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New Zealander, Volume XVII, Issue 1570, 4 May 1861, Page 5

[From the New Zealander, May I.] As becomes a body so respectable and so powerful, and one which influences opinion so largely in certain circles, —the Church Missionary Society has its “organ.” The title of this organ is Misionary Intelligencer , It cliaheed that a recent number of this serial, that for the mouth of January last, fell into our hands, and, attracted by the title of a long article “ Maori Now Zealand,” wo set ourselves down to learn the views entertained by the leaders of

s the Church Missionary Society in England, e w ith regard to the “ Native Question,” or the J “ Taranaki Question,” or other euphemism f by which the Native insurrection at Taranaki 3 might be designated. We have found an essay which, if it can be said to have any deterJ minato object, is meant to discourage emij gratiou from Great Britain to the North 3 Island of New Zealand, and more especially • to this Province of Auckland. Our readers > shall judge by the following extract: — ■ In a previous paper we dealt with Colonial New Zealand. We stated, that in 1858 the colonial population | amounted to 59,234, and that this small section of . population, not larger than that of a second-rate Eng- ' ‘ish town, had placed at its disposal not less than forty five millions of acres, purchased from the Maori proprietors, at rates varying from one farthing to sixpence an acre. Daring the year 1859 there occurred a very considerable increase of immigrants : the number of new arrivals for that year presenting the large total of 12,180, “viz. 7428 males and 4752 females ; an augmentation, the magnitude of which becomes evident when it is shown centesimally, the increase upon every 100 of the gross population having amounted to 20.54; on taking the comparative numbers of the sexes separately, to 22.10 on the male, and 18.50 on the female population respectively.” Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago have been the chief points of attraction, and received the largest dividends. The peculiar advantages of the two latter settlements, amongst other points, in the absence of a native tenure, sufficiently accounts for this. In the province of Auckland the desirableness of being located in the vicinity of the capital is, with many, a chief ground of preference. But something also must be attributed to the advertisements put forth on behalf of that province in the “ New Zealand Examiner,” offering “ Free grants of farms of forty acres and upwards to every suitable emigrant, male or female, proceeding to that settlement.” “ Capitalists, farmers, agricultural labourers, mechanics, servants (male and female), are therefore informed, that, on paying their own passages, or the passages of their families or others, to Auckland, they may, on arrival, receive land orders for free grants of land, viz., forty acres for each person aged eighteen years and upwards, and twenty acres for each child aged five years and under eighteen.’’ We observe a - difference between the inducements offered to emigrants by Auckland, when compared with Otago and Canterbury. The two latter settlements want population, even more than Auckland. They offer, therefore, “ Assisted passages” to shepherds, ploughmen, labourers, carpenters, masons, or female domestic servants ; that is, the Provincial Governments pay a part of the passage money, equal to the sum paid by the emigrant: half the passage-money, therefore, is all that is required of him ; and even this, if the emigrant be unable to pay it, the Government will advance, as a loan, upon the promises of repayment in the colony. The difference in the mode of action is obvious: Auckland offers land and no money ; the southern settlements offer pecuniary aid to reach the colony, but make no promise of free grants of land ; they aid the moneyless emigrant to reach the island, but on his arrival they throw him for support on his own labour. Auckland offers land but no money. The colonists of that province have published to the world, in heartrending terras, the inconveniencies to which they are subjected in consequence of the insufficiency of land. 1 n May of last year we found them thus writing to the Colonial Secretary:—“ How are our increasing stock to be fed? Where is the land to produce wheat and other necessaries for our present population? During this year, many of our stockholders have been compelled to feed their sheep and cattle on potatoes. Two months after harvest the whole of the wheat grown by the settlers of this Province was consumed. In three months there will be an increase of 40,000 lambs. Some of the flockholders have not allowed the rams to run with their young ewes, because they have not sufficient food for their increase. Many of our cattle are killed at two years old, when they could, with considerably increased profit, be grazed another year, if there was a sufficient supply of grass. And, further, no flockmasters within this Province have attempted a flock of wethers ; they have been compelled to part with this source of profit to the butcher, before the sheep were two years old, to make room for their coming increase.” And then, after this preamble, comes the great point intended to be urged upon the authorities—“ The land hitherto acquired from the natives is insufficient in grants, indifferent in quality, and quite inadequate to the increasing wants of the public.” And yet, with all this extreme deficiency of land, so calamitously affecting alike pastoral and agricultural pursuits, the provincial authorities offer free grants of land to all emigrants, male and female ; so that a man and his wife, with six children, three of them above, and the others under eighteen years of age, are assured, on arriving at Auckland, ot having placed at their disposal 240 acres of land. If, during a year, one-third of the 12,000 immigrants of 1859 should select Auckland, one-half above eighteen, and of the moiety, one-half above five years, the authorities would be pledged to free grants of land to the amount of 100,000 acres ; and, if the same rates of increase should be sustained for six years, to upwards of half a million of acres; and this at a time when, if we are to believe the statements made, the deficiency of land, and the consequent disadvantages of the colonists are such that, in order to obtain more, the Government is strenuously urged to an abandonment of the system under which native land purchases have hitherto been made to so large an extent, and with so much quietude, and the adoption of a new policy, by which land might be acquired more rapidly, and at less cost. Now to the acquisition of more land, so sadly needed, there exists a double difficulty, the unwillingness of the natives to sell, of which we shall speak presently more fully, and, besides this, the inabilty of the colonists to buy. This they very naively admit in a letter to the Duke of Newcastle —“ In reference to the pecuniary difficulty, namely, that of obtaining money wherewith to extinguish the native title, after the £IBO,OOO borrowed for that purpose shall have been expended, which wc are informed by the despatch, ‘ is one which it is in the power of the local legislature to provide against,’ we have only to observe, that many of the subscribers to this letter are members either of the Assembly, or of the Provincial Council, and that we arc unable to perceive how the legislature will be enabled, out of the ordinary revenue of the colony, not only to make provision for meeting liabilities already incurred, but also to furnish the requisite sums for continuing the present system. No one acquainted with the financial position of the colony can entertain any such expectation.”* Thus Auckland appears to be doubly impoverished from want of land—and of the money to buy the land. Yet it would seem that there is more land to spare than money, as, in order to induce immigration, she offers, not the latter, hut the former. What element of prosperity docs she expect to acquire by this artificially-induced immigration—money or labour? Experienced men do not hesitate to say it will yield neither one or other. The emigrants who go forth from the home country under such inducements, as a class, will be neither pecuniarily nor industrially independent. The prospect of so many free acres of land will serve as a glittering bribe in the eyes of families, who, not having succeeded at home, do not know what to do with themselves. Their friends are anxious to get rid of them. By some means or other, as much money is scraped together as suffices to pay for the passage. They arrive in New Zealand with scarcely a penny left, and find themselves in possession of free land without the means of cultivating it. The free farm is In the wildness of nature. The bush has to be cleared away; the ground subdued to the use of man; the necessaries of life are high; the settler, even if he has brought with him industrial habits, gets discouraged, for he finds he has the land, and no capital to work it. His little child of five years of age owns twenty acres of land; they must lie waste until the little fellow grows big enough to work it himself, for the father has more than enough to do with the eighty acres which belong to himself and his wife. Perhaps he finds himself situated, and the communication with Auckland difficult; and ns his day-dream fades away, he becomes restless and discontented. He would do better, he thinks, if he was elsewhere, and his mind fixes itself on this spot or that spot, where he would wish to be, but they aie in the possession of the native. Thus the native comes to be regarded as in his way, and he wishes him out of the way; for he is not a white man, an Englishman, and why should these “ niggers” divide with him the land? Is he not of the superior race, and must not the inferior race give way before it? Of what Ua'e, then, are laws which recognise the rights of natives ? Would they hot far better be repealed, and leave the question of the land to be settled between the native and himself after the old colonial fashion ? for, after all, if tho native should resist the attempt to oust him Irom his land, and a conflict ensue, it would pnly.be to expedite the procedure of that law of extermination, which, sooner or later, must close the existence of the Maori race. Such, wc fear, are not unfreqnenUy the thoughts which suggest themselves. Auckland, it appears, wants both land and money. Immigrants of substance would help to relieve her of these difficulties. They would bring money, and wc doubt noti that if the Maori can get the money, he will be sure, after a time, to sell the land. But the immigration she is inducing is a pauper immigration, which brings no money, and makes no provision for the lawful, acquisition of more land. What, then, can he the object of inducing the

arrival of such a population ? - Is'it th it, as numbers increase, Auckland may get land wi hont money ? We may be quite certain of it, that feeling which has manifested itself of late amopgst the native tribes has not arisen without a cause, The kingmovement and land-selling league in their commencement, were simple measures of defence.* , They were the manifestations of a strong convictipn which had possessed itself of the native mind, thst if, as a nation they were to bo preserved, they must cling together for mutual protection. They wete like the precautionary measures of the mariner, when ho takes in sail, and sends down his topgallant mast, because ho secs the storm coming. It is our duty to search into the complicated tissue of colonial events, in order to discover, if possible the cause of this alarm. The Maories would never have set up a king had they felt that they were so secure under the shadow of Victoria as to be shielded from unjust aggression. But if they have had reason to think that they, the original proprietors of the land, whose rights had been guaranteed by national compact and royal pledge, were regarded as intruders, to be thrust out as soon and with as little ceremony as possible, it is not surprising that they have proceeded to adopt such measures as they conceived might help them in this emergency. The following extract from an Auckland newspaper, the “Southern Cross,” will confirm the truth of the foregoing observations—- “ The forty-acre dodge still continues to work, and probably will only bo thoroughly exploded by the news of the rvar at home. The results of the forced immigration, which has been going on so long, arc evident to all: discontent, idleness, and want. The forty-aero victim of twelve months date is, in many instances, as little naturalized as when he first set foot on shore; whilst those who remember the immigrants of former days—when men came out, not at the instance of paid agents, nor bribed by the promise of imaginary farms —will recollect how speedily they were absorbed into the mass, and how difficult it soon was to distinguish them from older settlers. . . .

“ One natural result of the forty-acre system is beginning to develop itself. People arc leaving tho country within a very short time of their arrival here. Now of these, such as have made a selection of land, leave behind them forty acres which nobody can touch, sell, or do anything with, for five years. If the exodus goes on much longer, we shall soon have in this province the novel sight of a large quantity of the soil belonging nominally to absentees, who have no power to do anything with it, neither to sell it nor.to lease it —for a four or-five years’ occupation of forty acres, whatever agents may say in England, would hardly, we think, mako a man’s fortune —and tho land itself taken out of tho market, where it might have been bought by real settlers, who knew what to do with it. The province is beginning already to feel the bad effects of forgetting one of the first principles of political economy, namely, that attempting to force any branch of industry, instead of leaving it to its natural development, is ultimately ruinous to all concerned. An attempt, by moans of provincial agents and lectures, and a delusive bribe, to convert everybody in England, who was foolish enough to listen, into farmers, was not tho way to cover this province with flourishing farms; but will, we fear, on the contrary, soon have the effect of creating useless wastes, where productive farms might have been.

“ The province of Auckland, from its land system, which offers no inducement to capitalists either from England or the neighbouring colonies to settle here, is fast falling behind its sister provinces in the race of improvement, and will soon present the pitiable spectacle of a British colony obliged to import, not only articles of manufacture, but actually agricultural produce. How everything is to be paid for, when the grand day for balancing accounts arrives, is a problem which it is as well, perhaps, not to be too curious about: but the future is gloomy, and unless a most advantageous peace throws open to us native land", and gives enterprise a field to work in, the province will never be able to hold its own. Should the native war extend, and onr out-settlers once lose confidence, and nothing subsequently occur to restore it, wc shall be reduced as a community to do, what many, as private individuals—most forty-acre men of course included—are already doing, namely, expend our capital on the very means of existence.” ****** There is a charge of long standing against some at least of the earlier Missionaries of the Parent Society in New Zealand, that they were opposed to the European Colonization of the country. This charge has been denied rather than disproved, and from time to time, by incidents such as the labours of the Rev. Mr. Grace oucc afforded, and by writings such as that now before us, —sceptics have been confirmed in the opinion that the Missionary eye looks ascant upon advancing Colonization and that in the hustling progress of the white settler is heard only a mournful warning of the coming fate of the aboriginal native. It is indeed not easy to understand that any other motive than the desire to arrest at any cost the flow of immigration into this Province can have inspired the article of which wo complain, and we should be wanting in our duty to the public, if wo failed to denounce that portion of it which relates to the operations of the Waste Land Regulations in this Province, as being dishonest, untruthful, and mischievous in the very lust degree. To those on the spot who desire evidence of what immigration has done for Auckland within the last feAv years, avc simply say, look around. But it chances also that there is ready to our hand at this moment a complete ansAver to the Avritcr in the Church Missionary Intelligencer , and to all the like of him, from a gentleman whose long experience in the business of Colonization entitles his opinions to respectful attention, and Avho details that Avhich he has seen. Premising that Murihiku is situate at the extremity of the Southern Island, avc give the folloAving extract from the “ Southern Ncavs” of the 13th April.

Mr. Dillon Bell, M.G. A. for Wallace met the constituency on Monday evening at the Court-house of this town. There were present nearly 200 persons, of whom many were country settlers, and a large number were unable to gain admittance. On entering the Court Mr. Bell was loudly cheered. On the motion of Mr. John Blacklook, Mr. McNab of Knapdale, took the chair. Mr. Bell said that he stood at last among the settlers of Murihiku, to return them his cordial thanks for the greatest honour that had been paid yet to any one since the Constitution Act came into operation, in having twice returned him to the Assembly without even knowing him personally. For more than twenty years he had been constantly engaged in public matters in the Colony, and ho could assure them that he valued more than anything else the spontaneous effusion of their confidence that the constituency of Wallace, which now numbered (including new claims sent in last month) upwards of 350 electors, had placed in him There was one subject so vitally

affecting the future welfare of this Province, that he ■would comply with the general request and tell them what his own opinions were, —he alluded to the mode in which the the Waste Lands should be settled (hear). It was quite unnecessary for him to urge that the question of questions with them must be, —bow to bring people into the Province? and it was equally clear that the fund on which, whether directly or indirectly, every colony relied for the introduction of poople,was simply the Waste Lands of the Crown. In order that they should understand clearly what he would presently say to them, it would be as well to refer briefly to the plans under which the waste lands were disposed of in the several provinces of New Zealand.—[Mr. Bell here explained the principal points in the various land regulations now in force, and proceeded.]— For his own part ho had become convinced that the plan now in force in the Province of Auckland was one of the best that had been attempted, and he thought it might be introduced hero with a remarkable prospect of success. Under that system the Province of Auckland offered free grants of 40 acres to every adult immigrant from the United Kingdom or other parts of Europe, and from the United States and British American colonics, who should pay their own passage to Auckland: providing at the same time for grants of 20 acres to the children of such immigrants and for the sale of land at the uniform price of 10s. an acre to all comers. The plan went' under the name of the “ Whitaker Land Regulations,” (having been originally propounded by the present Attorney-General,) but practically brought into operation by the present Superintendent of Auckland, Mr. Williamson; under it thousands of people had voluntarily come into the Province, and successfully established themselves in their new homes; and it the Maori war had not broken out and given a temporary check to the immigration, there would in a very short time have been, not 26,000 people in that Province, but nearer 40,000—50 rapidly were the people coming out (hear, hear). Now the danger that had always been predicted as certain from the introduction

of this system, (and at one time believed by himself to exist,) was chiefly that the offer of free grants of land would bring out numbers of people without any means to occupy the land, while the influx of capital to employ them would be altogether checked; so that nothing but ruin would ensue. No>v at Auckland the result had been not ruin, but on the contrary a very remarkable success Undoubtedly much discouragement and disappointment occurred to many persons who availed themselves of the system although they were utterly unfit for making good colonists; but he could assure the meeting, from his own experience and knowledge, that on the whole the system had worked eminently well. It was no wonder that some disappointment had occurred. Most of the best land in the Province of Auckland was still in the hands of the Maoris: the General Government had great obstacles to contend with in acquiring scattered districts of small extent from the natives; and the Provincial Government had numerous difficulties before them, in the fact that the districts so acquired contained generally poor land, hard of access from Auckland,by land, more or less hilly in character, so making the laying out of roads a’most tedious and expensive work. There was nowhere a great tract of level fertile land: and if there had not been such excellent water communication everywhere, the plan could not have been carried out. In spite of all these difficulties, however, the Auckland Government persevered; and now in several parts of the Province flourishing settlements had sprung into existence, and great numbers of people were established in comfort and independence, and had made happy homes for themselves and their children. Tints far with regard to the immigrants. But another result had occurred unexpected even by the most sanguine advocates of the plan. It was found that these immigrants, instead of being paupers, as had been predicted, brought out with them a very large amount of capital. The capital of each was perhaps small, but when all came to be added together, the total was surprisingly large, —and the man who perhaps was the most astonished was the Manager of the Bank, who found that every ship brought out thousands and thousands of pounds in small sums which wore immediately deposited with him. ' This capital, following its natural law. of course immediately sought investment: the value of land already in the hands of the settlers rose; the Customs’ revenue jumped up at once; a larger demand necessitated a wider supply, and trade grew rapidly; a larger choice of goods of a more varied quality enabled every one to lay out his money to better advantage; the tradesman, selling more at a time, could afford to take a less profit on each article, and prices became lower accordingly; in tho midst of a great demand in all directions for building material, timber fell in price, for the mills were doubled in power, and more capital applied to bringing the logs to the saw—so that the best heart-of-kauri could be got on the Wharf at from 10s. to 12s. the hundred; and Auckland became the cheapest place to live at of all the Provinces (cheers). These were some of the advantages which had been derived in that Province from its system of dealing •with its waste lands; and this in the face of very great difficulties and drawbacks-benefits participated in as much by the old settlers as by the new comers. In fact, these advantages were after all the natural results of carrying out the one thing needful in a colony, namely the bringing people to it; the land was made to do its work directly instead of indirectly: instead of selling the land first and then sending the money home to England to bring out the people, they made one transaction of it: they made the land itself bring out tho people at once (bear, hear). Now, (continued tho hon. speaker,) now, if in a Province where so many difficulties existed, this system had been successful, why should! it not succeed here in Murihiku, where there was level land, fertile land, and bush land without stint? Why should not the plan be tried here of bringing out thousands of people, to give value to land which was worthless without them (hear, and cheers)? Let the electors, however, not mistake him: there was no power in the new Provincial Council to inaugurate such a system themselves; and certainly the General Assembly would never impose it upon them lie had stated his own views to induce them carefully to investigate the subject for themselves; and if they determined that it would be wise to try the system, they could apply to the Assembly for power to bring it into operation in this Province (cheers). He would be ready, if they so determined, to bring in a Bill enabling the Governor, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent and Provincial Council, to proclaim within the New Province those clauses of the Auckland Land Kegulations which related to the system of Free Grants (cheers).

Wo recommend the study of this address to the writer of “Maori New Zealand”; the evidence is that of an impartial witness. The Church Missionary Intelligencer is a highly “ respectable” serial, it has doubtless a wide circulation, and whatever it may choose to assert will be received us oracular by thousands. It has given currency to a series of the most remarkable untruths with respect to the immigration to Auckland, and to the condition of the immigrants ; it will not, wo hope, be too much to expect that the retractation shall be as public as the wrong.

It may be pleaded that the article of the Southern Cross, a local journal, was itself sufficient lo mislead. The connexions, the person, and the objects of the writer of that article were perfectly well known here, —were perfectly well known perhaps also to the writer in the Church Church Missionary Intelligencer, who indeed distorts facts with an ingenuity.and a boldness highly “colonial.” We deeply regret the publication of such a paper as that which is now before us. If the preservation of the Native people is only to be effected by arresting European settlement, the race is doomed; Mrs. Partington with her mop and pattens, could no more keep out the Atlantic than can the Church Missionary Intelligencer or the Southern Cross keep the Hood of immigration from spreading over this land. The immediate effect of such writings is to scare away the best class of immigrants and, rightly or wrongly, to place the Church Missionaries in a position of apparent antagonism to the people of their own race. We do not believe in this policy of isolation ; the hope for the preservation of the Maori race rests, admittedly, upon the possibility of social amalgamation with our own. The pressure of European population, under judicious and careful management, may expedite that process ; but, whatever may be the result that pressure is inevitable. Wise men accepting the “ inexorable logic of facts,” will rather apply themselves to preparation for the coming change, than waste their energies in striving against that which they can neither resist nor alter.