The Star. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, MAY 2, 1892.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 3113, 2 May 1892, Page 2

The Star. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, MAY 2, 1892.

NATIVES AND THEIR OBLIGATIONS.

Ma. C adman talks to the natives with more " Bnap " than any other Minister since the time of Mr. Bryce. There is, or was lately, we have not heard whether it has come to an end, a meeting of the natives at historic "Waitangi. At this the rights of the natives have been paraded, their wrongs bemoaned, and the treaty of Waitangi once again brought out and pointed to as the embodiment of native claims and dues. Mr. Cadman, however, apparently showed that, while the Europeans would continue to follow the lines of fair play and justice laid down in that native bill of rights, the spirit is more than the letter. The letter, indeed, he pointed out, has gone. As to the Treaty ofWaitangi, he said that it was broken years ago by both parties — by the Parliament in allowing the preemptive right to purchase land to be withdrawn; and by the Maoris in selling land outside the Crown. The breach was now so wid^ that he did not believe anything cou\d mend it. He reminded* the Maori* that the Crown was the loser, and not they, \

by the breach of tie breaths under its provisions the Crdifn could fix the price o£ land . at 5s ,which tliey might think v^orth 15s. If the natives demand justeftjinider their treaties with the colonists, on the other hand it is to be expected that natives will have regard to colonists' grievances. Mn., €actinan B aid: — "If they would j&botish^ all minor considerations, and~aecep{T6ne law for both races, he would do all ho could to assist in framing statutes^ mutually beneficial. He would, however, inform them that if they took advantage o£ the rights of one law. they would have to accept the responsibility and pay the takes incidental thereto. He knew they were opposed to taxation, but taxes were imposed on Europeans whose protection by law was no greater than that extended to the Maoris, and the property of the one was held no more sacred than that of the other. He could not approve of any system of taxation which imposed heavy burdens on the pakeha and allowed the Maori to escape altogether." further, he went on to say: "The local bodies were now at their wits' end to find money to make roads, which benefited the Maoris with others, and they were determined Dot to allow the natives to escape payment any longer, and they were quite right. Instead of resisting the operation of the law, Maoris should be graieful for having been allowed to escape payment so long." According to European notions this is a plain honest speech, putting fairly before natives a statement of European grievances, and it voices the strong feeling of colonists, especially of those who reside in tbe nor ( th, and are being unjustly treated by the present operation oil the law as regards the two races. In this district the evil is preßSHt to a., considerable extent, but it is more keenly felt further north where the land is poorer and tbe settlers are less able to bear the strain of roail-making. The whole subject is beßet by difficulties, but the necessities of the case demand a solution of the difficulties.