A Parliament Ex Cathedra

Southland Times, Issue 9164, 13 March 1886, Page 2

A Parliament Ex Cathedra

[By Telegraph.j Wellington, March 11. At the interview with King uatives last week Mr Baliance flrnt of all presented the natives wiih three guns, and said he handed over the guas in token of tho conclusion of peace, and for the promotion of unity between the ruces. He had made arrangemeuts by which all respectable natives would get 08 much ammuaitioa and arms as tbey required, but he did not think the time had yet come for abolishing all re etrictions ia regard to the purchasu by the natives of guoa and ammunition. There were come bad Maoris to whom it might be dangerous to give unrestricted permission to purchase what arms tbey pleased, but, generally, there would be no difficulty in natives getting what they wanted. The power of toe bad peopie #aa becoming less every day, and the beat men were coming to the iront. Rafeiring to native measures, ho said it used to bo the practice to pass the lawa and then ex plain them to the natives. His plan wa9 to explain te the natives tho bills the Government intended to introduce, and take the opinion of the people on them before the bills were brought into Parliament. He hud receutly explained the provisions of the Nmivo Lauds Bill to a meeting ot native delegated at Hastings, and the people arrived at a conclusion as to the amendments that should bo made in that bill, and this was one ot tho measures that he adopted to bring about unity of the two rac©B and give the native people a share in the government of tbe colony. When that bill was introduced nest session it would b© the result of tbo deliberations of the native people themselves, and therefore they would have had a voice in the making of their own laws. Hori Ropiha expressed gratification at Mr Ballance'B words, and said that anything he (Ropiha) Bgrued to would bs agreed to by Tawhiao.