OUR SITUATION.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3405, 15 June 1868, Page 4

OUR SITUATION.

To the JMitor of th» Daily Soumwuj Caoss. fv* »M» M i I .^?S Hl * dl ' * ddteW *° tho BlfotoM <* the Franklin di-tnct oan hardly be considered as satisfactory. He makes no allusion whatever to the ohief question— (he imposition of new taxes. He Bays nothing of retrenchment. Unless I greatly mistake, it is the intention of both Mr. Stafford and our Superintendent to a«k us for more money. 1 Probably they will have influence enough, to get it too* In this I may prove a false prophet. I hope I may 3 we shall see. Instead of asking for more they ought rather to retrench. We are ruled npon a most expensive plan, and mneh of oar money bat already been wasted or misapplied. A mere small handful of Europeans iv this colony, scarcely exceeding in number the population of a second-class English, towo, hare in the course of little more than 25 years spent, it appears, some seven millions of public money. The greater part of this has been wasted in, wars of more than doubtful justice j much of it in, an abortive railway, and in keeping up publio estab. lishments altogether disproportioned to our numbers, our want?, and means of- paying. Yet our ruler* and their councils are about to impose new and burdensome taxes upon us. For anything that appears in Mr. Buckland's address, he may be ready to concur m the imposition of fresh taxes and to resist any thorough scheme of retrenchment. • How long is this style of tMng to go on ? As long, I presume, as so many of the elector* show their present apathy and indifference to their own interests. When the proper time comes, of course Mr. Buokland will disclose his views and intentions more at large. In the meantime we have only to guess at some of them. Two things indeed he engages to attempt — to have the native race plaoed under the same law» as theSr European fellow subjects, and to procure us tie privilege of local government to our hearts' content; 80 far, so good. Bnt if the native is to have one law with the European, does Mr. Buckland mean to make no attempt to abolish those peculiar and expensive institutions, k*pt up either for the special benefit of the native, or to guard the European against the real or supposed danger of Dative aggression ?— I allude to the Native* Minister,' the Defence Minuter, and their respective establishments more especially. It seems absurd that an infant colony like this should have a War Minister and a colonial standing army, in the shtpe of a defence f oroe. But for the native we should reqitfre ndthing 80 formidable and so expensive. Yet if tin? native were treated as he ought to be, if he were placed under one law with the European, and the' same respect paid to ,'his interests, rights, and feelings as is shown in the case of Jfioropeans, whathave we to fear from him ? Literally nothing ! Mr; Firth has lately shown how to treat him j— and this proves that the native u quite as oapable of being influenced by kind words and appeals to bis good feeling and sense of justice as any European among us. Thia IB a cheaper way of managing him than' by keeping the horrors of a costly defence force before his eyes? In fact, onr best security for peace, and the only way m which we can prevent our money beiDg wasted, ia to* refuse to grant any more of it to our rulers ; especially as we are all to have the honour of paying our • own w*y under the operation of a Local Government Act. Let us see what we can cut down. We arc ' ruled by a Prime Mini.ter at Wellington, and h» " agent or deputy m Auckland, and by a Superintendent besides-by a Chancellor of the Exchequer to , Wellington and a Provincial Accountant m Anctland, and a Provincial Secretary into the bargain, the latter of whom has talent enough to rule v* aID single-handed by a "one-man policy. 1 ' Really aff this would be ludicrous if it were not so horribly expensive and mischievous. We have wheels within wheels without end. By the way, I notice the recent appointment of an Inspector of Native Schools. Even in this small affair the native must have a separate officer, though • Grovernment native schools exist chiefly for the purpose of instructing the native in the Eoglhb language. Can you inform us what this gentleman* , I. salary is if any, and how many natire schools and scholars he has to inspeot ?— [The appointment w© beheve simply relates to this province, and we hay» . heard that there is no pay attaohed to the office aD. D.S.C.J Since writing the above I see that Mr. Buokland m a speech at the Thames has declared that he will support measures for retrenchment when he goes down to Wellington, if elected ; but retrenchment only so far as it affects the General Government Ii no retrenchment in our provincial expenses jrequired ! . Can Mr. Buckland, through the General Government or otherwise, not aid in economising our* provincial resources ? If Mr. Stafford should propose, any new taxes, it would not be amiss if Mr» Bucklaud were to make some such significant demonstrations! . indignant dissent as he did at the Thames meeting, when Mr. Graham made a certain statement ; and " shake his fist at the presumptuous Minister. It is melancholy to see our public men make such exhibitions as they did at the Thames. Mr. Rowe taxes the Superintendent with having spent tens of thousands of the publio money without any legal warrant to do so— without the consent of the Provincial Parliament at the least. To this, Mr. Graham, replies we had better drop the subject— the least- . said the soonest mended on some disagreeable topics* It would be a charity to us all if the Imperiat Parliament would suspend the New Zealand Constitution Act for a time, as they have suspended the Habeas Corpus Act in Ireland ; and put the entire affairs of the colony into the hands of our present Governor. It is the only way I see by which ' we can save our money and our reputation, and ensure peace with the native raoe. We have evidently fallen into evil hands ; we have suffered much in purse and reputation already tnrough them ; and we are likely to suffer more if some sharp remedy be not applied, and that soon.— l have, &c, t w#