THE GOVERNOR OF FIJI’S ATTACK.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1509, 31 January 1901, Page 57

THE GOVERNOR OF FIJI’S ATTACK.

f . Referring to th© published reports of Sir George O’Brien’s notorious speech, in which he attacked British colonists in general, and those of New Zealand in particular, for their . treatment of aboriginal races, the “ British Australasian” of 20th December last says: —-We can hardly credit that Sir Georg© did deliver the speech, as it is .transmitted to us, • for, quite apart from its temper and tone, it blazes with gross misstatements,

to use no stronger word. Addressing ; the Fiji natives, h© is reported to have ©aid that New Zealand wanted to get the land from the Fijians. “It has always been the same,” he went on, “in every country under the kind of Gov-

ernment there is in New Zealand —the white men have always taken the land from its coloured owners. It has been so in New Zealand, and it all belonged to the coloured people; the white people have got nearly the whole now; while the coloured people are cooped up in the fragment of land that is left to them.” We say nothing in criticism of the conduct of a British Governor who can thus malign the flag which he is supposed to represent. The mere stat©-

ments of the speech challenge our wonder and disgust. Has Sir George O’Brien ever studied the history of New Zealand? If so, he will-be aware that the Maoris never occupied the South Island numbers, and -never-', had ahy claim to the main bulk of the land. In the North Island, so far from being landless, as Mr. Seddon pointed out, 40,000 Maoris own 5,000,000 acres in the heart of the richest country. They are not cooped up there, but it is, and always has been, their stronghold—the so-called King Country. But the temper of Sir George O’Brien’s attack should sufficiently condemn it, and if any Governor has ever deserved -a castigation from the Colonial Office, he has done so. We can only hope that he will receive his deserts from Mr Chamberlain.