated by the Times , is, “ that the colonists refuse to tax themselves to defend their own homes.” How far this is corroct will be seen by the following recital of what actually took place ; and if the colonists have no reason to complain of the avarice of the Home Government, they certainly have as little reason to glorify its generosity. When •the disturbance began in Taranaki, in March 1860, the Governor demanded of the New Zealand Ministry a guarantee for the repayment of any money advanced by the Commissariat for pay and rations to the Taranaki militia. This guarantee teas given. In a despatch, dated 26th Jan. 1861, tlie Puke of Newcastle desired the Governor not to make any advances from the Commissariat chest, for secret service money or the maintaining of any local force, except on a distinct pledge that such money should be refunded by the colony if the Imperial Government required it; and on the following June the .Governor sent down a M essage. to the flouse of .Representatives, thatjhe conld only sanction outlay for the organising and maintaining of the colonial forces on the; conditions laid down by the Secretary for the colonies. To these conditions the House agreed. Not only so ; in last session a bill was laid before the House, containing the items which, in accordance with these conditions, the Imperial Government desired to be refunded. They are as follows

A few insignificant items of this account were objected to by the Colonial Treasurer j but the likelihood is that the whole amount will be paid. • In addition to all this, there is the £200,000 voted by the House for compensation to the Taranaki settlers > there is the loss to these settlers over and abovo the amount they receive in compensation; there is the amount subscribed in various places in the colony for the support of these settlers; there expences of the Volunteer force, borne by its individual members —all of which, up to 30th June 1862, will amount to much 1 more than half-a-million, or about £5 a-head for each European man, woman, and child in

1... - -TT-rt . . . these islands. And yet Mr. GolowTn Smith has the effrontery to state to the British public, and the Times is so base as to support it, that “ the colonists refuse to tax themselves to defend their own homes.” But these are in reality minor errors in this audacious libel on the New Zealand colonists. The pith of the matter lies beyond all this. -Mr.' Smith declares that wo refuse to tax ourselves forth© defence of our own homes.- He regards this late New Zealand war as a colonists* war. The army is kept here, he says, “to protect the colonists against a horde of savages.” Now we most distinctly deny this. -' Tho array is not here to pro tect us. The army has not protected-the colonists during the last two. years. If there has been any protection afforded by either party to the other—-it has, been afforded by the colonists to the army. The troops are quite able to. protect both themselves and the colonists,; but we statea fact of which every one acquainted with the Taranaki contest- is well aware. The colonists need no, protection. They .have no general quarrel with the natives. In any local dispute they are quite able (if they were allowed) to keep their own. -Tho nativea l>ave_mo__:q uarrel. with the colonists. They would be ■ sorry;.‘to see them leave They are anxious to be on friendly relations with them. All they want with respect to the colonists is, that they will not seek to obtain more' land than they already possess. The army is not here to protect the colonists. But it is here to do what Mr. Goldwin Smith has just as good reason to pay his share, of the expence of doing as any of the New Zealand subjects of her Majesty. It is here to assert the Queen’s supremacy, to. support the Governor in carrying out the Queen’s law among the natives; The British Parliament has ruled that the Maories are her Majesty’s, subjects. The British Parliament represents the British tax payers. The New Zealand ; colonist has no voice whatever in that legislative assembly. Why should he be mulcted in £5 to pay what the British people.have resolved should be done, while the said British people pay only about 2£d each in the year, to carry out their own will in this matter. Where is the injustice . in the case? Is it not that the New Zealand settler should have to pay so much, and risk in addition hi& property and life, and that the British people, sitting at home at ease, should pay so little ? Why can Mr. Smith not take a dispassionate and truthful, view of the case ? Because, forsooth, his crotchet must be bolstered up at any expence to truth and justice. There is another theory in vogue among the settlers here as to the use of the army. It is, that they are here to protect the Maories. There is so much patriotism among the colonists that they could not brook the idea of rebellion among the Maories, and would at once put it down ; but the Home Government, think that would be rather harsh treatment for the poor innocents, and sent out. an army for their protection. This theory may not be correct; but ‘it has far more facts in its favour than Mr. Smith’s assert on. In the Taranaki contest every: engagement in which the Volunteers were not actively employed, except one, countenances this theory. We do not vouch for its correctness ; but the- history of the last two years and a half makes it far more oredible, than Mr. Goldwin Smith’s theory that the army is here for the protection of the colonists. Now what shall be said of any man, who, utterly ignorant of what he is speaking about, gravely adduces fictions as facts, and uses these fictions as an argument for one of the most momentous changes yet made, or that can be made, in .the constitution of the British empire ?- ’ The epithet “ mountebank ” at once suggests itself.

The platform extravagances and misrepresentations of such men as the Rev. Canon Stowell may be passed in contemptuous silence ; not so, however* the. opinions formed and expressed with thegraye deliberation, it is to be presumed, which becomes a Professorial Chair in one of the great English Universities.

Arms and Ammunition ... £5,672 4 8 Pay and contingent expencea of Militia and Volunteers ... 60,273 2 9 Clothing and equipment of do 986 4 4 Rations and forage ... 24,896 3 6 Hire of steamers ... ... 16,422 2 10 Field defences ... 2,126 0 4 Gratuity to "officers and crews of her Majesty’s ships 6,000 0 0 Miscellaneous 87 0 0 Demand of £5 per head for troops from April 1858 to March 1862 ... 63,587 10 0 Barracks at Taranaki 7,000 0 0 Estimated amount for troops to 30th June 1862 6,750 0 0 Do for Taranaki Militia to do 3,363 0 0 £186,163 8 4