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Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 293, 28 August 1882, Page 2

The Star.

MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 1882. NOETH ISLAND LOAN BILL. ' ■■ »—» — - When the Government staked their existence on the passing of the above bill, they were careful not to commit themselves to the approval of any one route. Much was said by certain members in favor of particular routes, but the only man who expounded a fair and equitable principle by which the Government should bo guided, was the late Premier Sir J. Hall. He said : — " There are two or three routes proposed, and the Government have told us to-day that they propose to have a full inquiry made as to the merits of all three, and that no money will be spent until the result of that inquiry is ascertained. I hope that inquiry will go into the whole question — the length, cost, and prospects of traffic—and I hope that that line will be taken, wherever it is, which will be the best, the cheapest, the safest, and, above all, which will yield the largest amount of traffic ; because, sir, it will pay the colony better, even if it does give value to some private j properties, to adopt such a line, than ' to take a direction which will render i the line expensive to make, expensive to work, and give but little traffic. I have formed no opinion on the subject. It is not for me to do so j it is for the Government, after receiving the result j of that full inquiry which they propose j to make." Providing that this course is adopted and carried out in its integrity, without fear or favor, and without any political wire-pulling, this district has nothing to fear. From information received from several reliable sources, we have no i doubt, but that the Mokau line will be adopted; that its merits are so undeniable, as to be beyond dispute. The comparative shortness of the re- j quired link is also such as to commend it in favor of any rival route. Besides, on the inland Taupo route, the expense of maintenance on the | pummice land would be heavy and constant ; a charge, which upon this ! coast would never be incurred. As j showing the curious light in which some of these matters are regarded by the Maori members, we quote the following extract from Mr. Tawhai's ; speech :—": — " The system of borrowing moneys from England is what I call an ill-omen for the Native people of these Islands. When the first seven millions were borrowed from England, the result of that was that Maori people were victimized, men suffered and their land suffered, as it did in Waikato and at Taranaki. They were made to suffer for that loan. And i the greater portion of that money was

spent in on these wars between Natives and Europeans. And when the Vogel Government borrowed more money they expended a great part of it in the same way. When the Government of Sir George Grey were in power, they borrowed another five millions ; and this money waß also expended in connection with the disturbances on the West Coast, when "the. Natives were taken prisoners, of whom Te Whiti still remains a prisoner. - This million now proposed to be raised is to carry out works in the country that belongs to Tawhiao, and I believe he will be made to suffer for "tKis"." It would be difficult for any person to conceive so strange an error as that indulged in by Mr. Tawhai. Yet it cannot be denied that there is a substratum of truth underlying It. The loan for the railway having been once passed, the efforts to force the line throvgh Native land will be doubled, and from a Maori point of view, Tawhiao may suffer. That is to say, is imperium in imperio will be broken up ; dealings with Europeans for native lands will commence, drunkenness will increase, and the demoralization which has hitherto always ensued when the savage and civilised races have come into contact, will assuredly follow. On the other hand, Tawhai's idea that the loan would provide sinews of war to be waged against Tawhiao, is in the highest degree improbable.