THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam." DUNEDIN, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 610, 1 December 1863, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. " Inveniam viam aut faciam." DUNEDIN, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1.

Mr. Fox informed the House that the policy of the Government with respect to tbe Military Settlement scheme would be almost identical with that set forth in the " Memorandum on Roads and Military Settlements," drawn np by the previous Ministry, and under the consideration of Ministers at the time oi their resignation. All who possessed any intimate knowledge of the peculiarities of the North Island and particularly of that part of it inhabited chiefly by Natives, saw that to ensure anything like complete security against future outbreaks nothing was so calculated for the purpose as the planting of settlements composed of persons capable of defending themselves in the districts in which the most troublesome tribes were located. Even supposing, which we scarcely look upon as probable, that any very striking successes attend the military operations against the rebels, and that we compel a sort of quasi submission, and perhaps some kind of formal recognition of the Queen's authority, it is very likely that the moment the troops were withdrawn, the natives would again rise in insurrection. This view was taken by Ministers in approaching the consideration of the plans embodied in the memorandum before us :—

The gradual withdrawal of the troops which would follow any re-establishment of peace, would greatly help to do away with the moral effect of byegone military chastisements, espesially with a people so difficult to convince as ths Maoris are of the truth of any report or record of facts which go to wound their self esteem, and destroy that fancy of their own superiority which it must be allowed our proceedings towards them have so long fostered.

If the .moral effect of one or two decisive victories is not to be relied upon as a sufficient guarantee for future peace without measures whi;h will constitute a material guarantee, much more will su^li measures be necessary if the evasive tactics of the Maori should prevent such decisive victories, and the war should degenerate from a contest between large bodies into

a guerilla warfare, carried on by the natiye3 from and among their mountain fastnes.es.

2. The most obvious material guarantees for the prevention of future wars are -the making of roads that could be u-ed by the military everywhere throughout*the country; and the introduction of such an amount of armed population, formed into defensive settlements, as would overawe • the native tribes,.or if uot overaw them, at least be always ready -and able to cheek or punish tli3;r incursions and depredations. Both these measures have been commenced.. It is now proposed to extend and continue them as far as appears to be practicable in the present circumstances of thec.loiy.

With few exceptions, the Northern Island is described as being one entire expanse of forests and mountains, and to make the military settlements successful, it is necessary that they should be placed in such localities, as will ensure their future prosperity, and enable the settlers to maintain them selves and their families. It is therefore proposed to plant the settlements in a chain embracing the most fertile parts of the country and those districts where the native population is most thickly scattered. From the mouth of the Waikato River on the West Coast, and the mouth ofthe Thames on the East Coast, and following the course of the two rivers to the interior and down as far as Raglan, the most numerous settlements will be planted. These will form a stronc defensive frontier south of- Auckland, and neutralise the strength of the most numerous and warlike tribes in the island. Again, from Mokau along the coast down to New Plymouth, and southwards as far as the Wanganui and Manawatu Rivers, a chain of settlements is to be extended, embracing also, according to the plan, the notorious Waitara block. These settlements, in their turn, will render harmless the badly disposed Ngatiruanui, Ngatiawa and Wanganui natives. Similar settlements will be placed in the Hawke's Bay Province. These various settlements are to be connected with roads of a total length of about 1000 miles. It was originally intended to provide for, in the first instance, 20,000 settlers, of whom about 3000 have already been procured from Otago and Australia. It is proposed to distribute them as follows :— -' ■ ' Men. From Waikato. Mouth and Raglan to Tauranga and Thames ■■■■-■ '- 10,000 New Plymouth to Waimate path (on ,-! the North) - - . . .1,000 Waimate path, South - ~ - 1,000 Coast from New Plymouth to Waifotara - - - . 2.000 Whanganui -- ■- . . . 2.0G0 Manawatu to Pauahatanui - - 1,000 i Upper Wairarapa to Forty Mile; Bush 1,000 I North side of Hawke's Bay Province 2 000

20,000 The great proportion of the settlers it is proposed to obtain from England and elsewhere in Europe. The memorandum with reference to this part of the subject says :—-

We want them fit for roai work and the u*e of arms. Ordinary field. labourers, of- good character, and a good proportion of ' navvies' would do. Arms and accoutrements would be provided for them on board ship, and a drill-sergeant for each shipload, who would drill and train them by turns to the use ofthe rifle during the voyage.

.-.■■: Alirge proportion of these immigrants, say at least four-fifths, should be young married men. They should be all so, but possibly the circumstances of the country, while attractive to single men, might make it more difficult to procure married ones. If possible, the number of children should not average moie than one to each couple. Their wives and children would be brought out with them, and should remain in the nearest town to the .p.irt of the roads their husbands were working upon. A special condition should be made that a certain portion of the weekly or monthly pay to be received by the men should be paid direct to their wives in the towns, They would thus be in the position of ordinary roadparties throughout the colony, except that. Government would have a guarantee that their families would not become a burden to the public.

The nine month? of working days the men would have employment guaranteed them would not.b-j neessarily consecutive, but would be extended over a year or eighteen months if they pleased, allowing for intervals of work upon their own lands where they could go upon them at once, at th.3 proper periods for clearing, getting- ia crops, kc.

These arrangements are based on the supposition that peace may have been 'established when the immigrants arrive. In case of hostilities still prevailing, the same regulations would be observed with respect to them as are now in force with the militia volunteers.

The memorandum then goes on to treat of the cost of the scheme. The passage mnnev is estimated at Lls per statute adult, with L 5, the cost of an Enfield rifle. We should thus have, say, 18,000 men, L270,00:>; 14,000 women, 1.216,000'; 14,600cnild.en,Ll08,000; dress and accoutrements, 1.90,000, —beinj a total of L 684.000. The cost of the 1000. miles of road proposed to be made is estimated at L 1,500 per mile, or a total of L 1,.00,000. As to the mole of raising the money to defray the cost of the scheme, the memorandum says:—

Tbe next point is how to procure the monsy. It is not necessary, and certainly it is not desirable to raise any of this by.a iditi?nal taxation, whether the colony could bear it or not. It is not right that the present generation should be a; the whole expense of measures the benefit of which-is to be reaped: principally by their successors. To borrow on an estate so rich in undeveloped resources, and so easily and rapidly improveable, as in a young colony like N.w Zealand, and to borrow for the purpose of developing' these resou'-ces find improving such an estate, is not only prudent but the simple duty of those who have the management of it. Ten or twenty years hence, the burdens now required to be taken up would scarcely be felt by the colony. That is cerfain. L.t theu, the power and prosperity, the material wealth that the colony would necessarily grow into in the course of twenty or thirty years, be, as far as practicable, forestalled ani realised at once. It would crush us to take the burden on ourselves alone ; place it on the future; and while we are saved—nay incalculably strengthened by the proceeding—the very future we shift the burden to is equally enriched and benefited. For if n.ar 50,000 souls can b*e introduced and settled in the North Island at present, and the debt caused by their introduction be got rid of say in twenty years, will not the colony be to an altogether incalciiable d gree richer and more powerful than if the twenty years had gone by and no such amount of population had been introduced, and the debt never incurred . ...The population can be introduced and the debt can be p..id off as supposed. The total cost of the introduction and settlement of immigrants and the making of roads is estimated at £2,300,000, and to this amount a further sum of £1,000,000 for the war ex-

penses is to be added to the loan, which is to be paid out ofthe proceeds of the lands of the

rebellious tribes. 1-ut aa the half million loan authorised last session has imt yet.been raised, the objects for which, it was intended can be embraced by the new loan, which, for this purpose is to be fixed, at a total of four millions sterling, of whicn sum- the Imperial guarantee is calculated oa to the extent of £3,800,000. The memorandum then proceeds to show how the colony can meet the principa of a debt of £3,.500,000 the amount required for the military .settlement scheme, and interest at 6 per cent: allowing 2 per cent, for a sinking fund. But we defer onr review of this the most important part of the programme until our next issue. .