The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPOBATED THE SOUTHER SaturdaY, 21st APRIL, 1888.

Otago Witness, Issue 1639, 21 April 1883, Page 18

The Otago Witness. WITH WHICH IS INCORPOBATED THE SOUTHER SaturdaY, 21st APRIL, 1888.

The policy wisely pursued by the Land Board with respect to dummyiam aoema to be working out remarkably well. Two uien, and only two, have appeared to demand their licenses, and, so far aa appears at present, there ia everything in favour of these men being bona fide settlers. They will doubtless get their licenses next week, and will have done this service to the public, in addition to the service done to themselves, that their appearance renders the non-appearance of those others all the more suspicious. Two of the Taßmaniana — the Youkgs — have written to the Hobart Mercury indignantly denying that they were dummies ; but a pertinacious " Inquirer " asks them, in the Hobart evening paper of the day on which their letter appeared — viz., 11th mat. — some very searching questions, which the Messrs Young will either have to reply to, or be for ever silent. It is remarkable that these men went away to Taamania a day or two after the sale, Btill without seeing the land, for the qualities of which some " friend " had vouched. "Inquirer" wants to know who that friend was, and all about it, aud the Dunedin public would like also to know why the agents who paid the money for them do not come forward and defend their clients. Even the mysterious "friend" seems to have deserted them, as he remains a dark horae. We should not like to accusa these men of telling a deliberate He in saying they are not dummies. Perhaps they think that they are not, having been sophisticated by some agreement, arrangement, or contrivanoo into the belief that they are within the law. If so, the persons who advised them m*y be more to blame than they. Such contrivances may suit for a flimsy veil in the dark, but they will not stand the light of day, which is likely to be poured in upon them. The La' d Board are on the rijfht track, and will doubtless now, having once, with some difficulty, been got into it, stand firm, notwithstanding they have one weak-kneed member in the person of Mr Clark. But is it not time for the Go vemment to make a move 1 A commission must undoubtedly be appointed to inquire not only into thia, but into other cases "of probable dummyißm which ar>beginning to be talked about. Indeed the whole of the defened-payment holdinge need inquiring into, whether pastoral or agricultural. We Bincerely trust that Mr Kolleston will not delay till the motives of the Government are brought in question, but will now appoint a commission, that they may report early next session, with recommendation* for the guidance of a special Parliamentary committee, or the Land Committee of both Houses, as to the amendment of the law, which is clearly defecive, and the detection and punishment of affunders. We would strongly recommend that at least two good Canterbury men should be on the Commission, and if Mr Simpson could be induced to act, he would fairly represent Otago, and his experience aa a magistrate would be useful.

When we read the other morning that the Queensland Government had taken formal possession of New Guinea, we confess we could scarcely believe our eyes. There had indeed been a good deal of talk about annexing that larye island, aud it is well known that the more adventurous of the Queensland and New South Wa'eß colonists were extremely anxioun to get the thing accomplished with all possible expedition ; but we never dreamed that such a step would be sanctioned by the Gladstone Govern menfc. That Government is understood to be anti-annexationist to a degree, and if it be true (as there is now no reason to doubt) that New Guinea is already to all intents and purposes a British Colony, or part of a British Colony, tho fact only confirms what haa been so frequently stated in these columns — that the policy of the Empire is in great measure inde I pendent of party politics or tho change of Ministries. This was in amanner implied in the answer of the Undersecretary for the Colonies to a question put to that functionary in the House of Commons on Monday last in regard to the reported an nexation. He stated that the island had been taken possession of in the name of her Majesty the Queen, pending a decision of the Imperial Government on the subject ; and he added that the annexation was deemed expedient in order to prevent the acquisition of New Guinea by any other Power. Exactly. In other words, the necessities of the Empire de mand the annexation About a century ago England annexed New Holland, as Australia was then culled, and sho is in consequence of that act now compelled to annex New Guiuea Such is the inexora, bio logic of the Imperial policy — a policy which, as we have said, practically shapes itself, borne of the London papers affect to doubt whether the Imperial Government will approve the action of the Colonial authorities in this matter; but we may be pretty sure that the decision which is said to be pending is a foregone conclu-

aion. It it* barely conceivable that the Queensland Government should have rawed the Union Jack on the island ou its own responsibility, or if there "had been the slightest doubt as to th« ex pedioncy — •which, in such a caae is much the same thing aa the necessity — of taking permanent possession of it. Part of New Guinea belongs, we believe, to A.us tralia in virtue of its fauna and flora. Thia would doubtless be a fantastic reason for annexing it, though scarcely more bo than the claims of race which are set up in the Old World. But the whole of New Guinea plainly belongs to the great island Continent by position. It is, or at any rate will yet be, aa necessary to Australia as Ireland ia to Great Britain, being separated from it only by a comparatively narrow strait. The com mand of this channel is besides indispensable even at the present time to the Home Couutry, inasmuch aa oue of the lines of communication with her Australasian dependencies passes through it. The annexation of New Guinea may be considered wise or unwise, but if it has really been sanctioned by the Gladstone Ministry, it may be taken for granted that it is simply a matter of necessity it will, however, entail additional responsibilities, and those of a very serious character, on either the British Government or the Government of Queensland, or both, and it ia sincerely to be hoped that the utmost care will be taken to protect the native population from such cruelty and rapacity aa haye hitherto almost invariably characterised the dealings of Europeans with inferior races.