MR. M'LEAN'S RESOLUTION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 985, 6 October 1868, Page 3

MR. M'LEAN'S RESOLUTION.

In our last we gave the Independent's report of the debate upon Mr. M'Lean's resolution. That report, however, having dismissed Mr. M'Lean's reply in a few words, we think it well to reprint this speech 'in full, as reported in Hansard, and we accordingly subjoin it. We observe that there were several points which Mr. M'Lean should and would have touched upon in his reply, which the advanced hour and general anxiety for a division prevented him from doing. It is nofc my intention afc this hour to take up the time of the House at any length, but there are a few subjects to which I shall briefly refer. Tlie hon. member at the head of the Government, whose speech in reply on this motion has been, no doubt, listened to with much attention, stated that tho Government were not surprised, however much they regretted, that I thought it consistent with my public duty to bring this motion forward. I wish to put myself right with tho House by noticing some very ungenerous and unworthy remarks which tho hon. gentleman has chosen to make in reference to certain proposals of mine for the settlement of a disturbed district on the East Coast. Tho district referred to has no connection with the Province I represent ; it is a part of the Provinco of Auckland, known as the East Coast, containing about four millions of acres, including Opotiki, and running a lino say from te Awa o te Atua, in the Bay of Plenty, to Taupo, and thence to the northern boundary of Hawke's Bay. The Native population within the above boundaries, according to the census of 1858, was 15,43*1; a subsequent return gives the number at 13,000; and by a more recent one of the Native Office, which I know to be much underestimated, the population is stated at 9,900. On a previous occasion, I gave the num-

bers at 8,000 or 9,000, but I find they are considerably over 10,000, or about onefourth of the whole Native population of the North Island. A wish has been frequently expressed by several members on both sides of the House that I should undertake the administration of this important district. I had no desire on my part to do so, knowing tliat it would be attended with immense trouble, requiring much more labour and time than I could easily afford ; and iv assenting, after some hesitation, to undertake the duties, I felt I was making a very considerable sacrifice for the public service, more especially as I had already devoted much time in getting that district restored from anarchy to a state of order. As a proof of this, you might have travelled alone from Napier to the East Cape, a distance of between 200 and 300 miles, without a finger beingraised against you, or anything but a cheerful reception accorded to you by the Natives of the different villages along that coast. The hon. the Colonial Secretary recently stated in the House that he was not aware till late in the session of 1866, and then only accidentally, that Mr. Whitaker, Superintendent of Auckland, had been negotiating for oil springs in that district. I believe that the hon. member must have had some intimation at an earlier period of the existence of the oil springs, and I think he had information on the subject from Auckland. In compliance with his request, I had sent him a specimen of the petroleum to Wellington before the session commenced. During the session of 1866, I brought under the notice of the House certain circumstances connected with the East Coast, to which I wiil now advert. The question of annexation was under consideration at the time. I then referred to the services of the friendly Natives in the following terms : — " It is, Sir, on behalf of the people who have rendered such great and signal service to the Colony iv its time of need, unrepresented as they are iv this House, that I now appeal for such favourable consideration of their petition as I feel assured any English Assembly, in its love for fair play to the weaker party, will be inclined to afford. Those services are greater than money can purchase ; the same men are ready and willing to offer their services again, and the time may not be distant when such will be required." The proposal I then made to the House was to obtain the cession of certain territory for settlement instead of confiscation, and I offered to assume responsibilities which I estimated thus : — Compensation to Fri>:ndlv Natives ... £10 000 L->ssi!S sustained by Settlers 10,000 Laud for Natives 2U.0U0 Provincial iioruou charg.-aijle to Auckland as part of the Threo Million L>an 10,000 I pointed out that my object in making the proposal was not with the view of injuring Auckland, but to enable me to preserve peace on the frontiers of Hawke's Bay, and, by the settlement of that district, to promote the general interests of the Colony. I might remind members who were then in the House of my having stated, "That, while willing to. assume this responsibility, I would direct attention to tbe fact that Auckland agents are now dealing, I suppose under the direction of the member for Parnoll, with the rebel Natives for oil springs and other land. I can only say, if such proceedings are permitted, that they must lead to fresh complications and difficulties, and that a settlement of the district wiil become absolutely impossible on any well-regulated system." In referring to those remarks, 1 am taking no advantage of the absence of Mr. Whitaker, who was then member for Parnell, as they were made while he was present in this House. My proposals were not entertained by the Government. The only measure during that session particularly affecting this district was one prepared by Mr. Whitaker, who was active in promoting it. The Government, by not promptly checking the proceedings of Mr. Whitaker and others, virtually cut the ground from under my feet, and destroyed every prospect of effecting a satisfactory settlement of the East Coast. The honorable member at the head of the Government has endeavoured to convey an impression that I have made demands in reference to the settlement of this district with which he found it impossible to comply. I should like the House to take the real facts into consideration. I would again remark that I had been solicited by several members, for whose opinions I entertain great respect, to take this question in hand, chiefly by members fromthe Middle Island, who desire to see an end to Native difficulties, and also by his Honor the Superintendent of Auckland and others ; those gentlemen, I feel sure, urged the matter upon my consideration from purely disinterested motives, having no object in doing so beyond a desire to limit the Native difficulties, and get rid of the complications which the Government had allowed to grow up in that part of the country. The honorable member referred to very largo items of expenditure, and spoke of them as being only for one year, and that the country might be subjected to further heavy liabilities, concealing the fact of my having told him, if I could not effect a settlement in one year, that I should give it up altogether. Tho proposal I made was to have an Act of the Assembly to enable this district to be administered by a Commission empowered to deal with tho question ; that if I undertook to settle it, I should be entirely responsible for failure or success, and as war was becoming imminent in consequence of the state of the country, and the escape of the Chatham Islands prisoners, it was necessary that the estimate of expenditure which I was asked to furnish should be framed with the view of having to provide for war, if necessary, and also to include existing obligations to the amount of £20,000, which the Government is bound to meet. Mr. Staffohd. — No. Mr. M'Lean. — The Government is morally bound to do so, if it does not wish to evade its just obligations. When you deduct this £20,000, and consider that the district of Opotiki, which is, and has been, costing the Colony an enormous annual outlay, was also to be included; that £5,000 was required for the purchase of land to procure suburban extension for a township recently purchased for the Government at Poverty Bay ; it will be found that the balance for defence, in case of war, was small indeed in comparison with the expenditure usually incurred in the North Island for such purposes. If the full amount for defence wns not required, it would not be expended ; but I would not disguise from honorable members, or from this House, what the probable expense might be. I thought it best at once frankly to give the highest estimate, than to give one which might afterwards prove insufficient. I must say that the honorable gentleman afc tho head of the Government did all he could to meet my views, and I am sure that his honorable colleague, the Commissioner of Customs, felt pleased at the prospect of being relieved from the responsibility connected with that part of the island. Not only did the honorable gentleman comply with my requests, but he exceeded them by offering me the position of Minister to carry them out, so that I had no "grounds whatever for dissatisfaction in reference tc this matter; in fact, the honorable gentleman offered all that could be expected ; he did say that the estimate was larger than the Assembly might grant, but that aa amount

would be provided for this service. This was reasonable enough, and I never understood, until the honorable gentleman said so in his speech, thafc my. requests had nofc been complied with. The proposal of. the honorable gentleman thafc I should accept office as a Minister was one on which I held the opinion that, even if there had been a concurrence of ideas bet- . ween us, it would be difficult as a Minister to settle a question involving negotiations which might bo, at any moment, broken off by a change of Ministry. lam sorry that the honorable member at the head of the Government should condescend to take advantage of his position in this House to throw out unfounded reflections and imputations against an old ally, which might induce the belief that I was com-' meneing a career of extravagance to effect ' the settlement of a part of the country where culpable negligence and want of ordinary precaution in permitting the escape of the Chatham Islands prisoners, is the chief cause for occasioning fresh expenditure. In offering to do my utmost to effect a settlement of these questions, 1 need not assure the House that I did so on .public grounds, for what I conceived to be the best interests of the colony, which! have never ceased to consider, and for which T was prepared to make sacrifices to carry out arrangements which I felt the Government would have difficulty in effecting without my assistance. These were the only motives, and I challenge the hon. gentleman to say whether, in my position in this House, or elsewhere, I have made any unreasonable demands of any kind whatever. Such imputations lower the tone of this House, and create most unfavourable impressions, against those who make them. ' I must notice the allusions made in reference to the withdrawal of the small force from Napier. I did feel sore upon thut subject, because I felt that the Government were leaving that part of the Island completely exposed, and at the mercy of people who had been embittered against us ; and the worst symptom of all was that the Government seemed to be particularly unconscious of clanger in that part of the country. It was the very smallness of the force that gave this act such great significance. Had the force removed been a large one, it would not have met with the same remonstrance which I felt bound to make against the withdrawal of the only available force for service on the East Coast. To every remonstrance a deaf ear was turned, aud a large part of the country was left open to every encroachment which disaffected tribes might at any moment feel disposed to make. The hon. member at the head of the Government quoted the Bishop of Waiapu to this House as haying stated that there was no danger to be apprehended at Napier. I quite agree with the hon. member that he could not have appealed to a better authority, or one more conversant with the state of the Natives in every part of the country, whose views on Native questions will always be received with respect in this House and elsewhere. Well, Sir, the Bishop o£ Waiapu received a telegram from, Wellington intimating that the whole of the forces on the West Coast woLdd be sent up to Napier in case of danger, and he must naturally have felt some alarm at hearing that the whole of the forces were to be removed from one part of the country to another, and might even conceive that a war of extermination was intended. Of course it was reasonable to expect that a Government which could remove the whole of a small forco from where it was required would act iv a similar manner in reference to the larger force. The Bishop says : — I sent the following to Whitmore on the 14th, namely :— I believe no immediate-dan-ger exists at Napier. The hostile Natives are pliintin-r, and when that is done, I think ii likely tliey will pay hostile visits either to Wairoa or Poverty Bay. News now received alters the position. I think troops required at Wairoa ; their absence amounts to invitation to Hauhaus to attack. This differs from the opinion quoted in this House that no danger was to be apprehended. I received a letter from His Lordship to-day, from whicli I shall take the liberty of giving one or two quotations : — "As for Mr. Stafford quoting me as authority for stating that there is no danger, it is simply absurd. I said in my reply that there was no immediate danger to JN apier." This coincides with what I have myself stated. Again, the Bishop says : — I, at the fame time, urged the expediency of erecting a redoubt at the township of Clyde, probably at tho court-house, which I hear is being done. What is the character of the reootts we now have? 1. By the intercepted letter, it appears that th-* Hauhaus from the Chathams are endeavouring to stir up to action ; they call upon their friends at Tarawera to join them at Ahikeieru, or to assemble at Opepe. 2. They have b en joined by parties from Wairoa. Paora aud others are also doing their utmost. I might add more, but I think what I have already stated, as. to the views of such an eminent authority as the Bishop of Waiapu, is, sufficiently corroborative of what I have expressed in reference to the danger to be apprehended in that part of the country. Whatever I havo said in speaking on this subject has not been of snch an alarming character as the speech made by the Hon. the Native Minister, who referred to a very ominous proclamation received from the Waikato king, in which it is hinted thafc in the months of November or December something eventful may happen, if certain inspirations are received from the Hauhau god disposing to evil or otherwise. The honorable gentleman, in closing his speech, pointed out that if honorable members did nofc unite together, and freely put their hands into their pockets to meet coming events, that they might expect terrible disasters. I believe, Sir, that the speech of the iNative Minister, in reference to existing danger, is quito true ; it shows that I have not overstated the danger which I believed was fast overtaking the Colon}' ; and it is really sad to think that those honorable gentlemen should occupy the position they now do without taking warning in time respecting the state of the country, which is last sinking deeper and deeper into seas of difficulty, from which it may be impossible to extricate it. Seeing no provision made for the protection of out-settlers, and that the impending crisis is altogether pooh-poohed, I feei bound, as an independent member of this House, to come forward antl state my true and honest conviction with reference to the present state of affairs, and to the utter incapacity of those gentlemen to prevent danger on the one hand, or to meet it on the other. I would feel justified in doing so, if I stood alono on the floor of this House, not from any political motives or considerations, but from a deep sense of duty to the country. I feel it also my duty to explain to those honorable members who repose confidence in me that the present position is one of great difficulty, and that the provision made by the Government to meet ifc is lamentably deficient. It is upon these grounds that I am opposed to those honorable gentlemen, and not from any of the miserable pretexts thoy have chosen to assign for my opposition. I entertain a conviction, more especially of late, of their incapacity to meet the difficulties which are impending, and which are every day becoming moro and more serious. The Colonial troops, who had never before met with reverses, are, at this particular juncture

for want of proper guidance, called upon to retire before the enemy from post to post; and fall back to the settled districts/ Surely this is nofc a state of things that should continue. While I have no personal interest in coming prominently forward on this occasion, I feel the responsibility of the course I have taken, and shall not shrink from ifc. lam quite willing, if the occasion should arise, to do my best to meet existing difficulties, in any position which this House may assign to me. I can see no reason for doubting that there are men in this House who will be found sufficiently patriotic and able to conduct the affairs of the Colony in such a manner as to command the confidence of this House and of the country, which I stty those honorable gentlemen have utterly lost, and which I believe they will never regain. Their recent; acts alone would be sufficient to secure for them an undoubted defeat should they appeal to the people. If they make the attempt, they will find that they are held much lower in the scale of public estimation than they are prepared to admit or to appreciate. I will nofc detain the House longer by going more fully into the question, and can only repeat that, whatever my shortcomings may bo, I feel bound, in this crisis' and the present state of the Colony, to make any personal sacrifice to assist in extricating it. from its danger, if it should be the desire of the honorable members of this House to place nic in a position to do so.