The Invercargill Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 1863.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 83, 21 August 1863, Page 2

The Invercargill Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 1863.

If the arrest, of the native, Aporo, at Auckland, for the crime of being concerned in the outrage at Mr Gorst's establishment on the Waiknto, be followed by measures of equal vigor and promptitude, the colonists may congratulate themselves on the adoption of a more enlightened and firm policy towards the native population. " Bettor late than never 1 ' applies equally well to political measures as to domestic everyday concerns, and although we may deplore the blind infatuation which has hitherto induced the Government to ignore or condone native offences, we can afford to forget, the folly of the past if we can be but sure of future amendment. Cut we must confess that we are somewhat sceptical concerning the inauguration of a policy sufficiently firm and decisive to meet the necessities of the time. Sir George Grey has afforded so many proofs of a too confiding nature that he can scarcely hope to enlist the reliance of the colonists in his management. We are quite aware that the Governor has been hemmed round by many conflicting influences. Ke has had too many sorts of people to please, to make it possible for him to satisfy everybody. Sent to New Zealand, confessedly for the special purpose of settling the Native difficulty, he has by his exclusive attention to that department of his Government, dissatisfied the most influential section of the colonists. We have only too much reason to know howseriousiy the domestic legislation of the colony lias been neglected owing to the absorbing nature of Native affairs. Hut under the circumstances, the colonists could well have afforded to submit to this inconvenience and loss, if it had been compensated by a proportionate success in that branch of government which had occupied so much attention to the detriment of more domestic interests, lint when it is found that instead of such being the case, the evils Sir George Grey was sent to remedy have grown and increased in extent and dimensions it may be safely asserted that the Governor has signally failed to accomplish his mission. We are wilting to concede to Sir George Grey the possession of abilities for dealing with the natives second to none ; we admit that there is even yet a prestige attached to his name and reputation which is of the utmost importance at the present crisis. 33ut the influence and prestige belong to the Man and not to the Governor, lie is personally respected, probably by every Maori in New Zealand, but as the representative and embodiment of an authority the Natives are striving to subvert, he is, if not actually unpopular, at least without any influence in restraining the natives from tlie political excesses they seem determined to commit, lo our mind Sir George Grey has nil along mistaken iJio real nature of the native difficulty, — or at any rule

lie has by, his actions manifested a disposition to underrate rather than overrate the importance of the question. Possibly this'course may have been adopted .in order to prevent the King movement assuming the asnecfcof a national questiori with the Maories. By confininp; his action more particularly to cases. of a special or individual nature, Sic George no doubt imagined he would be able to lower the movement in the estimation of the disaffected natives, and possibly cause it to die out from sheer inanition. Hut Sir George Grey was mistaken in supposing he con Id thus quietly "snuff out" a movement which has for years been gradually increasing its hold on the minds of the natives. While the Governor has been standing silently by, looking for the last expiring glimmer of the King movement, it has been gradually gathering in intensity, and has now to all appearance burst out into a flame which bids fair to involve the whole Northern Island in the conflagration. While we have been vainly hoping that the scheme of Native institutions was educating the Maories into good citizens and subjects, the authority and influence of the law have been gradually getting weaker and weaker, until now scarce a vestige of power remains. Law and order are dead throughout the greater part of the Native districts, and the spirit of insubordination, natural to j a race fretting under the domination of an alien power, has spread far and wide. The King movement, inocuous as it was at first, and harmless as it might, under skilful control, have remained, has now become invested with all the lustre of a national question. The question at issue between the Government, and the insubordinate natives is not notv simply as to the mode of administering the laws of Her Majesty ; it is a positive refusal to acknowledge them at all. The Exeter Hall school insisted that the Kin" 1 movement was simply the embodiment of an innate natural desire for law and order. It may possibly have been so ; we do not believe it was, but it will do no harm now to admit that such was the case. But what has it resulted iv ? Have not the predictions of those whom Philo-Maorists and Exeter Hall declaimers united in denouncing, been verified ? Do we not see even the missionaries themselves among the first to lose influence and incur the insult and outrage of the King natives ? What is now the state of the mission schools in the Waikato aud other important districts? Events have proved that while we fancied the natives were simply amusing themselves with a childish harmless toy, they were handling an engine of destruction, — an engine which has well nigh uprooted every civilising influence from amongst them ,• engendered suspicion and ill feclin<r between the two racjs, and will assuredly, if not broken up, destroy the natives themselves. The acr.ive sympathy manifested by the "Waikato natives for the scoundrelly Ngatiruanui and Taranaki tribes ; the contemptuous attitude they are assuming in spite of alt sorts of concessions — Waitara for example —by the Government; the outrages they have committed and the warlike preparations they are making, all point to an unanimity of sentiment and of antagonism to the Queen's authority which, if not speedily checked, must inevitably end in a war of races, and a war of races means a war of extermination. There can be no doubt that Sir George Grey has striven to conciliate the Waikatos. The abandonment of Waitara was intended for that purpose, and under the flimsy puise of a mythical discovery of defective title, the Government foolishly and stupidly committed themselves to a measure which has excited the universal condemnation of the colonists, and utterly failed to accomplish the end desired. Instead of inducing a good feeling amongst the Waikatos, the relinquishment of Waitara has fostered a spirit of proud contumacy, ''he natives ascribe that measure to a spirit of fear, and in that they are right, for we quite believe that a foolish dread was the actuating cause of that most extraordinary concession. But it is high time such a suicidal policy should stop. The time has arrived to coerce, instead of conciliating the Maories with good behavior. If we Would not desire to see the whole native population, from the North Cape to Cooks' Straits drawn into the struggle, we must attempt to restrain the wavering tribes by placing before them the consequences of rebellion. Hitherto we have granted to the Maories all the privileges of British subjects, wtthout exacting the obligations of citizenship. Their property and persons have been respected, nay more, they have enjoyed an immunity from the just penalties of the law whilst they have had its aid and protection. 'Die time has arrived when this anomaly must no more exist ; and as the certain means to its destruction we hail with unfeigned satisfaction the measure of the confiscation of Waikato, announced by the Northern mail just to hand. Only by action of this sweeping kind, can we hope to prevent that unhappy consummation, which in other countries has resulted in blotting out the aboriginal race from the face of the earth.