The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1864.

New Zealand Herald, 26 August 1864, Page 3

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1864.

HFECTEMUR AGENDO. " Give every man thine cur, but few thy voico: Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. This above all, —To thine bo true; And it must follow, as tho night tho day, Thou canst not then bo false to any man."

We are not as yet informed what steps the Government contemplate talcing with regard to the complete disarmament of that portion of the natives lat ely in rebellion at Tauranga, and elsewhere, who have surrendered themselves into our hands. Wo trust, however, that some definite course of procedure has by this time been decided on, and that with as little delay as possible action will be taken with a view to the effective carrying out of the terms of surrender. It is well to strike while the iron is hot. Assuming that so important an item as tho disarming clause in the conditions on which the parties referred to are admitted again to friendship is not intended to remain a dead letter, we are decidedly of opinion that not a day, not an hour beyond what is absolutely necessary, should be allowed to intervene before the strictest enforcement of this clause is insisted on. This would be but just and proper, alike to the natives as to ourselves, otherwise we shall be acting a most suicidal part. Wo must not forget in the moment of our trinmpli that we have not yet outlived the necessity for caution. In most instances, probably in every instance, in which the Maori has surrendered, the act has been necessitated chiefly by want and starvation. His necessity in this respect must be our opportunity, not to increase his distress but to deprive him o t the power of injuring us in the lnture —to prevent the recurrence of sudden risings on the part of a well armed semi-civilized native population, easily excited when comparative prosperity and ease of circumstances may again embolden them to forget former chastisements. Even amongst ourselves there are not wanting men willing to inflame the passions of the natives, and to fill their minds with false notions, dangerous to themselves and to us. We know of but one practical remed} r against these evils—the Maoris must not be allowed to remain generally armed. The rebels of Tauranga tendered their submission in their own figurative way, in the form of a presentation to the Queen's liepresSHtativG of four picces of stick ; one

\ f? r . e * r one for their laws, one for > their landß, land one for their arms. So say ' fi, - lnter P ret ers and we cordially accept . their explanation. We hope, however, it is ■ not intended that the matter should end It may be well enough as l'ar as the ; Maori king and his laws arc concerned that , we should be satisfied with this, perhaps not ! very inappropriate representation of their i proper personality ; and even as regards the lands, we believe, every thing considered, the type would rot bo veiy Car fetched, but' with regard to tho anna, unfortunately we ■ have had at this snnie Tauranga a but too Striking proof th.it something more real and tangible than a dry stick will be needed to represent them. We would grieve exceedingly at being a party to anything so saeriJigeous as the deliberate perpetration of an act of dramatic Vandalism. Wo have a high appreciation of tlie artistic and unique, always in their own Proper place, and even an exciting tableaux if cleverly and eil'ectively got up, has its value in our estimation. But these things are to be tolerated only in our moments of relaxation, and must not be permitted to interfere with our sober business concerns, much less to become identified in our judgment with important actions of real life. ° We fully appreciated the interesting ceremonial the other day at Te Papa, and were not slow to give it at the time, all the publicity, and importance to which we deemed it entitled. But we regarded it only as preliminary to what was yet to follow. ]f we greeted the shadow somewhat joyously, it was chiefly out of regard for the substance. ]f we hailed the typo with readiness at the time, it was because wo believe the antitype was not far to look for. Tim figurative language of the natives, and the still more figurative actions by which they expressed their submission, we look to sec followed up by a veritable and circumstantial fulfilment ot the conditions of the contract. We are rude enough and practical enough to insist upon regarding the affair as a matter of business. The Maoris, we believe, esteemed some portion at least of what; occurred on the occasion in that light. The seed potatoes promised them would, in their view, be a tangible and intelligible fact. On this side ot the question we observe his ISxcelloncy lias been laudably prompt in fulfilling his part of tho agreement, and already in this form alone nearly as large an amount in money value has been paid to these natives as would, a short time ago, have purchased the whole ot the land ceded to us in their district. This however we understand is but a tithe of what they are yet to receive. We trust whatever further is done in this way under sanction of the people's representatives will bo conducted on fixed and recognised business principles, capable of future investigation—so that while we arc liberal to the natives in their necessities we may not be itn/itxt to the colonists under their present heavy burdens. .It may be right that we should extend lielp to the natives if they are about to settle down to any industrious occupation, but, if we are honest, we have lit tle to give away. The question with us however has never been so much the giving or receiving things of pecuniary value. Our great object is the attainment and preservation ot peace in the country, knowing as we do that without it we can have no substantial prosperity. It is essential to tho accomplishment of "t his object that the natives lately in rebellion should be disarmed. If there is anything intelligible in tho terms of submission lately propounded at Tauranga, a disarming clause was certainly therein embodied. How is it being carried out? It may be proper to see to it, that the land wo have consented 1o take in that district is duly obtained and occupied by our people there' but in our humble judgment it is of far higher importance still, that the late rebels shall havebcCn positively and actually compelled to give up all their guns. Is it to be expected that this will be done by them spontaneously and voluntarily V Ought we to be satisfied with the Maoris' word of honor in such a ease? Have we learned nothing from the peace of Taranaki! We believe the people of this country are entitled to put these questions fo the Government at the present time. We have no right to ask the old settlers to go back again to their farms from which many of them have been driven within the last twelve months by armed bands of rebel natives, while these same natives arc still in possession not only of their former arms, but, in many instances, of other and improved weapons. Neither ought we to turn newlyarrived emigrants into the bush among these people, while they remain so fully armed as at present .

We liavo no doubt this subject is recefving the attention of tlie Government—but every day's delay in adopting specific measures, particularly in the case of those natives who have formally submitted themselves, is positively and gratuitously creating a diilieulty that did not previously exist. No submission should be accepted from any native, still less from any tribe or section of a tribe, save on the distinct understanding Ihat they are to give up their arms, that the Government claim the right and mean to enforce it without scruple, to search for arms wherever their concealment is suspected, and also that punishment will be indicted in every instance where deception is proved to have been attempted. The native or natives who will not subscribe to these conditions are not fit subjects for the Queen's clemency, and certainly are not entitled to seed potatoes at the expense of the colonists. In short we maintain that unless the disarming clause in the conditions of peace is thoroughly and honestly carried out as it ought to be, the ceremonial lately enacted at Tauranga will prove but a repetition of former blunders. We are slow to believe that this will be allowed, for in that event it is as certain we are again running in tho old groove of the trouble engendering sugar and jlour policy, as we were three years .ago when Sir George Grey first published his now famous "new institutions." The whole colony will watch the issue of this question with intense interest.