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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 809, 14 June 1879, Page 2

The press of the South Island still continue to comment on the Waimate affair. While the leading journals . write temporately,. they are very out spoken and review the question ably and^witfr impartiality. -The Times- of Dunedin says :— " Not more than three years ago, when the eyes of New Zealand were being turned towards the magnificent land which is comprised in these plains, a gentleman staying for some time at Htvwera, in their neighbourhood, informs us that he heard more than one settler attribute their non-posses&ion at the time, and. any difficulties that might occur in obtaining possession of them afterwards, to Sir William, the Hon. William Fox. And the explanation given was this. The termination of the West Coast war i with Titokowaru found a quantity of land, including that in the Waimate Plains, confiscated by proclamation, but to Maori notions only taken proper possession of up to the south edge of thbse plains. Mr. Fox, as Premier subseqenntly to' Mr. Stafforp, was urged to do some act, Biich as the erection of a small redoubt on the plains themselves, but positively refused, and not only this, but announced that no Europeans should be permitted to settle beyond the before-mentioned southern boundary. Gradually, therefore, the Natives, to use a homely phrase, ' dribbled' back and settled on places from which they had fled, and the Europeans -not having asserted their right to the conquered lands according to Maori ideas, the Maoris acquired an equitable right to them which they formerly had lost. Probably, if Sir W. Fox recalls these matters to his memory, he will not be quite bo sharp in criticism of the Government re the Waimate

Plains as he was not long ago at Wanganui ; and probably, too, the politicians, who \vho would fainsee the Government plunged into a dangerous Native difficulty would better apprehend how well they are dealing with difficulties provided for them by their predecessors." Prom the Lyttelton Times we have what here follows :— " Whatever may be our party contests we should fight them out -without involving civil war. So far as the mutual relations of the two races are concerned it is the duty of all to throw oil on the troubled waters. Fight fairly in politics and spare not, but for the sake of our common patriotism and our common humanity do not plunge the, country in an internal war by false and inflammatory statements and Becret -sedition. We probably appeal in vain to those who look on patriotism and humanity as mere c leather and prunella' in comparison with the gratification of their sharkish instincls for Native land. They and the low crew that ministers to their avarice would subject the King country to systematic colonisation. Perish peace if disturbance can avert such a calamity. We, for our part, would rather accept war with all its evils that truokle to the traitors. They are already the object of public scorn, and political parties feel degraded at the prospect of their alliance. We do not suppose that any moral penalty will affect them much, but there are two things which they would feel— one is failure in ther selfish object, the other is legal punishment. We trust that in both these respects they may be rewarded according to their iniquities."