The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, 21 August 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1879.

§1r George Grey and Mr. Sheehak are mercilessly pulled to pieces and skinned by Mr. J. S. Macfarlane, In • r £ 3us address to the electors . of Waitemata. He tells the electors that tha promises and professions of the Premier and Native Minister m regard to the management of native affairs were truly delightful to. listen to. The whole Native Department was ta. te at .once ; swept away ; the natives were to elect their own assessors \o investigate, the titles to "their lands 1 ; and Government landJbttying- was,^-prQnounced ...by the. ,Premie,r and Native Minister :to be disastrdus ' to any. : and would at once Be put a stop to. T^v6wiiSjent^i^-|jircbaamg was'de- * <^recT*Dy Nafive*Minister kTbe ruinous -to the ,colony m a* money point of view, and calculated only to alienate' : ih'e . natives from shaving : confidence m the Government. In place ,of fulfilling these good promises, .the Native Department has actually , been largely increased, while really trust wjorthjr : officers have been removecl r by. , being pensioned off, at : }.:■ enojgnpuatlpss :tqjfche colony, and men . - of- doubtful- reputations m several instances have. ;been;j put m their places ) so that the Department is not only .largely 5 increased, [but rendered inefficient and worthless, the <i Native ,-Minist«iN rhaving expended, under his own personal rule, the enormous sum of £45,000 this year, as against 32,000 last year — while at • tlje " same itime all « over the colony " 'distrust;' and ill" fleling towai-ds the . ..(iQyexnmenJb hag^been engendered m the- native mind. .,, -• The tw6 "bills which, "had for their object the incarceration and trial of / natives .ih. s an arbitrary^ind despotic manner are striking illustrations of ..the recklessness. ;and carelessness of the Government m all that concerns f f friendly, native.3 ; for one of the principal men to whom these disgraceftil --..bilj^jßpgly. has/more • -than once been "*iiia£rumerital in* saving* tEe lives ofEuropeans. ' Greater proof of mal- •" .adminiSti»tioii;-'i .iieaiiilessness, and tyranny could not be found on record ■ m any cdtintry-^nbt even m Russia.' 1 - } 'With' all these, ' and even more s&ious and well-substantiated chai'ges 'against "Ministers, it is, we think, very far from certain they will not be „. m power again., j Tie Premier's' oily "tongue, and' the Native Minister's dash aiid ; ami ready way of turning every charge made against ' liim'Jtb his : own advantage, will probably do veiy much. Those two ■ Ministers possess immense influence Tto bring our electors to their side. They have the Government yachts to carry theni about and reach one constituency after another. They have patronage m their hands to bestow, and while they have made enemies of those who have very little power to retaliate, they have had the tact to make friends of scores of men .capable of influencing the elections m favoiii of . their party. We say then that it is very far from being certain the present Ministry will be ousted from office. It is possible that pressure will be 'brought tobear to induce Sir George Grey to retire from political life ; but . w© feel sure that such a. pressure will be -resisted to the death. . We do not arrogate to ourselves, the igift of prophecy ; but we do not think that we shall be far out when we

say that wherever the Premier or the Native Minister addresses the electors they will receive ovations, followed by votes of confidence. The ease with which the masses ai-e swayed by eloquent and fluent tongues is well \mderstood by all having any knowledge of human nature. The old man eloquent, and the young Colonialborn statesman, both possess, m . a high degree, the gift of obtaining the voices of the people. If returned to place, and power, the meeting yesterday of Mi*. Sheehan by deputation, will probably be of some service to the people of the Bay. Mr. Sheeaan has made promises which it is scarcely possible that he will attempt to back out of ; and these m themselves will prove of no smalL value and importance to the district. Of returning a local member out of three now. m the field, there is, m our opinion, scarcely the shadow of a chance. If the three candidates cannot arrange among themselves for two to withdraw, then Captain Morris* . success amounts almost to a certainty ; for a large number of the Gisborne and Bay settlers who would readily vote for a one man candidate, will be certain where there are three, to give Captain Morris their support. It may not yet be too late for the trio of candidates to come to terms with themselves.