THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER, “Vèritè sans peur.” WANGANUI, FEBRUARY 18, 1864.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 8, Issue 379, 18 February 1864, Page 3

THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER, “ Vèritè sans peur. ” WANGANUI, FEBRUARY 18, 1864.

The Italians have a proverb, “ He who works in the market-place has many teachers,” of which we are frequently reminded here. Not that the workers in our market-place may not sometimes be the‘better of a lesson ; but it is perhaps too much the fashion on the part of the public, to call in question tlie fitness of any of those who administer the law, for their post. They are blind like J ustice, but not in the sense of impartiality. They who have no call to know the merits of a case, and who really are in a great measui’e ignorant of them, wish to enlighten the minds of those whose duty and honour it is to gain the requisite knowledge and form the proper judgment. Of this class we consider a gentleman who occasionally writes letters to this paper, which tells what he knows and what he thinks no one else knows so well as himself. He might know, however, that there are individuals, who, in virtue of their office, are earlier and wider awake than himself; and we suspect that what js the case in general is also true in respect to the particular subject referred to in a letter which appeared in our columns last week. The subject is very important, somewhat difficult, but by no means novel. It relates to-the confiscation of the land of the rebel natives. The difficulty which this involves was spoken of so soon as the course of action which occasions that difficulty was proposed, ‘indeed, it is, very obvious, and would occur to any one in the least degree acquainted with the present position of the country. It arises

from the desire qf the Government not to mix up the innocent with the guilty—not to depi-i ye g, native who has been quiet and loyal of his land, because it lies in the middle of land confiscated on account of the rebellion of its proprietors. The general principle of discrimination between declared rebels and professed friends is obvious and reasonable. The difficulty lies in its application, and that difficulty was at once foreseen. To provide against it, the Government agents have been making themselves acquainted with the family position of the friendly .natives, and will have no great difficulty in defeating attempts at imposition. That such imposition would be attempted was a matter of certainty to those knowing anything of Maori nature. Already the natives have taken the hint, and numbers of claims have been sent in, most of them transparently fictitious, many of them preposterously absurd. For instance, claims are made here by friendly natives on land lying in the heart of rebels’ territory, on the ground of the claimant being descended from Kupe, the first of the Maori race that landed in New Zealand, and who came to Wanganui, weut as far as the Patea, and brought in his canoe the Ngatiruanui. . Other chiefs of a later but still remote date, are also named as ancestors, whose descend ants have a right to particular pieces ot land, the reason for claiming such aremote ancestry no doubt being the idea, that if a claim founded on such a ground be admitted, it will be difficult to disprove their statement of relationship. Such ridiculous claims will, of course, be very easily set aside. There will be others requiring investigation ; but as, notwithstanding the Maori’s large organ of acquisitiveness, he cannot stand a cross examination, most of these others, examined by those conversant with Maori character and customs, must fall to the ground. So that the loss through means of false representations will not be nearly so great as onr correspondent seems to apprehend. And yet,after all, it is better that a few should get land to which they have no right, than that one should be unjustly deprived of what belongs to him. That the Government will be so cajoled by the philo-Maori party, as to depart from Mr. Domett’s scheme, adopted by it and approved of by the representatives of the people, there is no reason to fear. The chai-acter of the men and the unanimity ot the country alike forbid the fear of such paltering. To saddle the country with the debt which is now being incurred, without seizing on the material for its payment which is within our reach, and which no principle of honour or justice withholds, would indeed be a course as idiotic as suicidal. It would no more be submitted to by the country than it would for one moment be entertained by the Government. In the scheme adopted by the Assembly, this district will have its share of advantage. There is no land in the country more certain of confiscation than that between this and Taranaki, notwithstanding the pretensions of Kupe’s and Rakeora’s loyal descendants. There is no part of the country that possesses a finer climate, more beautiful scenery, or a more fertile soil. In the last respect, indeed, it must yield to a small part of the island ( about five square miles in extent ) in the neighbourhood of Rangiawhia, in the upper Waikato, which is emphatically the garden of New Zealand. But with that exception, the country for ICO miles to the north west of this will bear favourable comparison with any part of New Zealand. It is a beautifully undulating country gradually descending to the sea, interspersed with clumps of trees, and having a picturesque background of hilly bush ; is watered every few miles with fine streams, and in the distance has the snowy peak of Mount Egruont to refresh the eye in the warmest days of summer. To settle this fine country, and other parts of the Province of Taranaki, ( although we presume that to these other parts only a small proportion of this sum will be appropriated, as the rebels in that province are chiefly to the south of New Plymouth ), there has been set aside the sum of Jt 225,000, whicn is intended “for the cost of surveys and other expences incident to the location of settlers.” Of this sum it is not an extravagant supposition that ,£60,000 to .£BO,OOO will be expended in the settlement of the beautiful country between the Waitotara and tne Patea, the latter river being the north west boundary of this Province. Not only does this neighbourhood gain 'the benefit arising from this large expenditure. A further sum of £.T35,<J00 is appropriated for the same purposes “ to such part of the Province of Wellington as lies to the south of Wanganui.” We do not pretend to say to what particular places this sentence points. A good deal will no doubt depend on the manner in the natives referred to act after being informed of the terms which tho Government has offered to those who have not been in arms. But it cannot be doubted that there are many natives south of Wanganui who have already put themselves in a wrong position ; and it is likely that there are others who may not avail themselves of the clemency of the Government. Indeed, the recent resolutions of the up-river natives remind one of the old saying, that the gods first dementate those on whose destruction they have determined. The other week a statement was made in the Advertiser , that tha Superintendent of this province had objected to the introduction into it of volunteers, and that therefore none (except the small number now here) had been sent. What the reason for this refusal may have been, ( if the statement be true ), we do not know, unless the idea that the natives to the south of this had not so acted as to make it certain that land could be provided for u large Defence

Force, except out ol‘ the Provincial lands, of which we liaxe a smaller amount tlrnu is desirable, lor regular settlement. Nevertheless, even supposing this to have been the case, it seems to us that it would have been better to have given land to such a force out of the Provincial estate, than to lose the advantages which the expenditure of such a sum as Jt 135,000 would give to the district. 16 is not difficult to foresee the great benefit wich the expenditure of these large sums for such purposes must confer on this place. This will be the shipping port for the country between the Manawatu and the Patea—a coast line of 120 miles. For the carrying on of the trade of this district small steamers will no doubt be employed in the first place, which will run between the Wanganui and the various small rivers along the coast. Ultimately, and within no very long time, a railway will be made along the west coast ; but still this port, in the centre of the district, and commanding the prinbipal entrance into the interior, may be expected to maintain and increase its importance. With such advantageous results of the ministerial policy looming in the not remote future, it is not like!}’' that any persons here "will encourage a departure from it, such as our correspondent ( as it appears to us, without reason ) seems to apprehend.