The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.
Equal and exact justice, to all men ( Or whatsoever sfatc or persuasion, religious or political. ■ ' " Here shall tbe Press the People's right maintain, Unawed by influence and unbribed by gain.
TUESDA V, SEPT. J h 1883.
Instances of the now and milder form of obstruction which the natives have thought fit to adopt of late are multiplying. Not long ago Mr Burd, the surveyor engaged in laying off the Aotea-TCawhia road, wa,s warned to desist, but the exercise of a little firm ness on tho part of the authorities tided over tho difficulty, for a time at all events. Then, not a week ago, the Maoris on the Wanganui river stopped Mr Eochefort, a surveyor employed in prospecting for the railway route. In this case the natives accomplished their purpose; the detested theodolite was taken away and the work stopped. The latest exhibition of Maori bounce occurred much nearer home — at Maungatautnri ; and so far the trouble has not been successfully dealt with. The dotails of this little affair, at least as much of them as we have been able to glean, will bo found in another column. The survoy party engaged in determining tho proper route for a road from Cambridge to Horahora have, ifc will bo seen, been stopped, and tho efforts of the District Surveyor, Mr Cuss ,n, in the direction of effecting a settlement have been unavailing. That the survey will be carried through we do not doubt. The Native Minister is not in the temper to be humbugged by a handful of natives, who in all probability are acting without the consent, and, it may be, without the knowledge of the responsible heads of the tribes affected. If the suneyors can only proceed under ihe protection of an escort, we may be tolerably sure that a detachment of the Armed Constabulary will be detailed for such duty. But having satisfied ourselves that everything will come out right in tho end, we may well pause for a moment to enquire into the cause of theso recent ebullitions on tho part of the natives. In the first place we know that the native mind is exercised over the reforms and changes in the land policy which the Government are striving to effect ; but though this may account for the existence of a spirit of unquietness it does not, to our mind, afford ii satisfactory explanation of the motive for such an exhibition as that which has taken place at Maungatautari. To be brief, we look upon these petty and, fortunately, bloodless outbreaks as the natural result of one or both of two causes. The first of these is the persistency with which certain members of the Opposition practice it the newly-invented game of throwing' mud at Ministers ; and ;he second is the existence of that ■apidly-decaying species, the Pakehailaori. All old colonists know ,vhat wo owe (of good and evil) to ,he latter, and the colonists of ;o-day are only too well acquainted .vith'the discreditable raamouvres of i beaten and vindictive Opposition. Dhe natives are not savages ; in nost cases they are intelligent ; vhat is more they are particularly ond of reading, and let nothing sscape them which in any way has l bearing upon their interests. The ihivalrous treatment accorded to the Sfative Minister, the generous 'stimate formed of his ability and us intentions by his opponents has lot escaped the notice of the Maoris, who are "quick to learn Liid wiso to know." If this man Bryce, whom they have been accusonied to look up to with awe, is iftcr all, in the opinion of the edu;ated gentlemen of Canterbury and )tago, nothing but a clay idol, the latives argue that they cannot be xpected any longer to reverence lim. Tho Opposition have proved hcmselves to be capable teachers : it us hope they are proud of the dvances made by their pupils. (
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Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1742, 4 September 1883, Page 2
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654The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1742, 4 September 1883, Page 2
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