THE NATIVE POLICY.

Waikato Times, Issue 660, 12 August 1876, Page 3

THE NATIVE POLICY.

Sir, — Ysw 2 Tre»pon<lent 'Ingratitude' (i.aUeugfS «nr oue to 'lay before the yuhac a sclieuie by wliich the nati?e» cv uld he nior< eeom nvcally goverotd, and bv vhieh mote practical rtfu '• fan he obtnned' tbnu under the presei t sj«tem. Atk poor Packer bow th« natives are now poTMind, while his nmrdrrer fan a\i c -r openly at Te Kuiti in tbe pretence 0' ji Government officer, and we dare not fv. u usk them to allow us to fellow him. Would this be called governing them in ai y c ther part of the world ? Will jour cone bpondent «ay that such results prove tuA"cnt recoinpinsa for tht» £150,000 a yeur r\«rt upon the natives / I suppose he will Fay .that this mutt be a god bargain because someone elie spent £1000 a dny upon them lome ten jeart a^o, for the sotce of a whole mon h. Such an argument may conyinco him, but I can't see thu force of it when timei hare »o gnatly changed. And if he points to some block of land lutely purchased, that (imply provea thai tome tiibeaare setting th<- King's power at defiance, while our GoTiinu ent ii foolnhly lerdhig h m their wliole lurport, for the King has never sanctioned the sale of a bl ck of land yet, and it never lilely to do to. It may have teen good policy to 'stoop to conquer' the cattves 10 years ago, but does that proTc Ifaat they will make war upon u» iir if ue treat them li<e men now, wh-n they know that we ar« able to conquer Uem at any time, and have again and •coin determined at their meetings that they will not sacrifice their lands by fighting us in future. Undoubtedly so long as they cv» bntly the Dufsnre Miuister out ol an j thing they will ride the high horse »« savages invariably do with these ihey can intimidatt' but the moment they find that «c are no lunger to be played with they will come to their senses. On* thing is certain, nnmeJy, that the If at ive difficulty will undoubtedly eontinm jost so leng as a good ro»> d su jx u annually for the Native Offii c, hut's time will certainly prove that the tuomtnt the Colony reluses to be bled to the tune ' of £150,000 a year, and slops the supply, which uovr alone supports the farce, the native difficulty will just vanisn like a ghost. 1 say then, let them alone and don't Fpend more upon them than we do v} on the Iriendly tribes in tLe Worth.— l mm, Ac, Jtjxtitu.