The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 1867.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1110, 5 June 1867, Page 3

The New Zealand Herald

AUCKLAND, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 1867.

SrECTKMUIi AGENDO. Give every mns thine ear, but few thy rolco : Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgmont, This fitove all, —To thine own self bo truo And it must follow, as tho nit;ht the day, Ihou cauat not tliea fce falaa to any man."

The gigantic military preparations now being undertaken by the principal European or rather by all the European Governments, point out at once to the general belief that a great struggle for mastery is impending. The French Emperor has lost a considerable amount of prestige. Bismarck has outwitted him, and brought to the doors of Franco a united German nation with a strong sense of nationality, and as powerful a feeling of opposition to the assumed superiority of France. The failure of the French mission in Mexico, is another discomfiture,annoying tho Emperor of the French. It is calculated to lower his pretensions for wisdom and power. There arc two methods by which each nation is striving to keep pace with the other in warlike preparations. Each is improving the fire-arms used by its troops, and largely increasing the number of tho latter. Indeed every able-bodied man in France will bo speedily converted into a soldier, and the other great nations of Europe cannot afford to have such a standing menace as an entire nation armed aud drilled. England's policy has latterly been to keep aloof from mere European wars which have not affected her interest. But should France and Prussia declare war against each other, should Austria ally herself with tho former, and Eussia with the latter, it is impossible to foretell who or what will bo drawn into tho vortex. It would bo almost miraculous could England keep out of such an embroilment as the above, for the minor states, such as Belgium, which England feels bound to protect against all comers can

hardly remain in pcacc and safety. Hence, no doubt, there is a strong feeling in England that as large a part of the British army as possible should be stationed within the United Kingdom. The smalluess of that army, the demands made by India for British troops, and by her Colonial possessions, now form a drain on the population which can with great difficulty be met. National exigency will therefore prevent Great Britain from sending her regular troops to defend the immense colonial and foreign empire held by her. Although, therefore, we may have a regiment of troops stationed at Taupo for some time, yet it is evidently our bounden duty to so make our arrangements that wo may secure the greatest advantages from their presence while there, and that we may be able to defend ourselves, from internal foes at least, cheaply and efficiently. It appears to us that there are three ways in which we can most easily gain the desired end. First, by inducing as largo a population as possible to settle on the confiscated lands; secondly, by having rille companies in each locality, meeting only very occasionally for mere dr ; !l, but at stated intervals for rifle practice; and thirdly, by introducing, wherever at all possible, those great civilizers, trunk roads. Every inducement should be held out to persons to settle on the waste lands of the Province, whether confiscated or purchased. As we have repeatedly stated, the object of the Government should not be to get' a few pounds by the sale of land, which is left, perhaps, for years unoccupied, but to' secure a constantly increasing population on the land. The real interests of the Colony would be far better promoted by giving land away to permanent settlers, than by selling it to mere speculators, and those who have no intention of residing on that land. The annual increase to the revenue, the increase to the wealth of the country, the increase in the chance of securing a permanent peace by a settled population would bo great. The Maories would also thus undergo a change. They, being from one cause or

another, no longer engaged in rebellion, would bo again engaged in supplying us with wheat, and other articles of produce. The rentals they received from leased lands - as a ru^e > bo spent as received, and so foster tho trade of the country, and tend gradually to civilise tho natives. licncc we would again urge, as we have done long ago, that land should now be given to bona fide settlors iu all tho districts of tho Province. The Crown grant should be withheld, not for a certain term of years necessarily, but until a certain value of improvements would have been effected. If these , settlers desired to sell their allotment to anyone desirous of buying it, and with the intention of living upon it then they should bo permitted to do so. It is in tli is manner that a very large .amount of clearing of land is done iu the Western States of America. Persons may there go and live on unsold land, clear, ienco, and cultivate it, without being called upon to pay for it for a term of years. The labor he puts upon it, the cultivation lie does, is ample security for tho State. And a ? Ppi )ll | ;l tion advances to these outskirts of civilization, the land of many of these pioneers ia sold. Tho State receives its fixed price, a very small one, tho squatter on the land gets paid for his labor and improvements, and the new arrival has at once a place on which sufficient of the first rough ■work lias been done to "give him a fair start, and which saves him from great hardships. Now the great success of this plan in America is the best proof of its succcss, and something of the same kind earned out here would bo of such great and obvious advantages to us in man}'- ways | that wo need not dwell upon them. One of | them only will we remark upon, viz., that | we should thus secure at a most trifling cost, a large local militia, which would be on the spot to quell local disturbance, if such should arise. We do not need trained soldiers for bush fighting so much as strong active men, able to boar fatigue and hardship if necessary, and to be good marksmen with a breech-loading rifle. With respect to the making of roads, alluded to above, we think that the troops to be stationed at Taupo might be effectively employed in road-making. It is too much the fashion to have the British soldier's time occupied by a daily round of routine duties imposed alike upon the recruit and him who has been years in the army, and has done the same thing hundreds of times. The soldier is thus made a mere machine, the old soldier is disgusted at constantly going tho same mechanical round, and his pocket is kept empty and his comforts are curtailed. If certain trunk roads were let out by contract to the troops, we have no doubt but they would gladly engage in the work, and the extra money they would thus earn would be of essential service to them, while the roads they would make would be of the greatest possible utility. Such a system would be fraught with advantages many and, various. We have for instance the ports and harbours all round our coasts, but we want roads radiating from those ports through the land belonging to us, and where we can possibly manage it, through native lands either leased or not.