SIR GEORGE GREY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 19, 22 July 1933, Page 17

SIR GEORGE GREY

"OUR GREATEST STATESMAN"

ADDRESS BY MR. P. J. O'REGAN

A full house greeted Mr. P. J. O'Eegan on Thursday -when lie gave a lecture by invitation on Sir George Grey, under the auspices of tho .Wadestown Men's1, Club. Amongst tho visitors present were Messrs. P. Fraser, M.P., and B. A. Wright, M.P. Mr. G. L. Stewart presided. Mr. O'liogan, who spoke without notqs for upwards of an hour, confined himself mainly to Sir George Grey's career in New Zealand. Sir George assumed tho onerous duties of Governor in November, 1845. The affairs of the young colony, said Mr. O'Began, were then in the ■ most chaotic state, mainly owing to the rebellion headed by Heke and Kawiti. Sir George at once proved his capacity to meet the.situation in that he took vigorous steps to prevent the sale of firearms and ammunition to the Natives, in which a lucrative trade was being done by unscrupulous whites. Moreover, he took steps against the rebels, and captured the Buapekapeka Pa, with tho small loss of twelve killed; and thereafter the rebellion was broken. With rare magnanimity and insight, Grey made it known that there would be no proscription, nor any confiscation of Native lands. Practically he treated the rebel Natives as belligerents and not as rebels; but the results fully justified his policy when shortly afterwards the Natives themselves rc-crected tho flagstaff at Kussoll. NATIVE POLICY. The jiew Governor accordingly Avon golden opinions, but presently a crisis afoso owing to the change of Government in England, as the result of which Lord John Eussell's Government came into power. The New Zealand Com-, pany was influential with the new Government, and Grey received instructions, as well as a suggested constitution from Earl Grey, Secretary of State for the Colonies, the effect of which, would have been to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi and permanently alienate the entire Native population, who were, of course, in the great majority in those days. Knowing that it would v at once drive the 'friendly Natives into opposition, Grey took_ a strong stand and pigeon-holed the instructions ' and constitution, at the same time addressing a remonstrance to Lord Grey. In this crisis he received valuable and timely support from Bishop Selwyn; and the young colony accordingly was saved from tho domination of the company. MAORI WAR. ■The proposed constitution, for example, made no provision for Native representation in Parliamqnt, while the instructions meant virtually the revocation, of tho Treaty of Waitangi. Grey's policy was approved by the great majority of the colonists, and was acquiesced in by the British Government, and undoubtedly,' said Mr. O'Began, it had much to do with his recall in October, 1853. It was under Grey's successor Sir Thomas Gore Browne, that tho Waikato and Taranaki wars broke out, and when Sir George Grey was again summoned by the British Government in 1861, this time from South Africa, where he had been Governor of Capo Colony, the affairs of tho colony were

worse than ever. If it was unfortunate for Now Zealand that Grey had left in 1853, he was certainly the right man, said the. speaker, for the situation in his now* term, which position lie held until February, 1884 POLICY VINDICATED. Sir George Grey's subsequent political career was then dealt with. He advocated triennial parliaments, manhood suffrage, and the imposition of a land tax. The subsequent adoption of manhood suffrage undoubtedly paved tho way for the granting of the right j for women to vote. In 1891 tho Property Tax Act was succeeded by the Land and Income Tax Act. Thus Sir George Grey's policy had been vindicated by time, said the speaker, and would bo more fully vindicated in tho future when his principles of taxation were properly appre-! ciated nnd understood. Mr. o'Regan maintained that although New Zealand had had many distinguished public men, Sir George Grey towered above them all in that he evinced throughout his entire career the real insight of the statesman. A discussion followed, during which the speaker answered a number of ques-. tions. He was accorded a hearty vote of thanks by acclamation.