TARANAKI.

New Zealander, Volume XIX, Issue 1764, 10 January 1863, Page 3

TARANAKI.

We take from the leading article of the Taranaki Neivs of January Ist instant, the following little bit of intelligence, showing the manner in which things are said to be " made pleasant" in that now very important, because very expensive, Province: — " Two of our fellow settlers, Mr. R. Greenwood, and Mr. W. Bayly, went to Auckland by the Prince Alfred, the first to discuss with the Government the propriety of giving to the expatriated people of Tataraimaka the thistle money awarded, and about the distribution of which some doubts had been suggested: the latter to moot the more important question of increasing the forthcoming instalment of compensation to ten shillings in the pound. We are very glad to hear that Mr. Greenwood's request to have the money forthwith distributed was complied with, seeing that the policy of the Government no less than Maori possession of the district at present prevents the settlers complying with the conditions upon which the money was generally directed to be paid. And we think there is all equity in so doing seeing that if they are again to be put in possession of their land the burthen of clearing the weed will be an accumulating charge upon them whenever they can again assert the right of possession." We have bestowed some attention upon the loitt article of -which the above is an extract, Avithout having been able clearly to perceive what is the precise information which it is intended to convey. We, therefore, reproduce this morceau inquiringly, as "wanting to know, you know," and not as daring to believe that the statement made relative to the distribution of the money appropriated to the destruction of thistles ha:* any foundation in fact.

It appears that a sum of £SOOO has been "awarded," we like the phraseology of the News, for the very useful work of eradicating the rich crop of Scotch Thistles (centaiirus ienedictus) which, whilst Taranaki was fighting for more land, silently took possession of the abandoned cultiva-

tions of the settlers. If the Taronaki Xeics is to be credited, " the expatriated people of Tataraimaka" have received their share of the thistle fund " without having complied with the conditions upon which the money was generally directed to be paid,"—an ingenious periphrasis which mean-, we presume, that public money has been given away for work which has not been performed. Some hundreds, perhaps thousands of pounds are now said to have been paid by the Government of the Colony to certain people at Taranaki for the very laudable purpose of preserving a large nursery fur thistle seed at Tataraimaka ! We have learned to be incredulous respecting the accounts given in the local journals of occurrences at Taranaki; and in the absence of other evidence than that now before us, we must rather believe that Mr. Greenwood has hoaxed the News, than that the "Responsible Ministers" of the Colony had deliberately squandered public money in paying men for work which certainly was not, and perhaps could not be, executed. Editors should be careful in making or insinuating charges so grave against the "advisers" of the Crown in New Zealand.