The Waikato Times. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1877.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 853, 4 December 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1877.

Equal and exact justice to all men. >>. "Miatevcr iiuiid or'Mei'suaaiuu, religi»u> r s. :••> political ■■■■■. r • , ,- '. * * ■' * •'■*■■-..*. ilere shall tae^Presi the People's ri» t 'maintain. ;Unawe I by influence and unbribed l>v %• m

Mr Okmond, doubtless, Bppaks from a thorbugh experience of the matter when he. condemns (;h:it portion of the native policy of the present Government, which would increase the Maori Representation, except undi r certain important restrictions ; for m T Huwkes Bay matters have? come- to such a pass already that Maori Electors can a most now swamp the. European voters iv some constituencies, notably that of Olive. i There have been ■ few elections for country constituencies m the North Island, m which theelement of native vofcipg has not been found a very unfairly disturbing one. The native ■votes bring into New Zealand elections the' evils of the old close borough system, for they are/usually neld by some .P.ikeha pation or Iriend win; has thus an undue influence iv hand. The natives themseves iiave never. pr>bablv, taken the truujle to put their names up >n the roll, and the least they can do is Co oblige their friend who secured them the privdeira by recirding their votes as he wishes. They know little or nothing theuiselves oi the respective q i.l Boations or merits of the Ciudi iaie.4 or of the ! wants and requirepien g of thee u.nry, and cnre tor them probably as lit le. Maori votes, theief >re, come to be used as a matter of course for the personal e nda of pome one or two individuals

m a district"., to tho prejudice of the bona fide elector. And whcj| r^eutlers thi§ state of Vliu)tt! ; yepre3|ti&tion^t.he^iinp ; re glariu^ly ttnju-it i3~tlistt the nat'iyjls enj >y a double representation. 3sTot only is ail; : 'itidividiial native holding' a Crown Grant entitled to register and vote^with Europeans at' ordinary elections, but he enjoys special representation m both the Upper and Lower Houses of .Purliatnent. To do away with Maori representation :al together, would ■.- soem. an . injustice, and to allow the holder of a Crown Grant, though a native, the right, ip vote tor the district m which his property is situated would appear at first sight, to be no more than fair play. But, m practice, it is found to be exceedingly mischevious. On the other hand to unduly increase Maori representftion m the House is equally .so irom a Paliaineutary and political point of view. To increase i.he dumber of Maori Members m the Assembly would be to ■ aclii f la.rgeiy to can already disturbing element m the equitable working 1 of comstittttioniil uroverninenC by party,, arid to give to ceitain lnetnuecs within the House -he very dangerous power which is ifiveii out, of doors m elections to Pakeha-Maof is by tjie Native" voters. Mr Oruiond qbjec s to increa c 1 jjuttcial native representation, " uulesauc >mpanied by registration ittid-rhH deprivation of the native right to. vo to iv the ordi nary man uer for Eur peah Representatives." But, on the other hand, ie seems to us that if increased representation of Natives iv Parliament is to be given, certain restrictions will ba needed to be 4et upon their range of voting, or the chiefs wilj be as likely, to swamp European members ill Parliament as :he raasa ot' their iollovvers would be able to swamp European electors m pracular districts m which native votes abouaddeJ. The matter of Native Representation needs a thorough readjustment The riist thing to settle is, the relative proportion ot population between the two ruce-*, and then to fVijast the proportion of repres.sntabuuiaecordiiigl , confiuiug.the natives and. European* to voting "for their respective representatives. We shall then as now have a mixed House of Representatives, but we should do away wiili the possibility of huving- ordinary constituencies swavnped by Maori votes, aud it the subjects 6a which Mnorie representatives could alone vote were circumscribed within reasonable bounds to matters diieotly or largely affecting native iuterests, and Maori Representatives were specially excluded trout party or miuisterial qaestions noharm could come it' the cuange of adraLted tw.ca as many to the tioase as now. S >ma change. in the SfSiem of registering native c ectors needs also to be introdiced. The matter is one, however, which cannot be brou/h lorward ac the fag end of the session, except suggestively, as indeed it appears to have been done by Mr Ormou i ; but next session tho Government, we^tTii^DrwTrrbTiug down ,a measure dealing thoroughly with th question of Maori Representation, and if such measure while it gives all that is fair aud reasoua,blt to the native.-*, provides for tho protection of die electoral privileges and rights of the European Electors, tue Government introducing it will hive earned the gratitude of the Colony.