The Poverty Bay Herald THE East coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1881.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 1505, 19 December 1881, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald THE East coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1881.

With the Hon. John Brvck at the bend of the Native otHce, the Colony may expect soon to find that the clays of this expensive and formerly corrupt department will soon be numbered, — a consummation which is looked forward to with a considerable degree of satisfaction. The settlement of the West Coast difficulty — accomplished as it was so effectually — is the greatest blow which has been struck at it. The Country generally places unbounded confidence in the present Native Minister, and looks to him finishing the work he has taken in hand. Much yet remains to be done before the office is swept away, but that it will be done, and done promptly, none will doubt. The electors of Waitotara have done him the honor to elect him as their representative without opposition, and some idea of the estimation in which lie is held on the Coast may be gathered from the remarks of his seconder, Mr. Bridge, who said : — " Mr. Bhyce's Native policy was the most prominent matter before them, and he was sure that any district would be proud to be represented by a member of the Government like Mr. Bkvce. If Native affairs in the past had been managed with such firmness, discretion, and judgment as Mr. Buyck had displayed, Maori troubles would not be such a factor in New Zealand politics as they unfortunately were. The sugar and blanket policy had caused the Natives to look upon the settlers with contempt until very j recently. As representative for this district, Mr. Bryce entirely enjoyed the confidence of the electorate, and had there been any poll, he would have found that the confidence of the electors which he hail always enjoyed was still reposed in him." Mr. Bryce's reply, after his election, is characterised by that manliness and modesty which is habitual to him, but it is also of value for the assurances which it affords that the Native difficulty is broken at last. Much

remains to be done yet, and the new Parliament will have to address itself in earnest to the task of adjusting the many mattevs of detail which will aiise in regard to the claims of the expelled Natives for consideration, and there can be little doubt that the Government will be found anxious to mete out the strictest justice to the Maoris. The first great step having been taken the road will be clear of many of the difficulties which before obstructed it. Referring to the native question, Mr. Bryce said : — ' ; The position of the case on the West Const was this : — For a number of years past there had been a growing confederation, hostile to settlement in tho larger sense — hostile to the actual settlement of land, to the supremacy of tho Queen, and to law and order in the district. There hud been a constant danger to the country that hostilities might at any time break out, and this state of things became more and more intoleiable. It wus likely enough that in this district there were people who thought the Government had stooped to weakness in their long attempts to come to an arrangement with Te Whiti, but it must bo conceded that the Government had exhausted every means to come to an understanding with that chicf — and without success. He would not say that the Government had gone too far in so negotiating, but it would bo admitted that they had gone as far as they could. They felt, however, that they were obeying the behest of the whole colony, when they determined to put an end to that state of things, and if tho work could not bo said to be completely done, the neck of the difficulty was broken. Ho was only carrying out the uniform policy of tho (Jovernment when he said he had no inclination to talk about it. The watchword of Government had always been " work and not talk," and he was not inclined to boast about their policy. He did notcourt public praise or invite public blame, though he no doubt would receive both."