NORTH AND SOUTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 920, 17 July 1869, Page 17

NORTH AND SOUTH.

{Lytttlton Times, July 3.)

The three polioies that are now before the country b«»r a great do*l too olose a resem blanod to satisfy the inhabitants of the Middle ItUnd. We havo Mr Stafford's polioy, Mr Fox's polioy, and Mr Rolleston's polioy. Each differs, or professes to differ, from the other, but there in an uncomfortable family likeness between all throe. The features the threeTpolioies have in common an theae : All agree that it is for the intercut of tho Middle Island to render further assistance to the North Island, and that * permanent force of trained soldiers should be enrolled and paid for ont of tho gene r*l revenues oJ tho colony. In other points they iieem to differ, Mr Stafford wishes to prosecute tho war at any coat. Mr Pox makes groat professions of economy, but hit policy discloses the figure of Ballon* v«iiod in too transparent drapery. Mr Rolleston wishes to avoid loans, to p»y for war out of current revenue, and to retire from the oonfooated l*nd*. He admits, however, that it may bo impossible at present to put tho war on tho rovonuo, and ho tdvoofttos retiring from tho confiscated lands a* opportunity may offer. Ho does not, however, fix any period wben wo Are to comnaenoe tho happy era of living within our mtaaa, nor doea ho say that he is prepared to tfv* up tho oonfiaoaied Unds forthwith. Mr Stafford's polioy i* offensive ; Mr Fox a, defensive in name, offensive in reality ; and Mr RoUettoa'i profouodly dtfentire only. To onr mind, all thoso poUcios afo dunwrong, and that of Mr RolUiton not tho lout so. Tho people of this Island will ba very unmindful of th» event* of tho p&tt five year* if they forgot how oiroumaUnoea oan ohango a polioy profaowdly dofenalvo into » polioy of aggrotslve war, Offenoct of various kind* m»yb» oomenitied by Natives; tho Oovamiatat of tbs day may profess with tho utmost honwty a do»lro to Mi aolely on tht defensive, but at tho sauo time may

I tiling it their duty .to .punish offender Tliis ; necessitates a raid mto the Native districts, not, as would be carefully explained, for purposes of conquest, but merely, to enforce the law. The action of the Government is viewed wieh»jealoufly, and uerhapa misconstrued by other Natives. They make common cause with the offenders, and the circle of war thus continually widens. The Government under wnoae auspices these events happened would stoutly maintain that their policy had never varied, that it h*d been purely defensive aU •ilong, ( ut that circumstances had compelled them to take step* which, though thuy l»ore , the semblance of aagrewuive war, ivere in raality nothing of the kind. There is an utter want of stamina about Mr Rolleston's policy, and if an unkind providence were to permit him to carry out his ideas, we venture to say that before many months were over, he would be engaged in the vigorous prosecution of war. Mr Kolleston • policy is a policy of good intentions, and will, wo doubt not, prove an ornamental addition to the flooring of those regions where good intentions form the pavement. For any other praotical purposes, it is altc gather useless. , Two conditions are necessary in any policy that is likely to he acceptable to the people of this island. First, our liability for future expenditure for native and defence purponel must be absolutely fixed, and that within the narrowest limits, and in no osae should our contribution for these purposes be of such an amount as to compel us to add to the heavy taxation with which we are at present burdened. In the second place, any additional Bums that may be required for defence purposes should be raised by special taxation in the North Island. It should be borne in mind in considering these questions that we have made, and are daily making, very large sacrifices for the sake of the North. In Canterbury, alone, L 60.000 is paid every year for General Government purposes outside the province. By far the greater part of this enormous Bum is taken to pay the interest on loans spent fruitlessly ia the North Island, and for Dative and defence purposes. On what possible ground can we be called upon to increase thiß contribution? The only argument that is likely now to move us is the one used by Mr Stafford— that if we don't choese to assist the North Island, the North Island will be ruined, and we shall have to take upon ourselves the whole liabilities of the colony. We altogether refuse to believe in the ruin of the North Island ; and even if Mr Stafford's vaticinations were correot, and the North Island were to become a desert, it is by no means certain that our ruin would follow. >olong as we admit the principle of our liability to help the North to an indefinite extent, bo long will combinations be formed and intrigues carried on to ease us of our ready cash, and to distribute it in fertile showers of commissariat expenditure over the provinces of the North Island. So long, also, will endeavours be made to acquire Native land at our expense. If additional expenditure is required for defence purposes, why should not the North Island bear tue burden ? The direot and indirect t>enefita of defence expenditure are reaped by the Nor h Island in far larger proportions than by ourselves. All money raised there for defence is spent where it is raised, and the burden of taxation is thus considerably lightened. When peace is restored, * perceptibly increased value would be given to all land in the North Island. Internal defence ia after all a question of police, and it is generally admitted that means for the support of a police force can be lepitimately raised by rates on immoveaMe property. A general defence rate over nil landed and house property in the North Island would bring in a considerable sum of money. Tat import duty on susjar is at present a penny per pound. If this duty were doubled in the North Island, the consumption would probably dimmish very little, and some L' 20,000 would be added to the revenue. We offer those instances merely as suggestions ; there aro doubtless other, and perhaps preferable, ways of attaining the «*me end. Of oourse, the present objootion to exceptional taxation in the North Island is, that the taxes would be imposed and their exponditure administered by an Assembly containing a majority of Middle Island mem* ben. If the pr*otioo obtained that the Minister! for Dsfence and Native Affair* nhoulcl invariably bo the reprweuUtiven of Northern constituencies, and if the Assembly acquired the habit of leaving discussions on Native matters for the most part to North* em member*, which it would bo perfectly sftfo to do if tho prinoiplo were well settled that the North »lone would be»r the oonaequonoes of mia-mftnagement, the apparent Anomaly would »>e of littlo practical import* anoe, , New ZnaUnd is full of anomalies. To make the North pay for theraielvos involves an anomaly ; to makes u» pay for tho North involves a greater. Of the two, we prefer tho former.

Mr Fox, in his spoooh In reply in tho l»t« Want of Confidence debate, paid » hi«h tribute to tho press of tbo oolony Uo said :—": — " lam not oonnootad with the press myself, bat I may s»y of the o»«hty now*, piper* now purluned in New Zealand, thai I think * largo portion of them »r* » orodit to thja oountry, to tha intelligence of tho oonntry, to tho outspoken manfiaesi of tho pftonU, and to tho editor* who oonduot thorn. 1 I boliovo thoy improve from year to year, and if wo fall into tho h%bit of running them down wo shall be making onomie* of those who *re tho great supporters of oar institutions, and without whom wo OMraot I work those institutions,"