Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878.] SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1893.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4424, 20 May 1893, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878.] SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1893.

SECOND EDITION

The Hon. the Premier finds speech making easy, Ho has a number of stock phrases about his party, which ho has repeated so often that he has doubtless come to believe them to be true. His Napier speech has been a repetition of very much that he has said in other parts of the colony, but thero is one portion of it that is not altogether Hit, stale and unprofitable. We refer to hia proposal to tax Native Lands. On this subject he is reported by the Hawke's Bay Herald in the following terms : We now come to another phase of the question ol dealing with native lands, It is a phase ol the question that up till this time no Government has been bold enough to tackle, It is whether land occupied by natives should not iu settled districts be made tpjmy rates the same as in the esse of Europeans.—(Applause,) We have come to the conclusion that a road enhances the valued native land, just as it docs other land, and that the native owners use the road the same as other owners do. (Cheers.) You erect a bridge, and what do you have to do ? The district has to tax itself by a special rate to pay the interest on thenionoy borrowed to make the bridge, The native, who used to have to swim his horse through the Btrcnm you have • bridged, and put up with other difficulties in getting himself or his goods to a market, docs not swim his horse through tho river, but uses the bridge. (Laughter.) And he pays nothing (Renewed laujhter.) The European settlers have to pay the increased taxation while the native paysnothinjatall, We think the time has arrived when no injustice will bo done —one native owner, for instance, shears no fewer than 103,000 sheep -in saying to tho Maori owner, "You must assist the local rovenuo bj paying rates tho same as the European." (Applause.) It is a question whether the natives should be placed in exactly the time position as thoEuropaca at first, and wo have concluded that the tax must not be harsh, but those are matters o( detail receiving oureonsideration, and so far as the general prinolpal goes the present Administration have decided that tho tine has new como when the natives must pay .ocftl ittei, We quite with the conclusions of the Premier and hopo to see him give effect to them, In this neighborhood we have Native settlements whore the noble Maori takes the full benefit of civilisation without contributing bis quota towards tho cost of luxuries which he enjoye, We fail to see why he should he exempted, He can afford an annual race meeting, and is able to live without toil, owing to the industry and enterprise of European settlers, No doubt a kindly sentiment towards the race is entertained by men of all political parties, but justice demands that the oivilised Maori should share iu the responsibilities as well as in the benefits of Colonial existence, M: Seddon should receive support from all parties in the House towards any reasonable proposal for ranking MaoI rise bear their fair share of local I taxation.

The election for two vacancies on tbo Mastertgn Town Land Trust hi unlikely to excite much interest, ft is essential that Mr W. Lowes should be re-elected, and we trust voters will attend the poll in order to secure bis return. It is certainly not of equal importance whether Mr Eton or Mr Lett be elected, As a former member of the body, Mr Eton has done his duty fairly well, and is euti'.led to soido consideration. It is merely a personal choice between the two.botu being eligible candidates, Mr Lett, I no doubt, will make a useful Trustee, and we are glad to see that ibere are residents of good repute who seek j seat on thm particular loot body. Every year now the Trust is likely to grow in importance, and we hope to see tho very best men in the town coming forward to take positions as trustees. From this point of view it is as well that there Bbonld bo competition for any vacancy that occurs.