THE STATEMENTS OF MR. ARTHUR MILLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6570, 7 December 1882, Page 6

THE STATEMENTS OF MR. ARTHUR MILLS.

REPLY BY MR. JOHN SHEEHAN, M.H.R.

Is our issue of yesterday morning there was a quotation from an English exchange of certain remarks said to have been made by Mr. Arthur Mills, recently a traveller in this country, and a reply thereto by the Hon. \V. Gisborne, formerly Public Works Minister, and an old servant of this colony. Mr. John Sheehan, M.H.R., referring to this quotation, writes as follows : —'• To the Editor of the Herald : Sir, —1 observe in a column of your morning's issue, a paragraph copied from an English exchange, which purports to contain a statement by Mr. Arthur Mills about things in regard to the Maori people of New Zealand, and having reference to some remarks by the Hon. W. Gisborne in reply. Those who know Mr. Gisborne will not be surprised to find that on the very faintest suspicion of an attack on the good faith of the colony or of its public men, he came promptly to the front. There is a proverb which says, 'If the cap (its, you had better wear it,' and in writing as I do now to you, I may perhaps in the eyes of some people leave myself open to its being applied to me. When I state the actual facts 1 feel quite certain that you and the large circle of people to whom your paper is a household word, will agree that 1 am not justified in allowing the matter to pass by without comment. I have been in public life for the last 11 or 15 years, and I do not think I have ever, for one issue even, troubled the columns of the Herald to publish matters personal to myself. I have sat by while statements of the most unfair and malicious character were made about myself. I have been content to allow them to prove their own untruth, and to trust to time to show their entire falsity. The allegation made by Mr. Arthur Mills is that the Maori people were being iguored by the European colonists, that the missionary efforts which ought to be carried on on their behalf were paralyzed, and that he even saw an exCabinet Minister plying native women with raw whisky—the moral being that if those who live in high places do that what cau be expected from the ordinary class of European population. Now for the facts. Mr. Arthur Mills, who, I believe, is a member of Parliament, but who at any rate is the son of his father, ami has thus become a wealthy man, came out here on a tour to the Hot Lakes. If all that I hear be correct, he could afford to produce £10 for my one solitary shilling, with this difference, that I have to earn my shilling, and he has his £10 by an accident of birth. I had a vehicle chartered to take me to Kotomahana aud back, and I had on board of that trap certain friends of mine, Europeans, among whom I may mention Mr. I'ouuds, of the Bauk of Australasia, in Auckland, and Mr. E. B. Walker, of Cambridge, and they travelled the whole way with me to Kotomahana and back. This wealthy English capitalist, Mr. Mills, was uot too proud to try for aud was successful in obtaining a cheap passage. His request to travel in iny trap was agreed to by me, I paying tile cost and he sharing fully in all trie good things on board. That some natives, both male and female, had whisky or other spirits, is beyoud all doubt true. It is a recognised rule ou the part of those who pull the canoes from Wairoa landing to Tarawera, to receive, besides their money payment, consideration in food aud refreshment. I made my arrangements for my journey in the ordinary way with the ordinary agents, and the bargain made by those agents on my behalf was carried out by me. When Mr. Arthur Mills first came to me, and asked me for a passage, I took him to be a commercial traveller, and I gladly confess to the large and respectable body of men who under that name are carrying on business in this colony, that I am proud to rind that I was mistaken. If Mr. Arthur Mills is to be taken as a sample of the political or private excellence of the ytnlilhomine of England, then I will join those who believe that it will not bo long before the Old Country comes to grief. Amongst gentlemen there is one sacred rule—' The Arab with whom you have bioken bread will spare your life even if you kill his own son.' The law of courtesy and etiquette requires that the guest should respect the host's house. Mr, Arthur Mills was my guest, travelling in my trap at my expense, eating my victuals, and as I believe, consuming moderately some of my liquor. If he had possessed the instincts of a gentleman, he would not have reported what took place in my trap, which was really my house for all purposes whatsoever, he being my guest —all that he saw was sacred and confidential. But he begs a cheap passage, he eats my lunch, drinks my beer, and in violation of every rule of courtesy known to gentlemen, he goes forth from my place and slanders the man who had the courtesy to receive him aud entertain him. If Ihe the person referred to by Mr. Arthur Mills as the ex-Cabinet Minister 1 whom lie saw plyiug native women with whisky, then I say the statement is a lie pcre and DISTINCT. The refreshment given by me to the general body of natives was simply in accordance 1 with tho arrangement then being made and now being made by Europeans who visit the Lakes. My rule in travelling in a native country ha 3 been to treat the natives who travel with me the same as I would treat my European friends, aud whatever is on my table or in my trap is offered to them the same as it is offered to my European guests. Mr. Arthur Mills alludes, in a melancholy way, to the decadence of the Maori mission. On that very journey, when Mr. Mills was employed in doing the voluntary detective business as against his host and entertainer, I had stopped at the • atholic Mission-house at Whakarewarewa, and I was successful in raising amongst my European friends who accompanied me £3, as a contribution towards the church, and besides that, I settled a most important difficulty about the survey of the Rotorua township, and induced the people who were present at the church, who were mostly Catholics, to return the theodolite aud field-book taken from the surveyors on the previous day, aud to permit the survey, aud to submit their grievances, if any, to the ordinary tribunal — tho Native Laud Court. All tho gentlemen travelling with me except Mr. Mills, subscribed to this fund. I would like to know what this wealthy English traveller gave to any missionary effort now being madeon behalf of any denomination in the North Island, aud I feel confident that his only contribution from thestart to the finish has been " words aud nothing more." The man who is capable of abusing hospitality as Mr. Mills lias done would stop short of nothing. By an accident, perhaps, ho is called a gentleman; a similar accident would have made him a burglar; because a man who would so rudely violate the ordinary laws of courtesy, is capable of tampering with the bank safe ; of turning up in the garrotting line. I feci sorry myself to find a man with a so-called reputation coming out in such bad form, and I feel still more sorry that 1 have not made ■ Abraham's mistake—namely, that of enter- j taining an angel unawares. I have asked i you to let mo have some copies of this letter, | one of which I shall send direct to Mr. Arthur i Mills for his perusal and instruction. When ! he gets it, let him read it along with this quotation, which ho/will find in Shakespeare, in a play entitled "Coriolanus " Measureless liar, Thou'at made my heart too great for what contains It. If he wants more poetry let him look at "Cliihle Harold,"when- reference is made to tho man who died " unwept, unhononred, and unsung," and who in any free country ' would bo milled, and justify another reference to another English poem—tho " Mortc D'Arthur."—l am, io., John Sheehan. Auckland, Gth December, ISS"2."