The Star. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1882. MR. BRYCE IN THE WAIKATO.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 337, 4 November 1882, Page 2

The Star. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1882. MR. BRYCE IN THE WAIKATO.

Me. Beycb has brought his negotiation's in the Waikato to a head. He has made very definite and very liberal offers to Tawhjao : in fact, ho has been even more liberal than either Sir Donald McLean or Sir George Grey, go far as we can gather the nature of the previous offers. The question which occurs to us is not so much Will Tawhiao accept them and throw open the king country, as whether he can do so. There was a time when the chiefs ruled the tribes, just as in our own history the king ruled the nation, but in these latter days a new spirit has got abroad, and it is the tribes who have taken to governing. The chiefs are followed so long as they . tread the path which is pleasant' to their followers ; but immediately they diverge from that path implicit obedience gives way to discontent and questioning. Tawkiao, as the visible head of the kingite movement, is a power ; but what position would he occupy if he were to pose before the natives as an advocate of the dissolution of kingism ? This is evidently the question that troubles Tawhiao, for we are informed that previous to the meeting on Thursday "Mr. Bryce had given Tawhiao a memorandum of the Government proposals to think over before the meeting took place, so that he should have full time for consideration. At 2 o,clock precisely Mr. Bryce came on the ground, .and Tawhiao commenced speaking in a metaphorical manner, hampered evidently by a knowledge of the Government proppsals. He said that he had striven to get nearer the Queen's people by coming to liye at Whatiwhatihoe, and going to Auckland. So figurative was the speech,' and void of, any definite' meaning, that Major Te Whebro,' M.H.R,, had to be consulted; asi/to what it implied rather than said." There is an incident .rjecQtded.in.the/ Parliamentary blue book. wMch 'indicates that this is not

the first occasion on which the king has felt the difficulty. In May last, there was a meeting at Whatiwhatihoe, at which he delivered a series of speeches on the troublesome subject, and so perplexed did his Majesty become that he frequently had recourse -.to .^ beer, barr4.io.r, rest. '.Finaliy ron 6r on 6 daypwe'are inf ormecl^ " Tawhaio awoke from his sleep nearly free from the effects of drinlc, and' made a speech 'and- closed th^'meety ing." He spoke highly of Sir Donald McLean, and' added tharif^e~meT any European, ,who speaks as Sir Donald did " he- will bear me off, and • you will be powerless to prevent my going." "Well ; Mr, Brvce, ha^ been met, and he speaks very much as' Sir Donald McLean did, so far as promises are concerned ; but Tawhaio is still in great trouble. We rather pity the old gentleman.' His common sense leads him one way, and he would very much like to be able to be. borne off, but like European public men," he has a great dread of his " constituents," who are not quitq satisfied. But though Mr. Bryce has spoken as did Sir Donald McLean, he has gone a further. He has spoken as a common-sense politician, representing the feelings of the Enropean population, sick of Maori doctoring, and anxious for progress. He has told the natives that there is not room for two governing authorities in New Zealand, that the prosperity of the colony cannot be barred by a handful of natives, and that the proposals cannot stand over for an indefinite time, but must be accepted or rejected before he leaves Alexandra. Surely the natives ought to see that the terms offered by the Government will become worse instead of better. But, will they see it ? We should, not be surprised to find Mr. Bryce taking his departure next week, -with all the offers withdrawn, but we should not therefore say that he had failed, or that the opening of that country is very far off. On the contrary, the King movement is dying out as fast as it can, many of the natives are as anxious aB Europeans to be done with it, and if Mr. Bryce this summer sent out survey parties to find a route for the railway line, he would probably meet with no opposition, and by the time the survey was completed, would be able to acquire the necessary lands. We doubt though whether he will be able to secure a formal renunciation of Tawhaio's kingly dignity, or permission to take over and administer the lands in the king's present dominions.