A SOUTHERN .VIEW OF NORTHERN DIFFICULTIES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1063, 6 July 1869, Page 3

A SOUTHERN .VIEW OF NORTHERN DIFFICULTIES.

Mr Howartb, the n.ewly elected representative of the Taieri (Otago) district in the General Assembly, expressed the following views in his address to his constituents : — I am entirety opposed to the -policy of the present Government. This policy, as recently , announced j. consists: in vigo-. rously prosecuting the. Maori war, and raising money for this purpose by means of a loan- and further-taxation. . Already,-, tliree-aud-a- half millions, or half the debt of the Colony, has been expended.in .suppressing the rebellion,, and we arc as far ioffpeacoas ever. I shall, therefore, if elected, oppose any further loan or taxation. for war purposes; and I fully believe, if the provinces in the North Island are left to their own resources, and allowed to take the matter into their own hands; they- will soon find a way to se.ttle the native questioiv;* and if they- cannot succeed, and- are :compelled to abandon their property '"for a time, I propose that the Middle Islatid should offerthem, if they desire it, a home and employment, whereby their time andlabour would he utilised, and our money expended in reproductive works!- I have carefully considered the question of separation, aud-fchiak it our only safeguard against, the inroads, of the North Island- upon- our resources. A federation between the islands 'may exist with' advantage to both,. but' there should be no common ■■pursfe.-/ I should be prepared to make a great sa^ifice to effect this object, if it can be accomplished at the present time., Comparing Nfcw.Zealaud with. the neighboring colonies of Victoria and New South Wales,' l/ find the indebtedness is as follows ;-~s'ov every adult, New Zealand, £32; Victoria, £20; New SouthWales, £15;. ahgt jvhen it is borne in. mind that the loans of- Victoria- and New South Wales havfe. alt been expended in reproductive. works } while one half of the. New Zealand loans have been sunk in war, it is manifest that we cannot bear any further taxation, and should the present Government succeed in their policy we may expect to see every industry paralysed, and disaster and ruin brought upon the whole Colony. I shall object to any innovation on our provincial institutions, if attempted by the Stafford or any other Ministry. The Provincial Governments have done good service to the country, and they still are the best form of Government wo can have for the present. When our Municipalities and District Eoad Boards obtain greater efficiency, doubtless some inoclification will be necessary; but, -whenever that may "be, let the proposed change emanate from the Provincial Councils.

Telegraphic Achievement. — For the following notice, of a remarkable telegraphic achievement wo are indebted to an English exchange:—" Between two and three o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, 24th March, the House of Commons divided on the second reading of the Irish Church 8i11. % At six o'clock of the same morning the New. York papers, thanks to the energy of the New- York Associated Press, eanie out with' tho result of the division, with a .summary of the debate which preceded it," and with a description of the scene of excitement which followed it. This is the most rapid feat of journalism which has yet been accomplished ; and even with the largest faith in the development of mechanical science, we do not see how this feat can be greatly surpassed, even though that which men "have done, is but. an .earnest of the things that they shall do." To transmit news over 3000 miles, and t^MI i fc • V-P JP- . tyP e » . tP print it, and sell it '-ift the streets within, three hours, 1 :or,';, making, allowance for difference of time, within six hours of the time of tho event happening, leaves but little " room for' 'tlie ' inventive power of future Wheatstones or Hoes." Rewards for' Rebels' Heads. — Mr. Stafford, in a memorandum dated May 21, defends' the coridiic't of the late Government'in offering rewards for the heads of rebels as follows :— -" Earl Granville asks for information respecting an alleged offer of a reward of £1,000. for tho capture of the chief Titokowaru. • The report which has -reached the Colonial Office is exactly true, as also tho inference drawn by his Lordship, that it was implied in the offer that the reward would bo given for the body of Titokowaru alive or dead. Ministers regret if this offer has not been reported in the copious minutes of events furnished to his -Excellency ' for transmission by every , mail. If is right now to add that a similar reward on the same terms has been offered for. tho body of Te ELooti, the leader in the outrages on the East Coast. Earl "Granville suspends his judgment as to the propriety of these steps . on the ground that they are ' much at variance with the usual laws of war.' When his Lordship shall have leisure to consider the details of the acts of Titokowaru and Zooti, he will perhaps come to the conclusion that their atrocities are happily as exceptional as the course adopted with a view to their punishment. But the. offers in question are not without precedent in the history of the mutiny in India, and even of the Fenian outrages within the heart of the United Kingdom. Every atrocity, of tho Sepoy rebellion has been paralleled and outdone in the raids, burnings, violations,' tortures, murders, and cannibalism of the last nine months in New Zealand, and with, less provocation or excuse. " Britain?). Ah'&bica^— Tho N. Z. Herald says :r— " Wo ha,v^ quite niade.up our minds that the British Government have finally determined not to aid us; arid that if we expect external^id to. suppress, the-rebel-lion, we must goto our cousins in America and ask them,' to'-'como over and help us, and accept us.a. part of the American dominions. ... Stringent Measures. — Tho N. .Z. Herald) in advocating stringent measures with the rebel natives, says :-— We have a good precedent to. quote and follow — that of the mother country as regards the Sepoy rebellion ' r and we cannot do better than follow it. Certainly the Englishmen and Englishwomen murdered by ( the Maoris are only ordinaiy British subjects — mero colonists.— > while those who were slain in India were either civil or military officials of the British Government. Their lives were justly av.enged by a righteous Retribution, and we should value the lives cf our settlers just as highly as the British Government valued the lives of its officials, in. India, and exact a similar rotribution on tho Maoris as- that which the Sepoys were made to suffer. Then the land will have peace. Slit David Munro.— We regret to hear a rumor to the effect that Sir David Munro is likely to resign his office of Speaker of. the House of Representatives. During his occupancy of the chair, he has deservedly gained the i'espeot of the Houso by his dignified conduct and intimate acquaintance with Parliamentary procedure. Very rarely indeed does any ruling of his fail to give" satisfaction to the House. We are soi'ry to learn of his intended resignation, on tho ground of the loss which the House will sustain by his retirement from a position which he is eminently qualified to fill, and we are still more sorry to learn that ill-health is the cause assigned. — Independent, : Juhe 22. [It "has. since been authoritatively stated that the rumour was entirely without foundation. J