SUMMARY FOR THE ENGLISH MAIL. GENERAL SUMMARY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3961, 3 May 1870, Page 6

SUMMARY FOR THE ENGLISH MAIL. GENERAL SUMMARY.

In colonial politics there has been something like an appearance of animation during the past month. The General Assembly has been summoned to meet for despatch of business at "Wellington on the 14th of June, and the leaders of political parties have been sounding public opinion at Timaru, in Canterbury, and Dunedin, in Otago. - Mr. Stafford, the ex -Premier, addressed his constituents at Timaru on the 26th ultimo, but from the meagre report ot his speech which we have ween, we cannot speak with certainty of the course he proposes to follow in the coming session. He avows himself an enemy of Provincial institutions, but admits that at present the people of New Zealand are not disposed to pait with these. He should, he said, " like to " see such a system established as part "of the policy of the colony as would " ensure that every dangerous river " between Southland and Auckland "should be bridged, and that e^ery " road necessary should be made across " wet ground or across any ground that "impeded transit. We had isolated " ourselves in this colony, which was " intended by nature and God to carry " 25,000,000 people in health, -wealth, " and a contented state of life. There " was only a quarter of a million popu- " lation. We seem determined to live '* in a small, petty, isolated manner, with " the petty aims and the petty ends "of petty States." There can be lio doubt, it would be a very excellent thing if every dangerous river were biidged between Auckland and Southland, and a great highway formed from one end of the country to the other ; but we fear this result will not soon be accomplished, and this is principally caused by that " financial u compact," and distribution of revenue between the provinces and the General Government, which Mr. Stafford now denounces, but which is mainly his own doing. Mr. Stafford is an uribrtunate parent : he is never done abusing his own political cflapring. Indeed, we never , yefc heard him speak a geod word of any ,of his own political measures. 'Ihese have invariably disappointed him in their results, although they disappointed no one else. Mr. Stafford, bidding- for ,ofHce, , has a - policy.which Mr. Stafford »in-* office did not dream of promulgating. He says : —'.'The policy of New Zcnlgnd should - "bV^-a. policy to ope'ii^and people -all j ; " payta of tlk Ctunt'iyAsjij«i»ltaueously; ; Ki* \mf-he never would Hbe a -paHy toj

" there abandon them, or to vote sums " of money by way of loan, to be ex- " pended for those purposes by the pro- " vinces. He vrould employ the bulk "of the immigrants on the great " arterial works of the country, and '* the greater part of them would after " wards settle down in the country." If we understand Mr. Stafford's programme aright, it means this : That he would have the work of colonisation carried on by the General Government, and that all parts of the colony should be simultaneously opened and settled He forgets the trifling fact, however, that this cannot agply to the North Island, where the natives are the territorial proprietors, seeing they refuse to ' open their land for settlement. Mr. Stafford does not tell us how he is to obtain the money ; but we infer that it is to ba drawn from the ordinary revenue, or partly from revenue and partly by loan. We come to this conclusion from what he is reported to have said: first, that he objected to the provinces borrowing, which meant " a perpetuation of tie vicious system " of finance (Mr. Stafford's own system) " of having one party to lay taxes on " the prople, and another irresponsible " body to spend them ; and second, in reply to a question, "Mr. Stafford " said that the proceeds of land sales " should be devoted to the districts " where it was raised, and the arterial "• works referred to should be carried on " by loan." Now, if this means anything, it means that Mr. Stafford is prepared to launch a policy of settlement and public works, based upon ordinary revenue, or borrowed money secured upon such revenue, whilst the Crown lands of the colony are to be treated as local endowments. Applying this policy to the present circumstances of the colony, it means that the settlers of the North Island are to be tax^d to introduce population to the Middle Island, inasmuch as there is no great breadth of land available for settlement in the North. This is the more apparent because he nays that the laud revenue of the Middle Island shall bo applied to local purposes. Perhaps Mr. Stafford did not meau this ; but the report before us compels us to put this construction upon his policy. No doubt such a policy might be popular in the South for a time ; but the intelligence of the Middle Island settlers must lead them to perceive that it never could be carried into effect. Mr. Fox, the Premier, addressed a great public meeting at Dunedin, on the 27th ult., the day following that on which Mr. Stafford spoke at Timaru ; and there was a marked difference in the two speeches. Mr. Fox reviewed the policy of the Government, and demonstrated that they had kept faith with the colony. When they took office, a general war was imminent ; and Mr. Stafford's G overnmentmet the A ssembly last year with a proposal, not for a general system of immigration and public works, but for a loan for war purposes. The war hart been confined to defensive operations, and so successful had the Government been, that Mr. Fox said, '' he believed they would not see the "sword drawn again in New Zealand "in connection with a, w,ir of any magnitude " The Government had "made a large amount of roads " through troubled districts ; and the " dangerous road between Whangauui " and Taranaki was now so safe, that *' Cobbs coaches were regularly run- " ning through it." Moreovei, all this was done without exceeding the appropriation. ' Now, when we call to mind the state of that part of the country since 1860, when Governor Browne commenced the war at Taranaki on the advice of Mr. Stafford and his colleagues, up till the accession of Mr. Fox to office, one can hardly realise the extent of the change. That district was closed against Europeans. General Cameron and General Chute occupied it; the latter marched through it and returned; and then Titokowaru swept away all i the fruits of the industry of many i years of quiet settlement, up to within six miles of the town of Whanganui. The settlers have again returned. New ground has been occupied ; progress has been made ; and a line of road formed between Whanganui audTaupo. If Mr. Stafford had remained in office, this would not have been accomplished. We should have had to encounter the Maoi-i King. Waikato would, in all human probability, have been laid waste. Taran-aki and the East Coast settlements mint have been abandoned, (indeed, hints to that effect were not wanting at the time). But now, we have avoided a wftr loau; we have opened up many miles of road in the inteiior; we have crushed the power of Te Kooti on the East Coast and in the Ui'ewera fastnesses j we have conciliated the King party, and opened through communication between Whanganui and Tarauaki ; the telegraph will soon be in operation between Auckland and Wellington ; and confidence in the country is restored. These are some of the practical results of Mr. Fox's policy ; and in addition, his Government may boast of opening direct communication with the United States, in connection with a monthly mail service to England, on more favourable terms to this colony than could have been anticipated. Whilst the leaders of the two political parties have been preparing for the battle of the session, signs are not wanting of the state of public feeling A recent election for the JBDouse of Representatives in Otago, resulted in the ietum, by a large majority, of Mr. Melndoe, who avows himself a supporter of the Government. In Taranaki a like event has taken place. There is a vacancy in the representation of Parnell, owing to the resignation of Major Heaphy, V.C. ; and Mr. Reader Wood, the only candidate at present iv the field,is understood to be a supporter of the present Government. * There is a sharp contest in Oanter-biii-y for the Supevin tendency/ The candidates are Mr. Kolleston, the late Su])emtendent, and Mr. Moorhouse, i who held the office of Superintendent on, at least two former occasions in

We have no important news to chronicle ,in le^urd to native matters. His Excellency the Governor, accompanied by the Hon. Defence Minister, visited | the north of this province, and was everywhere well received by the natives and European settlers We are glad the Governor has visited tho >oith. Hitherto there was an almost total neglect of the Northern natives by tho authorities, which created a feeling of discontent. Thi« feeling will bo allayed by his Excellency's visit-. Detaikd reports of the various topics of local interest will be found elsewhere in our summary.