THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1879.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5493, 25 June 1879, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDA Y, JUNE 25, 1879.

Tkb business-like speeches made by the members for Franklin to their constituents, on Monday night, do not demand any lengthened notice or criticism. Neither Mr. Haralin nor Mr. Hobbs profesees to lead any party in the House, and they have no revelations to make respecting the tactics of the Government or of the Opposition. Hitherto, they have given an independent support to the present Ministry, as the possible Ministry whose occupancy of office is, on the whole, the best for tho interests of the Province of Auckland ; yet each, and especially Sir. Hobbs, freely criticises the action of tho Government. A few of the salient points of the two speeches may be noted. Mr. Hamlin does not think that the Land Tax Bill will realise all that is expected of it, and "considers that the duties had been taken off too many things at once." There is no doubt now that a fiscal mistake was made in the calculation between the land tax and the reduction of Customs duties. K statement has been going the round of the papers that further reductions were to be made in the duties upon articles widely used, but we think that with the land revenue in its present state, such a change would be most unwise. Mr. Hamlin's statement that " he had always favoured moderate holdings, and he would give his assistance to prevent the growth of large estates through Legislative connivance or indifference," we pass with an expression of approval ; but not so his next remark, commending the policy that " the Government should be tho sole purchasers of native lands." Tho right of pre-emption which the Government xiossessed, was solemnly abandoned some sixteen years ago, and whatever opinion may be entertained a3 to the wisdom of that step, we think there can be only one opinion, that it is impossible to go back to the old state of things. But we hold that a fair, open, and honest attempt to return to the plan of exclusive purchase would be less mischievous than the present method of conducting these purchases. At present, by paying a small sum to any native, the Government can lock up hundreds of thousands of acres, the purchase of which they will not be able to complete for years. In the meantime, the native owners cannot sell the land, or any part of it, and it will lie waste. As a matter of native po'.ic;-. wo believe this

to be a mistake, as it leads the Government straight into all manner of difficulties. Some of these, have already emerged, and more will soon appear. The settling of the natives after the confiscation has been a very troublesome matter, of which we have by no means heard the end, and thie system of Government dealing is, in reality, a kind of confiscation oHt of which much mischief may yet arise. The Government have always professed to be most anxions to secure justice for the Maoris, and last session a bill of great importance was dropped because Ministers would not acquiesce in the manner in which the Legislative Council proposed to deal with the Maori vote. Let any man ask the natives whether they prefer tie dual vote, or the liberty to get the beat price for their land, and see what the answer would be. We believe the system to be quite as objectionable in regard to the progress of settlement. However, we have lately discussed this subject so frequently that it is quite unnecessary to repeat here the arguments. On the Education question, Mr. Hamlin is unimpeachable, but is willing that an amendment should be made on the Act allowing an hour or half an-hour to be set apart each day of the week, when the clergy would be permitted to give religious instruction in the schools. There will be abundance of urgent busines before next session, but it is certain that we shall have at least one attempt to amend the Education Act, emanating from Otago, and from those who are not satisfied with the total exclusion of the Scriptures from the course of study. We observe that the Otago Daily Times advises Ministers to " take the bull by the horns and prepare a bill themselves, in which they can leave the re-introduction of tho Bible an open question, to be settled on the principle of local option, but which would embody other necessary amendments, such as involve no principle in any way." The same journal observes that in New South Wales, although State aid is given to denominational schools, the Scripture lessons of the Irish National Board form part of the ordinary course in the public schools. We should like to see the Act amended in various parts of its working machinery, but a strenuous effort will be made to preserve its entirely secular character. Mr. Hobbs differs from his colleague in the matter of the Government land purchase scheme ; and indeed, is inclined to criticise keenly the native administration. He believes " the Government have now gone ao far, that Hiroki must be given up." Mr. Hobbs will, we believe, find that he has struck a chord which will vibrate through the colony. The recentobstruction of surveyors, and the ploughing of land in the occupation of Europeans, has arisen from the fact, thut for fifteen or sixteen yeare, we did not take possession of a large extent of confiscated land. We are not sure whether everything could be made peaceful again by giving up all claim on the Waimate Plains; but of thie we are eure, that merely to postpone the taking possession for a few years would do no good whatever. We must now assert and endeavour to enforce the state of things which we mean to be permanent. The natives will hare to be taught that they must not come on to the farms of European settlers and harass them day after day ; and they must also learn that after arrangements hat-e been made and reserves apportioned, we shall deal with the remainder of the Waimate Plains as the property of the Government. That matter as to Hiroki, we shall settle at the same time. By the City of Sydney, from Sydney, we have received later files of Cape papers to the 17th May. The war in South Africa still drags its slow length along— the papers still containing the same sad story of military incapacity, divided counsels, and disease and death in the army of operations. Of South Africa it may be said, what General Cameron declared New Zealand to be, " the grave of military glory." There is now concentrated in Natal, the Transvaal, and Zululand, a British army of 30,000 men—a force equal to that which, setting its face Eastward, under Lord Raglan, did battle against Russia in 1854. General Crealock's division has been brought up to an effective total of all arms, of 10,000 men ; General Newdigate's to a similar number ; while to General Wood is entrusted a flying column, 3000 strong, preparatory to a general advance intoZululand. Owing to the difficulty of transport, the advance, it is stated, will be made by the coast-line, under General Crealock, Wood and Newdigate moving in support, leaving the whole border between Zululand and the Transvaal to be covered by such defence as can be afforded by the colonial corps. Lord Chelmsford, like Oliver Twist, is still crying for "more!" and he now solicits the services from the War Office of three additional dragoon regiments to operate in the north-east of the Transvaal against Secocoeni, and possibly, against the very doubtful allies of the British, the Swazies. Meanwhile, the effective strength of his force is being steadily reduced by fever, dysentery, and the thousand-and-one agencies of death which dog the soldiers' footsteps in time of war, alike in the camp a3 in the battle-field. As to the financial expenditure going on, the English taxpayer may well feel dismayed. Tho " little bill " for the Zulu business is now at the respectable total of £7,000,000, and is steadily mounting up at the rate of a million sterling per month, while the Cape colony's war expenditure, on its own account, averages £100,000 a-month. The cost of transporting commissariat stores from Durban to Pietermaritzburg (some 54 miles) is £15 per ton, or seven times as great as from London to Natal, 4500 miles, —a convoy of 1000 tons lately costing i' 15,000. And as these supplies have to be carried to troops half of whom are 200 miles from the base of operations, as well as supplies for the horses and mules engaged in transport service, some conception may be gained of the waste and expense of even a " little war." History repeats itself, and a perusal of the Cape papers reads like a second edition of the New Zealand campaign. The same blundering into success—internal dissensions and political strife—the same heartless disregard of the comfort of tho colonial troops, and the same senseless hardships inflicted upon them as on our Volunteers and Militiamen at Otahuhu and Drury. Sir Bartle Frere is is simply Governor Gore Browne over again ; the old " friendly natives" fiascos are repeated ; and Natal, like poor Taranaki, at the will of the South African Proconsul, is selected as the cin-jmi vile on which

to make some new experiments in tin government of aboriginal races. Thl historical parallel may still be prolonged. The attack on the Moroßi stronghold by the colonial "civiliancolonel," reads verr much like Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu or Raururu, and about a3 well managed Like our own settlers, the Natal colonial have thrown in their teeth—" vigorous prosecution," a desire to exterminate the natives, and to fatten upon the SDoils of war and commissariat expenditure. But as in New Zealand, so in Natal, though a few army contractors may make haste to get rich on the misfortunes of the country, as one is now doing at Fort Tenedos, by turning over £10,000 aweek, the ruined and bereaved c6lonists have reason to cry, " Give us peace in our time, good Lord !"

, The cablegrams of to-day's issue fnraish further details as to the inconsolable grief t of Eugenie since the receipt of the t dreadful tidings of the death of her son. One touch of Nature makes the whole world kin, and in the Old World and the New many heart 3 will Sympathise with that Empress-mother who doubly bereaved, now bewails her loved one ; with a sorrow an profound and pathetic aa • that of the "sweet n jger of Israel" for hia . lost Aoaalom. In the Napoleonic dynasty , has been strangely blended the romance and . tragedy of history, and the curtain now falls on the saddest suene of all, yet one in all probability, which will give to France the rest and political repose she so much needs. Had life been spared to the young Prince Imperial, the blood of France's best and bravest would possibly, at no distant date, have been shed like water over his title to a ; throne, which had been founded on ao many i and such discordant elements. Studious and ambitious, it might possibly have been said of him, as of his royal father It was no common life, tha , . so could fill Tho thiught of r.urope; 'tis no common death— It bath been willed otherwise. Like another eoMier of la belle France, whose name was long recounted in the roll-call of his regiment, he has "died on the field of honour," preferring the perils of the honourable profession of arms to the inglorious eaae of fashionable dissipation and the gilded salons of London aristocratic life. Men as nobly born have coveted the soldier's death which he has met. After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well; passing away amidet the clangour of the strife and the " diapason of the cannonade"— At onco—llia hnifi and brain ropoled. At or.ca-his dsnntleas life was closed : The mystic whiil of mighty- change— Thesei-likerushof bUckne-s stranfe— And all the roarin.• tumult dim Wai cold, ami dark, and still for him.