THE RESULT OF THE CAMPAIGN.

Press, Volume XIV, Issue 1880, 24 April 1869, Page 3

THE RESULT OF THE CAMPAIGN.

During the six months that Colonel Whitmore has been conducting operations upon the West Coast, we cannot estimate the cost at less than £150,000 including the transport of troops and stores from East to West, and vice versa. The destruction of property, depreciation in value of pro* perty, and stagnation in trade and commerce, may be set down as entailing losses to double that amount. The loss of life cannot be correctly estimated, but even as shewn by the official returns it hag been very great. The return which the colony has received for all this is simply the leaving of Titokowaru master of the position. The best proof of this is to be found in the fact that not one of the expatriated settlers dare return to their farms either in the Patea or Waitotara districts, and that the finest track of country in the colony, extending along the sea coast from the Kai Iwi steams to Opunake, lies desolate and without European inhabitant with the exception of the few settlers who are hemmed in at Patea, and they, should the whole of the troops be withdrawn, must either clear out or depend upon themselves. That many of Titokowaru's followers have dispersed there is no doubt, but at this season of the year, when they had to gather in their potatoes and other crops, it might reasonably have been expected that they would do so. It is equally certain that he has still a sufficient number of men with him to hold the country that he has ipso facto conquered. His scattered followers are in such dangerous proximity to the properties of our driven out settlers that they dare not return to reoccupy them. That, in a few words, is the actual result of Colonel Whitmore's campaign.—" Wanganui Times,"

The " Southern Cross," in commenting upon Mr Bichmond's speech at

Taranaki,, says—As we not long ago predicted, tho Government is ready to raise!a cry of triumph over the West Coasfc campaign. That the Native Minister considers practically at an end, land he cannot give too much credit to those who have brought this desirable cons iiintnation about. Colonel Whitmore is congratulated, the Arawas are complimented, the Constabulary are praised, and the colony is felicitated on the unexpectedly good result. All this is very well, and may be very reasonable, but so far as we can see it wants a foundation which we cannot but think necessary to the permanency of our satisfaction and the Ministerial triumph. We have not yet heard that Titokowaru has been taken or killed; we have yet to learn that any great losses have been sustained by his party; and while this is so we consider the tone of the Native Minister a most unwarrantable assumption. The commander of the forces no doubt deserves credit for what he has done in the way of disciplining the troops, and the troops for what they have become under his management; but we know of no reason for taking it for granted that any great success has been obtained at Wanganui merely because we have marched unopposed through some districts where opposition was formerly experienced and formerly successful. We may be forgiven for saying that we do not think the Native Minister has grasped his subject at all, and that it would not be hard to find one either in or out of the Assembly who had done so better. It was the intention of the G-overnment, it seems, to send Colonel Whitmore and his men in pursuit of Te Kooti had not they heard of a party coming towards the White Cliffs. We cannot say we regret the appearance, or rumoured appearance, of this last party. The cost of hurrying our men, and our commissariat, from the West to the East Coast would be serious, and would of course be doubled by the need of hurrying both back again as soon as Titokowaru and his people got their troops safely housed and were ready for a fresh campaign.