THE New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1895. RECIPROCITY WITH SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2432, 11 February 1895, Page 2

THE New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1895. RECIPROCITY WITH SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

With which are incorporated the Wellington Independent, established 1345, and the New Zealander,

• WE compliment our contemporary on ttu a improved tone of the article which ap peered in its last issue. None are so bat E as to bo past praying for, and there an some hopes of ultimate salvation, even foi '■ the Superior Person. Nevertheless, the arguments employed were lame and im potent, and did not at all controvert tht facts submitted by us in favour of the reciprocal agreement between Now Zealand and South Australia. Our contemporary was somewhat disingenuous it Saying that the incorrectness of the pre mises upon which its contentions were first based was owing to a cable which had beer " accepted as accurate and published in oui columns. The cable referred to was a Presi Association message, and as such appearoc in the whole of the New Zealand press Now we are told that the information was accepted as correct because it was pub lished in our columns. Even in this admission there is a ray of hope, and if, ir future, our contemporary will take as correct that which appears in our columns it will free itself of many faulty notions We admit tho soft impeachment of having taken | exception to criticism being baser upon tho contents of the Blue Book foi 1893. It is also true that we, to show th( fallacy of tho arguments of our contemporary, quoted from the Blue Book of the same and previous years, proving that with a little research, and without the aid of a Diogenes' lamp, our contemporary had at its disposal information that would have enabled it to treat fairly With Mr Ward had it so desired, Our contemporary states as a fact that tho statistics .for. ~1fi94 ,_havo not yet been published, and that the Blue Book for 1893 contains the latest records on the subject. Pools oft venture where angels fear to tread, and wo are surprised that our contemporary should have made such an assertion, for the information, though not compiled in complete form in the Blue Book, is nevertheless available. Might we remind tho Superior Person of tho boast that be was in a position at all times to obtain any information desired ? Of course wo do not suggest that the same course should bo followed as was done in the case of tho Pox correspondence, nor do we surmise for a moment that if the information was so obtained a second Royal Commission would be set up; we simply say that the information was available. However; with the latest information at command tho position is not materially affected, because no alteration has been made in the tariffs of New Zealand and South Australia during 1393 and 1894. Wo were not, therefore, obliged to quote from the Blue Book of 1893, but, taking our contemporary upon its own ground, we merely pointed out that which had been either wilfully or accidentally overlooked. The assertion that tho agreement between New Zealand and South Australia will be the means of severing the trade of this Colony from the markets of Victoria, Now South Wales and Queensland is purely an effort of imagination, and we do not fear or anticipate the terrible misfortune predicted. In fact it would be a good thing for New Zealand if some of the importations from the sister colonies never landed on our shores. The Chinese - manufactured furniture of Melbourne, or the coal from New South Wales, could be banished without materially affecting the wellbeing of ,our commerce or people; and the fruits of New South Wales might remain there . without depriving New Zealand of fruits equal in quality and in price. It is somewhat amusing to read in our contemporary’s first article of tho dreadful consequences likely to overtake New Zealand owing to the agreement being a fixture for seven years; and then, in a subsequent issue, to be told that the absence of a fixed agreement for a lengthy period offered no inducement to steamship companies to open up a direct communication. On tho horns of this dilemma wo leave the Superior Person. Supplementary to the information already given to our readers, and in proof of the advantage to be gained by New Zealand should the treaty be ratified by Parliament, wo may submit tho following figuresln 1893 South Australia imported 18,400 centals of oats, 924 tons of oatmeal, -23,147 bushels of barley, 23,125 bushels of grain and pulse, 58,580 bushels of malt, and 288,5591 b of hops. The gross value of those imports was .£51,586, and duty to tho amount of £21,577 was collected by the South Australian Government. Now, it is a reasonable contention that our oats will be imported into South Australia, and, being to some extent superior to the South Australian product, will bo milled; that our barley will be malted, and that New Zealand hops will be almost exclusively used. There is also the possibility of further trade developments. Take, for instance, maize, 1508 centals of which were imported into South Australia in 1893, and also 269,8471 b of cornflour. It is well known that Now Zealand maize is superior to that grown elsewhere, and, in fact, tho maize grown in the Bay of Plenty district in the North Island supplied nearly the whole demand of the Australian markets. Tho timber trade may also be further developed by tho reciprocal agreement. In 1893 New Zealand sent to South Australia only 103,700 superficial feet, whilst the total quantity imported into the colony amounted to 4,623,439 superficial feet of the value of £28,481. In addition there were 12,888 loads of deals and battens valued at- £30,874; 12,79 2 loads of spars and valued at £28,864 ; 745,000 laths valued at £3430; and 34,313 loads of other timbers valued at £71,683. There is, therefore, at our own , doors a valuable market for our timbers ! which must remain forever undeveloped j unless Now Zealand is brought into closer touch with South Australia. Tho agreement entered into is a material advance in !

this direction. It is entirely fallacious to contend, in the face of these possibilities, that steam communication with South Australia will not be established. "With the competition now prevailing in the intercolonial shipping trade there will be little difficulty in bringing the two colonies into closer touch. Our contemporary is entirely in error in stating that the Government propose to avoid the law by refunding the duty which. must scill be collected on South Australian , products. As the agreement does not come into force until the 20th July next, and Parliament will not meet until somewhere about the usual time in June, there is a month in which to submit the agreement to Parliament, and consequently no duties will be collected or refunded. The statement that, as the law now exists, the colonies are not in a position to enter into reciprocal arrangements is quite correct, but a promise has been made by Lord Rosebery’s Government to introduce a Bill into the English Parliament to enable Australia to enter into fiscal relations with the other colonies. Canada, we believe, has this power, but by an the other British possessions were denied a like privilege. No reasonable argument can bo adduced against granting this power to the colonies, and there is very little doubt but that this disability will be removed long before the 20th July next. "Wo are in a position to state* Without fear and trembling, that on Mr Ward’s arrival in London the British Government will be apx>roached and requested to give effect to the promise made by Lord Rosebery. No doubt this request will be supported by the whole of the colonies. In a negative sense the power is already possessed, and is illustrated by the fact that any one colony can, at the present time, exclude the imports of the whole of the other colonies by means of prohibitive duties. The differential duties in connection with foreign countries are another matter, as the treaty obligations of the Mother Country might bo interfered with. The action of New Zealand in entering into an agreement with South Australia may not be construed as retaliatory- Th’e offer has been made with one or all of the colonies, and in making this offer the Government voiced the wish of the people and had nothing to fear. A start had to be made. New Zealand was becoming, year by year, more isolated ; she had been unfairly dealt with by the other colonies, and the opportunity was not to bo lost. There is nothing like striking while the iron is hot, and we commend the Seddon Ministry for their businesslike undertaking, which must tend to bring about a better state of intercolonial reciprocity. With some people history repeats itself—no good can come out of Nazareth—and whilst we commend fair criticism, it is pessimistic and entirely unpatriotic to contend for a moment that tho arrangements made will not prove beneficial to New Zealand. Year by year wo are settling people on the land, increasing the number of our farmers and tho quantity of our staple products, and it is tho bounden duty of tho Government to use every endeavour to promote tho markets for them.

The natives and the native

LAND ACT.

T&e Opposition press is Jubilant over the apparent antagonism of the Natives to tho Native Land Act of last session. The delight feltby the opponents of the Government is unconcealed. The latest development of this feeling has been produced by the publication of a manifesto signed by the throe Maori members, Wi Tore, Hone Hoke, and Ropatn To Ao. The only importance which can be attached to that document arises from the signature of Mr Wi Fere, who lifts always been a firm supporter and a personal friend of the Liberal leaders. But Mr Wi Fere, although like the Hon James Carroll he unites the blood of both raoesj is as truly a representative of the thought and methods of his mother’s racft as Mr Carroll is of his father’s-. Both ha ve the same objects in view, but they travel towards the desired goal by different routes. Mr Carroll applauds the new Act because it contains many most stfeeiilhg and beneficial reforms. Wi Pete condemns it because it does not accomplish everything the Maoris wish. Each is consistent. Mr Carroll’s criticism is that of the practical European, Wi Fere’s that of the typical Maori. Submitted to the tests of intelligence and experience the Act itself in all its main features is without doubt the clearest and most sensible piece of legislation ever enacted upon this all important subject by the Farliament of New Zealand. It has put a stop to that fruitful source of litigation and corruption, individual dealing with unascertained shares in tribal lands. It has brought to an end that terrible system of rehearings which was a curse to •Native litigants. It has placed a limit to the acquisition by capitalists and syndicates of great Native estates. Ithassofarextended the powers and jurisdiction of the Native Lands Court in many matters and directions that its operations will be useful instead of oppressive, and its judgments final, in place of being marked by a fatal indecision. That it is not perfect may be freely admitted, What law framed by a human legislature has ever achieved that enviable standard ? All reforms are tentative. They are but steps in the long road to perfection. The advance guard of to-day—though beyond the horizon of our fathers—will be far in the roar when our children fill our places. The indictment brought by the Maoris against this measure contains but few accusations. The first and certainly the most grave is that the Natives are prevented from selling or leasing their lands except to the Crown, and Jthat the Government will only give them a small fraction of their value; the second, that the Minister can order surveys to bo mado of Native laud even against the will of the Natives interested; the third, that Although the Natives are debarred from leasing their lands, they are not permitted to borrow money to uso those lands themselves ; the fourth, that while present mortgagees of Native lauds can sell under their deeds if the mortgage money or interest be not paid, the Maori mortgagor cannot borrow and make a fresh mortgage to pay off tho first; and lastly, that tho Maoris are still without the power of determining to any extent the ownership of their lauds. There are minor points, but the question of sale and leasing is tho main grievance. As this matter is of great moment to both races, and to the public at large, wo desire to draw public attention to the real position of things under the new Act. It is entirely erroneous to suppose that tho Maoris who wish to dispose of their land in any way are shut up to the tender mercies of tho Government and its agents. There are three ways in which Native land can be sold or leased. The Natives may sell direct to the Government, or they may employ the Waste Lauds Board of their district to act as their agents to sell or lease for them by public auction, or they may incorporate themselves and sell or lease or mortgage their lands to the general public, but under rules and regulations issued by the Governor-in-Counoil.

It is true that the regulations have not yet been gazetted. The framing of these regulations is a work of magnitude, needing very careful revision. Success in this now departure will greatly depend upon the. fullness as well as the elasticity of the proposed rules. We understand, however, that the work is well advanced. The tribal owners of several large blocks of land in the Auckland district have already applied to be incorporated under the Act, in order that they may thus throw open their lands for settlement. When the regulations for the conduct of incorporated Natives and their committees are gazetted and published widely among all the tribes, their opposition to the new Act will cease, or at any rate be much modified. Any errors or omissions can easily be remedied. In the meantime Native lands will be now available to all classes equally. Maoris and Europeans both will escape the expense, the delay, and the risk formerly attendant upon the acquisition of Native lands. These lands will no longer be a preserve for the wealthy or tho crafty, but will bo like the waste lauds of the Crown, thrown open in proper areas and under proper conditions. Under this law there is no practical difficulty in opening the vast Maori territories to industrial occupation. We trust that the Government will speedily issue the necessary regulations, and in them give every assistance to the committees in surveying and reading the Native lands, while it controls their actions in the public interest. The Natives will soon understand the new law, and we venture to believe that when the regulations are issued Wi Pere, Hone Hake, and Ropata Te Ao will become not only disciples but preachers of the new doctrine of tribal dealing with the tribal lands. The incorporation of the Native tribes as landowners will in years to come reflect credit upon tho Ministry and the Legislature which made it law.