NEW ZEALAND WAR AND COLONIAL MILITARY EXPENSES.

New Zealander, Volume XVII, Issue 1587, 3 July 1861, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND WAR AND COLONIAL MILITARY EXPENSES.

[From the “ Scotsman,” April ll,] The Gore, Eastbourne, Sussex, April 4, 18(11. Sir,—l am induced tonsk the favour of room for a few remarks in your next issue, knowing you have on many occasions written most correctly upon the affairs of the Colony of New Zealand. The blue book relative to the late disturbances in New Zealand having just been published, I presume Sir John Trelawney will after Easter resume his notice of motion so often placed on the papers in the House of Commons. The blue book will speak for itself as to the rightfulness of the war. I will, therefore, proceed at once to consider who ought to be burdened with its expenses. On tire 12th March, Mr. Addcrley asked the Under Secretary for the Colonies, “ whether any arrangement had been made with the New Zealand Government regarding the expenses of the war.” Mr. Fortescue replied ” that the Duke of Newcastle had taken an opportunity of conveying to the Governor of New Zealand lus repudiation of the idea that the whole expenses of the war were to fall upon the Imperial Government. He had instructed the Governor to refuse to issue from the Commissariat chest any eontribntioas for the expenses of colonial forces, except un conditions of future payment by the Colonial Government.” In a despatch from Governor Browne to the Duke of Newcastle, dated September 2 f J, 1800, the Governor says “ that whatever monies may he advanced from the commissariat chest, shall he left tor future adjustment between the Colony and mother country, according to the circumstances of the particular case which has arisen.” The above despatch from Governor Browne was answered by the Duke, January 26, 1861, in rather an angry tone (see blue wok, page 271) :—“You inform me, however, that the question is left for future adjustment between the mother country and the colony, which implies that the colonists arc at liberty to dispute it, and from the inadmissible principle laid down or indicated in Mr. Richmond’s memorandum of July 10th, and Mr Gisborne’s of the i'Jth June, it is obviously to he expected that they will do so. I must express my regret that you assented to these views. It is quite true that you were authorised to direct advances from me Commissariat Chest ; but in exercising that discretion it was, I think, your duty not only to have avoided any pledge on the part of Her Majesty’s Government that the money advanced should not he reclaimed, but to secure that, it reclaimed, it should be repaid by the Colony,” &c. Then the Duke goes on to forbid the advance of any more money, unless the colonists guarantee the repayment of it if required. j»hy, Sir, the whole expenses ot the war up to last auuary have been decided upon, as to who is to pay y T by Her Majesty’s representative in New ycaland, and very properly so. The memorandum the ii mf ro^‘rs .to <jt Mr. llichmond’s is the following : ,^ c Militia and Volunteers are called upon to take e held, in obedience to His Excellency’s summons, or the suppression of rebellion on the part of the natives, the sole direction of the policy of he Colonial Government in its relations with the natives, and the consequent responsibility for the issue °.that policy in warlike operations, confessedly rests v!v acting under the directions of Her majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonics, the colony a l 'evv Zealand being for the purpose a Crown colony q com pletely as before the establishment of Ministerial overnment. It seems a necessary inference from the Ptenases that the expenses of maintaining in the field colonial force on an occasion like the present stand pou the same footing as the expenses of the regular oops with which that force is acting. The Colonial therefore, respectfully submits that the |j oll y 13 entitled to the ultimate refund of its advances Ex if Government, and advises that his e “ c . v should, on behalf of the colony, claim such sth M r ‘ Adtlerle J r stated in the House on the Gov 1 . Ure ** vcn novv t' ie colonists accuse the Home (i mraeut of causing the war in the colony !” So "'itlmh ni ° St ft3surcdl >’- p ho colonists arc not at war native ° nadves » neither are or ever have been. The war -S T 0110t at war ' vdt * l t^ie settlers. The present 1 e^Veen die Government and the natives, and Iq ", <urr ! cd ° n lor Her Majesty’s supremacy over the v ernmm? ew Zealand, is it just or fair for the Go- > a° c ? ta bl*Bh 11 colony at the other end of the ,Sa_ XOl j ' vdlcu it is partially settled by the Anglobarbarous^’!° re^ Use t0 g rant them security against a the N cw y f setni-“evangelised” savages ? Had nagement c ,ni Legislature been allowed the ma»ould iu, u . i a '| 1C native affairs in the colony, no war petitioned . Cavo T be cu pcnding. Wo have repeatedly manage the , „r®P°rial Government to be allowed to ha' aamrs °i the natives ourselves, and our tonal Ri.;hl a n r ,f peatcd ly been refused. The ToiriZealand r • which P iLSS ed both Houses ot the her R'slature in 18j8. was sent homo for „.i ~-S a PP r °val, but was disallowed at the Carnarvon. It was far more

beneficial for the natives than the colonists. It gave the Governor power to issue certificates of title to natives for their land, and these certificates might be made transferable or not under certain conditions ; crown grants, which the natives arc so wishful to obtain, might be given to natives ; and entails created for their benefit—and portions allowed to be sold to Europeans—they paying the Government 10s. per acre in addition to what might be given to the natives. Lord Carnarvon, in replying to Governor Browne relative to the Territorial Rights Bill, in his despatch. May, 1859, states : —“ The Imperial Government will not surrender the control over the native affairs to the colonists. Whilst Her Majesty’s Government feel themselves constrained to justify to parliament the large expense which every year is incurred for the maintenance of a military force in New Zealand for the defence of the colony, and for the better control and regulation of the native race, they must retain in their bands the administration of those nfiairs which at any moment may involve the employment of those troops, and the consequences ofan expensive conflict. So long as the colony for this purpose enjoys the advantage of military and naval protection, Her Majesty’s Government cannot consent to yield a pomt which, in their opinion, is so Intimately connected with tlie security of the colony, the justice duo to native claims, and the issue of ’peace or war itself.” This despatch must confirm in every reader’s mind an impression that so long as the Imperial Government hold the whole and sole control of the native affairs in their hands, they do at the same time hold themselves responsible for all and every naval and military expense in the present New Zealand war. Governor Browne was compelled to take the steps he did to enable him to support and uphold Her Majesty’s sovereignty in the colony. But whether Governor Browne was right or wrong it docs not in any way affect the colonists regarding the expenses of the war. By the extracts from the despatches above quoted alone we arc held irresponsible for any war expenses. How unfair would it be to attempt to tax the poor New Plymouth settlers for their portion of the expenses of the war after their having lost near upon a quarter of a million’s worth of property, much of it destroyed and taking away within gun-shot of the military, the settlers not being allowed by the military at the time to save what they could have saved. If the Imperial Government did not, when they appended New Zealand to the Crown, intend to protect the settlers, why did they form the colony, and certainly not as Bishop Selwyn states, “for a native preserve ?” Had England not taken possession of New Zealand at the time she did, in the course of n very few weeks after it. would have been appended to the French empire. 1 therefore do not sec why the colonists should lie now injured merely because the Imperial Government took possession of these islands before they otherwise had intended for the sake of preventing the French from obtaining a footing there. After a twenty years’ residence in the colony. I think the Imperial Government are now hound, not only to pay the whole expenses of the war, brought about for the upholding of her Majesty’s sovereignty in the colony, hut that they are also bound to pay the settlers at New Plymouth the full amount of their losses, am! the monies, whatever may be their amount, advanced to the colony, in consequence of the war, from the Commissariat chest, as referred to in Mr. C. W. Richmond’s memorandum, enclosed in Governor Browne’s despatch September 29, 180®, to the Duke of Newcastle ; and also, that the Imperial Government should take upon itself the whole burden and responsibility of th« bill passed last session in New Zealand in the Houses of Legislature for raising £150,000 exprcssily for war purposes. Then place the colony in a peaceable condition, (as we would much sooner he at peace with the natives than have a small army in the colony to protect ns), and give ns the whole and sole control of the native affairs. Wc shall then, in a very few years, require no military force, or if wc do, wc shall, by good Government, he able and willing to pay any fair and just demand that may he made for their services At present, wc arc the infant colony of the Crown, though a most rising one. and cannot afford either to pay a just or unjust demand for military protection, and to attempt to saddle the colony with so un just a burden would he most cruel. Trusting that New Zealand may he fairly treated in the forthcoming debate in the House, which I do not doubt, provided hon. members make themselves thoroughly acquainted with the real condition of the colony and the colonists under present circumstances, I am, &e. Walter Buddie, Late member House of Representatives, New Zealand.