The Waikato Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1878.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 974, 19 September 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1878.

ministered by jhe Government, HfP&fc' llian to enforce thoir own li\ws. This, of itself, is "ft^jpos t hopeful sign, as is the de, Ipr^^e m drinking- habits, the mak. |jing|ise of schools provided for thein^ |ia;nd|^eir more general adoption oji |.Eu^^an habits. 13ufc for all this]J to a man like Mr Fheehat^ Who lias really a bye for the Alaor i race and has its interests at heart, must be a matter of deep regret 'is"'We''tn'wri{r6^OTtible'TaCt"- rt which---* statistics bring forth, that the race fast dying out. A decrease of nearly 2000 souls m." font years, iiof as the consequence •. . v of war -pljigud or. iaminVßnt ofihe slow^te&fy and, if we may/so! t6rm it, natural excess of deaths over- births, can pqint to but one conclusion.'' The cause "

this, is nofcyaltpgether j,a vwant of care'; for .the t 'very yourfg [and a •neglect?* fpr the old. - Tfate: first of these causes, which "is' nothing hew :in r Maori social life, j would simply; tend? to nthe survival j of the fittest, land the production of a hardier race, that wonld propor tionately inorease and multiply. It is not that the death rate is excessive, but .that the births are few and the/ cause of this\is the early indulged immorality of the Maori women. This has been pointed out again and again since the formation of the colony as the cause of* the rapid ;/Jhe Maori .jpace, andjihaHUs so might afford M r Sheehan' 'anottier "argument why he should condemn so strongly and justly; as fye ,does the, .action of . religions' bo'dies An regard to large; trusts pt land, the duties to the native race 'in "relation to the enjoyment' of which 1 have : been so glaringly i neglected. ,i It is indeed time that the State interfered to compel tne*3idl^ers of these trusts to utilise them for the mental and moral improvement of the Maori race.or ptliw wise hand tti^m; over r 'io . the State, thajt they may be put to tbie purppse for which, they , w^ere pDpained. „ . „.''' ■' \ Cbupied virith the fßtatenient on native affairs, or rather 'as forming a portion of it, .is. a!si£e|;ch of Government policy vwith respect to the •proposed dealings with native lands, arid^hisjindedd, 1 comprises the chief feature of tHe statement. With the meagre ; reDort of the speech now before ns . , it js f howeTer, scarcely possible .to form an opinion on this most important part of the Government' policy, and as m a short time the full speech will be furnished m the Parliamentary Papers, distributed to the Press amongst others, we shall leave our remarks upon it; to a'future occasion;' ■' r | l

|Equal and exact justice to all men, . Of wHatever Btate or persuasion,' religious or political. ♦ * * *0*: ; Here shall the Press the Pjsoplk's right maintain, '* Unawed by inniuanca and unbribed. T>y gain.

The statement of the Native Minister, Mr Sheehau, conies to us emas. ciliated of that vigorous eloquence and ready and sparkling wit, which would render even a dry v subject attractive from his lips. We are informed he spoke for two hours, and may therefore conclude' that the account of the speech, wired by the Press Agency, is the merest abstract, ri of..the' i .s(iatenieQt as.it was delivered. Still, there w sufficient, olf actual fast and information to render the 'statemehtTof great interest to Northern colonists. Thereas, hpwever. one matter nntouched upon which we have been anxiously looking-for iii'the state ment of the Native Minister, and that is something more definite than has as yet been given concerning the proposed concession by the Ngatimanipoto natives of land for the construction of the -"main trunk line 'of railway m the., North Island, from Te Awamutu to Taranaki. That projected work formed matter for the consideration of both : the. Qolonial Treasurer and the Minister for Public Works m their several statements, and we confess no little ho little disappointment m finding no reference to it whatever m the statement now delivered by the Native Minister. It is true that the statement contains the remark tha*- <'In a few days concessions would be made by which a line of road and telegraph would be made where hitherto it had been impossible to do so." But, condensed as the telegraph report of the speech may be, had that remark applied to so important a matter as the con- j tinuation of the main trunk line of railway through the King country some fuller account of what had been said would have been furnished by the Press Agency , and so far, therefore; we are forced to admit that the speech of Mr Sheehan is disappointing. As a whole, the condition of native affairs is satisfactory. There is no doubt whatever but that the Native Minister has good grounds for stating that never before have the Maoris evinced so great a readiness to uphold law and order as at the present time — nay, more, to go a step further, it may be said that m doing so they are evincing 1 a remark oble willingness to accept the law as ad-