The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 1874.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 269, 31 January 1874, Page 2

The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA." SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 187 4.

Tmf column* of som« of our contemporaries teem wih Hi-ern'fih'onn as to the object the Government had in view wbon they enlisted the corps of "Volunteer Engineers," or, as they have been more appropriately called, " Armed navvies." We have uot the slightest pretension to plenary information ; the opinions, therefore, we uio about to express are deduction* drawu i'lum our observation of passing eventß. We feel that it is exceedingly difficult to understand Jhe motives Hint lead to (government action m an^ mutter connected with <h<; Native question ; the vrholo quc-aiuii is to u<*, and we be lieve to most ihembuisof i-he Government, a perfect mystery. \N hen a body of thinking men, hnvever, pursue a ceituin uuui&e, a is fair to presume that Other* can Kuril miuw upiiiiuii ul tin: reasons nsed In xneot Mieir colleagues 10 induce them Lo coiucidp. V\ c have consideied the question, and believe th't fie primary reasons were throe in number: 1 That it wa* deniable to draw from the Thames a pnition of the unemployed, in order to prevent the.r 'je^kmg ciupiuji-nMiu iv aUoL \t r colo.i) . 2. That ,1,4^,.,,;. v -, ■> r«-->on"inrr rrfn'nr I«bonr rifCe^lintetl the eni.Min-nt of men bound to work tor .i given riUj „ T.i .in vjs -Ilffifu't", if not imr,o3<siblo, tn onVnift^ i.non the action that might result on (Le pan o! the Natives from the meeting about t.» i. u«i». «i ; 1 iit;ut of tlu> fhrpi> sn rr ofiori phh'Op". «<» vrehnro written thtra. As regards the lust, great discontent was uo donbt felt at the delay iv c.pei.iug ihe OLimmuri couutiy, and had not t Pnrnr ..M fTrfl^vTT'ent been offerrd, many would (juubtli b ha^c leit the Colony. K^ivme casob

justify exucme measures, and this no doubt voi^ the. j U'eliug that q ,idwl the Mimst.y. \\\ U ro paying | laiye .suuijs ibr the lnirndni'tinri (if populati n, an 1 it would have beeu worse than fuohsh to allow useiui jiieu 10 leave the country, it bv constitutional muaus they c«juld be induced tv remaiu anddoaoruu of the wuri^ auu beat ejoluo ot the buidt;ua aousbquent on the policy of Mr. Vogel, which is the prosecution of public noiks and the mtrodncfcion of I p< pulation to execute them and to nse the country thus rendered practicable for settlement. Wo now come to me second pu&siole miaou. All aie aware j that the contractors for our railways coui^lum of the difficulty they experience in securing sufficient labor to enable them to fulfil thtir engagements. It will be asked by opponents to the scheme, " Why under those circumstances did the Government step in to make matters .worse by appiopnating a large portion of the labour that would otherwise be available;? If tiieie wm a probability that the labour the Government has absorbed wouldotherwise have been utilised by the contractors the action would undoubted lybe'uujustifiable. We do not believe, however, that j this would have been the case. Men will ajrree to I serve the Government wh'owould not liatento the voice i of a private contractor "charm he never so wisely." , 1 he new system of road iiiak.ng may prove expen- i ! sive, but against the extra cost niufit hp placed that of importing fre^h men to take the place of those who otherwise would hove been lost to the colony. IWe now come to our third hypothesis. As regards J ourselres, we believe that the days of native aggresi sion have passed, — a small distuibance is possible, it not probable ; in fact, we believe that a large proportion of the " kino-" natives would advocate fighting to-morrow if they could foresee any proj bability of regaining possession of the land they or ! their fiiends have lo*t by waif.ue with the colonist I A very large majority is convmced that to even j hope for such an event wouid be to hope against hope. There is a section of the m fives, however, who have nothing to lose, and there is just a remote probability that those who have might be foolish enough to allow these men to commit acts that would lead eventually to the confiscation of large tracts ot native country. The two most powerful tribes that acknowledge the " King," the Ngatiraukawa and the Ngatimaniapoto, will not fight unless very seriously aggrieved by the Government, a thing most unlikely to occur. Nevertheless, if we were not pi'epnred, there is a probability that they might allow those who are living with and upon them to commit deeJs of violence. If Buoh an event took place it Would be trivial in its imt ture, but it would be sufficient to deter settlemeut. The railway mnst be carried through the country, and the sooner the natives are | convinced of the fact the better ; the longer they ; consider the question the more ccrtam will they I become rhat resistance is futile. We can see no i cloud above the horizon that, toretells trouble, and we believe that the new force of armed workmen j was brought into the district I—Because1 — Because the men had no employment, where they were; 2— Because 3aboui* was dilnVult to p.ocure ; o— Because the [ Government did not feel justified in leaving any pmwnfionary rmußures untried to prevent the pro'JwbiUty of disturbance, no matter how remote the chance of it-* occurrence. A groat deal more, in onr opinion, lias been made of the matter than pr.oI babilities justify,

The people of Auckland celebi uted tho anmvei'bary of the colwuj. in the customary innnnor. Pie-mcs, cricket matches, and a regatta were the principal icuLures. A long report of the mrnttn appears in tho columns of each of our conteinpomricsj Wo regret that want of space c impel* us to omit any detailed notice of thp races, Some of the 'race* were well contested and, no doubt, ailorded great enjoyment to the initiated. We learn that a party of Uriwara' natives arrived in Napier on Sunday, for the purpose of consulting Mr Locke as to the tribal boundnry dispute in the Wairoa nnd Waikarimonnn Lake diitncts, which is to be settled at the great natiyc meeting in February. Tie present visit is made in return for the one paid by Mr Locke to tho tribe some fire month* since with the object of arranging tho- maiter now ia treaty — U ff Herald, A Jinpier contemporary learn* tlmt there are about fifty men employed on tbe railway works between Napier and j Pnki Paki; this nnmber gives nbont three to the mile, so no surprise need be felt at the delay in the completion of tho line There is a story told of a tra\ oiler who, riding across the Karamu some months ago, and noticing one man using a spade in the middle of the plain, asked him what bo was doing T !i e man replied, "Oh ! this is the rnilnnv ; T have got a contract." The traveller naturally remarked that it would be some time before tVio railway would be finiihod, when thr man, in tonei of injured innocence informed him that there was another fellow working about two mile*; off. > We notice by a recent Queensland paper that a considerable number of small settlers in the Wide Bay district, in the colony of that name, contemplate immigration to the province of Canterbury in March next. At a public meeting held to discuss the matter, a letter from a Canterbury (anner, setting forth th« excellence of the dim Ate of New Zealand, especially thnt of the Southern Island, was read, and the Chairman ob«ervod that it would bo well if more of the Queensland farmers would make up their minds to settle in New Zealand., which.. appeared -to iiim to be the mostprosperous colony in tho Homuphare. It i« reported at Singapore, says the Broad Arrow, that I Captain Speedy, formerly tutor to Prince Alamiiyu, of Abyssinia, and lately superintendent of police in Penang, hat entered tho wvic« ot the ftnjali of L trut, upon the \ err I handsome pay of §5,000 a mont.li. Out of this, however, he has to pay for the keep-up of about 150 Sikh policeman or soldiers, whom he is enlist in India. Captain Speedy wat formerly a captain in the 2nd iiegunent, Waikato Milihu, and ivns for some time stationed at Ngaruanivhia in stuff I employ. | It it purponcd to hold tho following religious sorviooa in tho Wnikato, to-morrow :— Church of Eneland — Alexandra, 11 n.m. ; Hamilton, Jl a.m. ; Nganiawalna, 6.30 p.m.; Te Awamutu, 3 p.m. Catholic— Harupipi, Ba.m.; Alexandra, 11 a.m. Pru*bytoritin.— Cambridge, 11 a.m. j Hamilton, 3 p.m. Wctfeynn M>-thndi«t — Cambridge, 11 a.m. ;'Pukerimu, 2.80 p.m. ; Hamilton, 11 a.m. and fi 80 p m ' I'niteJ i'resb) lenuu oqJ Congregational — Te JUtuuiulu, U a.m. Captain Alorru arrived at Taurnnga overland from Nuj yier vii l'YWay nuroing last with a mob of sheep. He I M»irii>d with IL7-, and estiUiutou the lorn at about 3 percent He npuitkt tp'v hi»Mv of the enpifal mnnne- in wl'i'ch he Vtw boon treatorl », v f.he rativei, w!io oifured erory assistance , ali»i>i{ fiiv entire lire of loute — Croat. The following have been appointed collectors under the | Higlittay Act:— fur AUxuudru U'Wiislup, Ciunle} Lancelot Ptnj , Town of Bnglan, James La Trobc. j Twenty non-cnmims-ioued «rtirev!» niul men ot the Armed Constabulary under the command of Sub-Inspfetor Mor«hiill j un tveu in Hit. WuAuio jtaur, uj. ll.cj ty Cuuij bridge hv «*enmrr. j Conmbie Cooper, ot tho Armed Constabulary, broke his , coij-r hotv nf "JliTCcr. Ho \\u itlewk-d lr»- D) CoiUlt who I dit luu UOUC. ' ' '