(FROM THE " CANTERBURY PRESS," NOV. 6.)

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2600, 17 November 1865, Page 5

(FROM THE " CANTERBURY PRESS," NOV. 6.)

Mk. Okosbie Ward and the "Lyttelton Times" persist in mixing up two questions which must be decided separately. These questions are — 1. Shall the colony undertake to provide for its own internal government and defence ? and 2. What shall be the system of internal government and defence which it shall adopt ? In speaking of the first question, Mr. Ward totally ■ ignores the alternative if we refuse to undertake our, own government and defence. That alternative, involves n continuance of those appeals to England for assistance which have been met by sneers, by contempt, by abuse, until the name of New Zealand has been made to stink in the nostrils 'of the mother country. It involves articles in every leading journal irritating to the colony, and debates in Parliament ruinous to its credit. It involves the depreciation of our securities, the mistiust of money lenders, the constant display before the eyes of capitalists of those apparently interminable difficulties which must tend to scare capital from our shores. It involves the maintenance of an imperium in hnperio — of two independent authorities — which weakens and paralyses the action of the Government, and delays indefinitely the final solution of our difficulties. It involves us in incidental expenses which we cannot control, because we cannot control the operations, out of winch they arise. But above all it involves an application to the Home Government for that which the Home Government is almost certain to refuse, and which Mr. Cai dwell has announced as the confirmed policy of Lord Palinerston's Government, that it will refuse. And, lastly, it involves all the trouble, annoyance, vexation, and cost, of keeping alive a state of uncertainty and transition — of pursuing an almost hopeless suit with the more than probable conclusion of a hostile verdict. All these results are quite certain to flow out Tthe abandonment of the colony of that policy which it has asserted during two Sessions, it will adopt — the duty of undertaking its own internal government and defence. Now this question being settled, the second is fairly open for discussion. How shall we provide for our defence? What will it cost us? How many men will it require ? How shall we raise the means ? This is the second question to be decided. Now Mr. Ward has settled this question in his own mind in a most singular manner. He passes by altogether the question whether the thing can be done or not in any way. He ignores the fact that Mr. Fitzherbert's Estimates showed that for the current year it could be done within the means at the disposal of the colony. But he takes one memorandum wi itten by Mr. Weld, — not a Bill — not a measure proposed te be made into law— but a statement of opinion ex> pressed to the Home Government as to what Mr. Weld thought would be the amount required to pay for the defence of the colony for five years, in order to show that the colony had a claim on the Motliei Countiy for a guarantee of its loan if it undertook its own defence. If Mr. Ward's argument is worth anything at all, it is this — Mr. Weld has stated how he thinks the thing can be done. Mr. Weld's way is the only way. I think it can't be done in that ■way ; thoiefore it cau't be done at all. He mistrusts Mr. Weld's opinion in every other respect, but accepts it implicitly, as conclusive of the only conceiveable method in Avhich the defence of the colony can be managed. But was Mr. Weld's plan, with the existing state of facts at the time it was written, one financially impossible ? Taking a general view of the memorandum of the 20th March, on which Mr. W.ud has placed such stiess, what does it amount to? Mr. Weld estimates the cost of the mihtaiy defence at £250,000 a year for five years. The guarantee of tile thiee million loan by the [mpen.il Government would reduce the annual charge on the colony by at least two per cent ; that is £(50,000 a year. The unexpended balance of the loan was at that time something under £1,000,000 ; and the sale of the confiscated lands would have added something to swell the amount ; so that tho total cost of defending the colony for five yeais, on the proposed scale, appeared to be quite within the means by which he contemplated providing for it, without any great increase of the burdens of the colony. But it not proposed, and was not necessary, to raise a force of 1,500 men, so long as the Military Settlers were still on full pay. It was therefoie proposed to raise only 500 men at present, and to increase the force as lequired when the Militaiy Settlers wcie placed on their land. It is quite clear that no cnt and dried scheme can be made, nor more than a wide estimate of what it may be necessaiy to do. But Mr. Weld does appear to have seen his way to a complete financial solution of the difficulty for five years to come, by which tune the peaceful settlement of the Native difficulty, and the great increase in the wealth and population of the colony, would have reduced the difficulties of the question to insignificant dimensions. It seems then that other men besides those gentlemen who claim a monopoly of financial wisdom — but who have not favoiued the public with a single idea of their own — have devoted some attention to the subject. The course of events, however, has proved that Mr. Weld's estimate for defence may probably be greatly reduced. For example, let us see how Auckland is defended. Take a line across the North Island from Raglan on the West Coast, to Matata on the Bay of Plenty. About Raglan lies the tribe of William Naylor, staunch allies ; next conies the Waikato settlers, to the number of 2,500, who hold their lands under military tenure ; next to them lies the territories of the Ngatihaua tribe- under the influence of William Thompson, from whom we may expect no farther trouble. It is .not in the least likely that they will risk the loss of the Thames Valley, which would be the immediate result of another war. And on the east side of the line lie the Arawa, who have 500 rifles in the hands of men now in the field on our side. The whole inhabited part of Auckland lies to the north of this line ; and a very small body of police, with ordinary sagacity and fair treatment of the Natives, would be amply, sufficient to protect the whole of the Auckland settlers from any aggression from the south. Besides which, the Ist Waikato Regiment are to be settled at Tauranga and Opotiki, completing the defences on that side and holding the Bay pf Plenty Natives fully employed should they threaten to be troublo T I some. Again,' Taranaki is now defended by a I military settlement at the White Cliffs on the north', which is the key from thence to, the Ngatimaniapoto, country, whilst the adherence of little short of 1000 Natives on the East Coast to Hawke's Bay, who are, armed with rifles and fighting on our aide, is a suffi-' cient evidence that a very small, force is required in the whole of that district. The Ngatikalnuigunu of Hawke's Bay and Wair.irapa have passed through bhe war without disturbance, aud are not likely to trouble us now, or that any chance of success is greatly lessened, and, moreover, all their most influential chiefs are, bitterly hostile to , the Haii-haus. The' Bountry/frpm Wanganui to Taranaki, .has yet to be ilealt with. The work which .General Cameron undertook ( to do, and did not do, must bo done. But in proper hands it will be one of short duration ; and preparations were being made by ;tho late Government to settle a number of Military Colonists in such positions as to command that country. Taking, therefore, a fair survey of the, whole Island, there Joes not appear to be any necessity^ for even such a large force as Mr.* Weld proposed some months ago. ff a proper ,uso be made of the friendly Natives, and the town be willing to rely upon their own Militia' Mid Volunteers in the case of great necessity, and if we acid to tin's the gradual introduction' of law into the Native districts by means of revenues raised out of the Native lands by their own consent, find

applied to the payment' bf-locril' $6]i64,'Ltixts<whol9 bugbear of the Native difficulty does a|)poarto reduce r itself to something like> reasonable dimensions,, and _ to come within limits which may be seen and handled. Like every other difficulty it verifies the .proverb ,of omne ignotuvipro mirifico. Shunned ana avoided, , it assumes supernatural proportions in the mist with which our fears surround it. Boldly grappled with, under a sense at once of honourable, duty and stem , necessity, it shrinks into the form of a' foe which may, be cowed and conquered. And .of all difficulties, financial embarrasssments are those which are' best met by looking them straight in the , face. In the .present condition of New Zealand we see none which the colony cannot surmount.> . >, a ,' , , , < < ' But, in qwaking of thefinancial question, it must be recollected that all existing arrangements are in a , transition Btate. .The, Military./ Setflers/are not yet settled on 1 their lands, and therefore theiripay has not, yet ceased. .A considerable expenditure, is still going on, which consists, and ,has grown out of .'the military settlement scheme. That ought not to continue much longer ; and with it the, whole of ,the plans of 18G3 may be considered to have been wound up, and the colony reduced to the normal condition in, jvhjch < it is to provide for its defence. We are free, to, admit , that if a policy of war— of aggression' on the Natives , —bo engaged in, the sacrifices the colony woidd have to make would he ruinous, and the result doubtful. „ But the policy of the Weld Government ,wns dis- ( , tinctly to put an end to all military operations whatever, and to rely upon > a just and peaceful government for maintaining , the ,peace , of j the .colony. The murders, of- Volkner and Fulloou, and lately.of Broughton, have unexpectedly disturbed) those plans. To sit with.folded hands and allow such acts.to, ,be perpetrated unavenged would have been tojmake the Worth Island untenable. . "Whatever! government . had been in office, whatever plans had been adopted, such cases must have been dealt with at Qnce and/atany cost. But it is reasonable to believe that these are the last flashes of the storm which 'has swept over the island, and that the force required for maintaining peace hereafter will, not be larger than, the colony will very well be able to afford, provided only that the Government is left entirely unfettered in the power to use it, with promptitude and energy., The other alternative seems to us unavoidable, that the longer we attempt to evade ,the duty of selfreliance, the greater will our financial embarrassment become.