HAWKE'S BAY HERALD SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5,1863.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 7, Issue 443, 5 December 1863, Page 2

HAWKE'S BAY HERALD SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1863.

Although the comprehensive scheme of Mr. Domett has not formed the basis of legislation for the future settlement and tranquillity of the colony, the General Assembly has passed a Bill authorising thertaising of a loan to the extent of three millions sterling, to be employed in purposes similar to those indicated in the memorandum of the late premier. The scheme, as adopted, is still, however, a wide one — the proposed apportionment of the loan being the following : — Suppression of Rebellion £I,ooo^ooo Introduction of settlers 300,000 Expenses of location 900,000 Electric Telegraph. 150,000 Light Houses 50,000 Purposes specified in Loan Act 1862 500,000 Balance open to future appropriation ... 150,000 £3,000,000 : — The sum apportioned to purposes of immigration — £300,000 — is allocated in the Loan Appropriation Bill to the several provinces in the Northern Island in the following proportions : — Auckland (one half) £150,000 Taranaki and Wanganui 75,000 Wellington 45,000 Hawke'sßay 30,000 £300,000 —The £900,000 devoted to the purpose of establishing the settlers in their newhomes, including one year's rations, will be divided on a similar scale, viz. : — Auckland (one half) £450,000 Tararmki and Wanganui 225,000 Wellington 135,000 Hawke'a Bay 90,000 £900,000 • — In Auckland, where the confiscation principle is acknowledged and fully intended to be acted upon, the scheme will probably be carried into effect ; although a long time, we fear, will elapse before the Maories will permit the work of cultivation to be carried on upon the lands that have been forcibly taken from them. The men, however, will be there — upon their own land ; and, if they can do nothing else, they will be able to protect themselves and the settlers lying within the boundary. So far, however, as this province and' that of Wellington are concerned, the course of military settlement is not likely to run so smoothly. It would appear that the feeling of the House and of the Government is wholly against confiscation, except in cases of overt — of active rebellion. Practices of a seditious characterare not considered to justify the extreme step of taking land ; so that, neither in the one province nor the other, is it likely that a single acre out of the countless thousands lying waste, and nominally the property of persons who have privately fostered the rebellion, will be taken possession of by the Crown. Where, then, are the military settlers to be placed ? Assuming that crown land could be obtained for the purpose, the settlements would necessarily be scattered here and there ', and would not, certainly, be-where they are most wanted — on the frontier. The sum allocated to Hawke's Bay for immigration purposes would b&> sufficient, at the rate named by the Government — £13 per head — for the introduction of 2306- adults — more than equal to the present population of the province. These people, however necessary their presence for the public tranquillity, cannot be introduced before land has been provided for their use — sufficient both for agricultural and grazing purposes ; otherwise we should but be creating a pauper population. The Government has not the land to give — that is clear ; and it can now be, obtained only by two means — by by waiting till the natives feel disposed to sell, which doubtless they will, though in their own time ; or by taking the necessary land from the owners, be they European or native, for purposes of public settlement — the Government being authorised under the. New Zealand Settlements Act to take this course, upon paying th.c full

market value for the land so taken possession of.

A new native difficulty has sprung up within the last few days, arising out of the unexpected surrender of 180 natives at Rangiriri. Two modes of dealing with this difficulty have been suggested, in both of which, strange enough, the aid of the hangman is to be called into requisition. The first is promulgated in the columns of a leading Metropolitan journal, and is to the effect that they all, at least thej[common men, be let free, with the admonition that if "recaught in rebellion, that is. with arms in their hands, they should.be hung without unnecessary delay." The second is from the pen of a local luminary, who would place them all to work on the roads, with the interesting accompaniment of a gallows on the roadside. The first proposal is tantamount to letting loose a gang of miscreants who would assuredly soothe their wounded pride by redoubled efforts to shed the blood of anything white, whether man woman or child — the threat of "hanging without unnecessary delay" to the contrary notwithstanding. Such an act would seem to us little short of insanity ; and yet we know on good authority that this idea is uppermost in the minds of ministers. The second plan would involve more expense than the value of the work likely to be done under such circumstances ; and we don't think that the vicinity of Jack Ketch and his grim apparatus would be the means either of extracting more work out of unwilling hands, or of preventing one desperado after another from escaping to the bush. Nor would this novel ingredient in the hard labour system of the colony be likely, we think, to exalt the English character in the eyes of other civilized nations. Very likely the suggestion that we shall venture to make is equally open to objection. It is that of deportation — deportation to some Island sufficiently remote to prevent their inopportune return, yet sufficiently fertile to ensure them against starvation — the government of course to give them a start in the way of implements, seed, &c. Were a thousand or two to be disposed of in this way, it would, we submit, be a " material guarantee" for the preservation of the public peace..