The New zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1866.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 899, 1 October 1866, Page 4

The New zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1866.

BPECTEMUK AGENDO. " Give every man thino ear, bat few thy voice : Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. This above all, —To thine own self be true And it must rollow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then bo false to any man."

Oub distance from the seat of Government, and the fact that, while the Middle Island, from one end to the other, enjoys the advantage of an electric telegraph, such a means of communication is, as yet, denied to tho provinces of tlio Northern Island, render it impossible for us to present our home readers with the actual state of the political position of the colony at the time of tho mail's departure. Important discussions during the past week, of the results of which wo of course know nothing, have taken place. The principle of raising money by stamp duties has been confirmed by tho Assembly, but as yet we know nothing of the form such duties may take after passing through the alembic of committee: nor can we say as yet what may be the final resolution arrived at by tho Governor and tho Ministry with respect to tho one regiment, whether it shall be retained in the country—without, of course, placing an additional sixpence on the estimates for native purposes, as bargained for by Mr. Cardwell—or, if retained, where it shall bo located. A strong feeling exists throughout the colony that the sooner wo see the last of the regiments the better will it be for us and tor the natives. There is little doubt but the Queen's colours are with the latter, the irrilamcnta malorum, the causes of war and of the continuance of ill feeling towards the European race ; while with us their presence* m the colony continues that system of double government of which North and ! o? 1^ 6 I com P lain - Doubtless, it was Mr. Stafford s reply in the House to the questions concerning the regiment which has raised the present bitter Opposition of Canterbury and Otago members against him. His answer was not an ingenuous one, and aft'ected even tho vote on stamp duties, which, though conclusive enough, would have been even stronger in his favor but for this. In 18G3 tho colony committed an egregious blunder — now generally acknowledged—in accepting the management of Native affairs before the imperial war has been brought to an end. But having done so, we had to make the beatot the situation, and a double govern- 1

mejit and divided responsibility, were the woi-sfc evils of all. It cost us then the Seat ot government, and now, how there can be anything but divided responsibility, with Imperial troops in the country, we are utterly unable to understand. With Mr. Stafford, we could wish to retain a regiment, but pounded ° 7er cl^emma J usfc pro-

As to Taupo, strategically, as a place for' the location of this regiment, we cannot understand the object. We have always, in alluding to this proposed location, objected to it, despite the reiterated assertions to the contrary made by a cotemporary; for the reference made to it in our issue of the 15th ot September is made not by us, but by the writer of the letter, an extract of which appears man artiole headed "Auckland's Prospects as likely to irritate the natives, and fan afresh the embers of rebellion. According to the map, looking at tho course ot the rivers, it seems a good position, but the rivers are not navigable. They are merely pen and ink rivers, and about as useful as our paper Constitution. ~We must not, too, forget the pumicestone desert between Taupo and waikato. Located at Taupo, the regiment, we believe, would practically belong rather to the South than to the North, and while it might partially ovorawe the natives on the East Coast, would leave the bulk of the confiscated lands unprotected. Had Ngaruawahia been chosen as the location for the regiment we could have understood the value of the position in a strategical point of view, as well as an economical one as regards the commissariat transport. It is more than probable that the difficulty in question will be solved in quite another manner, now that the Derby Ministry is in power. Mr. Adderley —the " Dear Adderley" of Mr. FitzGerald-— is Under-Secretary for the Colonies, and is not unlikely to settle all points of difference by calling the regiment home. Lord Carnarvon, too, the present Secretary of State for the Colonies, it was, who ordered Sir George Grey home from the Cape, but whose order was cancelled by the fall of his Government and the advent of Lord John Russell to power, who retained Sir George Grey in his appointment as Governor of that colony.

"Wo are happy to be able to state that Auckland is steadily emerging from the commercial depression which has more or less affected the whole of the Australasian colonies, and all the provinces of New Zealand* There has been a great exodus from the town to the country, and thousands of acres helo. unused by persons;engaged in business in Auckland have been settled upon during the past twelve months. In consequence of this movement, there is in this province at the present moment a larger breadth of land under cultivation than was ever seen before, more especially in the Northern settlements, in some of which, said an Auckland dignitary of the Church just returned from a clerical tour, there was a perfect cry for agricultural laborers at a rate of five or six shillings a day. The fact is, despite the talk made about destitution in Auckland—a cry got up by one or two individuals for the purpose of building themselves up a cheap reputation for philanthropy— the settlers cannot obtain a sufficient amount nf really useful labour. While the man who cannot or will not do a fair day's work prefers to live on pauper's rations sooner than accept lower wages than a farmer could afford to pay a real agricultural laborer, the latter can always command good wages and plenty of work. It is owing to the hap-hazard careless way in which the Government Immigration Agents at Home and at the Cape, have sent out so many useless persons, that distress in Auckland, beyond of course that of tho aged, the infirm, or the orphan, exists at all. Daring the last day's sitting of the .Diocesan Synod, the question of distress was brought on for discussion by one of the clergy, but it was proved by the LLLrp himself that there was nothing extraordinary in tho amount of distress prevailing. Mr. Jerome Cadman, a member of the Synod, an old colonist and a member of the Provincial Legislature, and one than whom none other could have had better opportunities of forming a correct judgment on the matter in question, said, speaking of Auckland as a field for emigration, " There was plenty of " room for all who should come. Those " persons who had not been brought up to " labour were the worst cases to be found of " distress. The able-bodied must be taught " that they must work for their subsistence, " and not bo allowed to loaf about the " streets of Auckland. No man need be " out of work. Men in former years had i " to work for two shillings and sixpence " per day, and were glad to get it." On the same occasion the Rev. Archdeacon Lloyd said, "He believed most cases of distress " must be met by individual sympathy and " practical benevolence. He had just come " from Mahurangi, where there was a great " demand for able-bodied workers. Many " settlers said they would gladly give ss. or " 6s. a day to such persons for their work. " It would be a great boon to such a class " to oblige them to work. Most persons who " went about seeking relief were those whom " tho citizens know nothing at all about. " Many of those going about seeking relief " in Auckland were impostors and unknown "to tlxe residents." Bishop Selwyn analysed the whole matter, and in a few words exposed the sensational character of the " cry " which had been raised by the mover ofjtho motion before the Synod, and which en being put was negatived, and so the matter has passed away to make place for some new sensation crotchet.

We are glad to notice that Dr. S. Stratford, a settler of 11 years standing, who left here for England in charge of a portion of H.M. troops, is now in Canada West, of which colony he was many years a resident, engaged as Government Immigration Agent for this Province. He is enrolling members for a special settlement of Canadians, to be located in one of our richest Northern districts—tho Victoria Yalley. These old colonists make very good and successful settlers. There aro a few cases of failure, and none of distress amongst them. They are both ablo and willing to work, and have the true grit in them of which colonists are made. There are as good men in Great Britain too and if such came out at the rate of a thousand a month, they would never cause a single shadow of anxiety here as to how they should bo provided for. They would, like the Nova Scotian (settlors of the North, at Wangaroi, Waipu, and elsewhere, look after that matter for themselves. |