Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, MARCH 28, 1904. THE BLACKS OF AUSTRALIA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12517, 28 March 1904, Page 4

Taranaki Herald. MONDAY, MARCH 28, 1904. THE BLACKS OF AUSTRALIA.

Recently ';th<^cabl§7soM!iteijSiaf a warm controversy was taking place at Home , on .the, atiibieet of Tio\v -the- a ative^ population oi j^tisi the causes/; in€f efojr.;' " •$$&, " Xprjaicipfals in the cott > troye,rsy^wgre^Sir^iCJ vSwettenuamf .a Jorirtet; ol the^Stxaits-^^Set^.eme^tjj .atfd^ thi Hon; Henry.vfdbopfiJkn^, Attorney? General for >Ne>v South r Wales; Ifhe 5 Mi^imki^'6iHW'' i ieUits 6f ;j^tie§| gentlemen? H&3fs£ * not' **fei'° coxtieS ultf .der'b'iiy fctffeicV,^ ' epitome^jt* ajßP^ai^ th^tj^iiji "F. Swettenlam! was vijjoroiis in! his fcbndeufflfaiJlori : 6f \; the*, marinif in been, treated, jand $fiat t Mr .Cope-t lancl. was »■, 'Vigorous* tfinWcftf* fence; Sfctistilctf tiito^'not'lnfsu^ll^ misleatfinfr,.,.) aniflr Aa££h'oiiJch, 'a's-wd have ». said- before, _we l »na i yeMipt had the..'±Qj»K°r*tunity£ ''oV? pernsihg- ttii New South' Wales^Ageiit-^Oenerai'^ reply,-^tni t \kffe' l fMri !^h'e''wi]t''firicl'i! a difficult t>aisk : to cpn,yince rf j)eople that 'the, cause .qf j^ct£col. extinction ol.theJblack -races iii Aus-t trasi *mjay'{#o|^^f% fifteaWtre^e; laid at thj^;tl6x>£,of';itihe Whites. The' State -, Governments .-are re.preserEta-» tiyeMolVthe^vpeOple^ and.ipsb Ifcactoj^ the - peopje ■ have beesi 1 ■ gjuilty ( in ' thq mattefv' ivrfdeW rtotifcey ' the * f <S6^ern4 mentsiliafy: ##[#*' oi*' jbfaig&Wti &il»l com'tnission, are morally Walter^alE^lnisonti'oiyjvpod, in a^ series pi , .^fe a *i M ft <*#<?*&«<* N-orther^^WgT^rßltff vstance^'ol'^uiltyf^n^twor^ejuwhlcjh; came \umSht >iiis J£^»s>E^nV&^;bb-f' Wf £tsi / $f ' ',s##&§ as the black vslayes of j. Australia,! and, amongst ■ other things, recites" •tMs^ca^'.of^crtiefty^'' 14 ! was at! work; a i mine ! at ,Mallina. . An' l in<3entupe"d,'<n4tive told,, a bullock-. .c]riyer (jvhite),, whox$ :> l . .know he. had goorl cause to dislike, an 1 who had ordered .him to open a -gaJts,' to* 'do his ,owh wotk himself.. Thej 'master' of this , slave happened to, 'overhear the native," and picking Up^ a swingle-tree^ he- ram ' -«p- fe'ahvrid him, arid, txroiifght the* ifon-tippeilj end of it dowln wffcli all'his f force;6n§ the tin'fcstttmate native's bfltretliehHj master : 'wa? a' young', strong active |nan,. t about ' '\ 14 . stogie weight, 1 - anti/'was^ a' "•fully-j qiialified jns'^?e , "oi the, peace,, TheS slave .was a, small K ;i,^ig^^ l^k|ngl man.* the »blow woyX^i 3?>ave evaded; the careeti o'fTany v »i4n, > and,| iliickasis^ sk-wll' pf'^n -aborigin-"; al.'it was several-4ip\ii l s before the! nativfe |tfec^^rf« :;c r^iSte*oi»s|iesf.j ,Sev4rauwhit^ faiihtiiis^were' witness-^ ! es of the ? a^air; no cne .interfered ;[ ! it was ;p.iii^. I |L,iugjieJr^.,Xhe enemies! of freedom, pretencl, that tliese cases;; jare ,onl^/ iSdlaled ".jex&tt^ <?*jj cruelty." My experience^ exteiu'ding 1

over four years, in the Nor^west onfi-shape'-W-'anofher'as4s the an-4,,^sVsterfi-fv.'. An'- instance is •giTe»v-4*«HWji«hrf#ow having been shci-£ btcifefhf ifant^ "a wool Station /o'ietend' the' return of his 'tvife- who hkd 'bfeen stolen from %m •by a .whitc-imati.- Of coupe - 'in 'sfeftie ca'les tne"*#riter ma^- Kav.e given ii i an -'over-coloured {(.ccoiint of £he way'in-,^riiic'K >some blacks ,^eni, ; trea|W^fJjut &mfiS&ti%f<'f ° clis^msmg; ;the;iact t tha.t,jg^nerally, ithe lot of the Australian a^prigi'H^sKllai t^en ah unhapipy one > that ■^^■ffieft have been cruelly treatefij €i>o often muarclcrecl, and that th«» yfemljr liave!/b£eh ; " t!he - victims of : v icip^ ' lJwhi^sr,'..-'i'Al^l J whi^sr,'..-'i'A l^? 1J » h tbe ■^a^s ; '.; , s >\rieV v decf ea'scSa^ainly fiytgiajfy 'the. natives; voluntarily ac-'qjuinngL.-tho bad .habits of the * Canin -knowing' 'that ' they ' liave never I>een treated %^th cruelty ; ; on the 'contrary, the *^ative, \yhile given .kf !sa ! t9f& l^vja^SMas lihe white lTian i^c r a.lied : 'upoii' to pay little fof thern/'^rwhitemaai gjuilty of. an. offence against^, a, ;, Maori^is as amenable to the "law ; for" rtlia.tr tlia.t offence as "if 'the' victim had. been a Kuropean. "'We have no sympathy l sriteli ' the . smug Bharisee, and . while admittiiig ' that .^' 'the,. , white ,has .taught; .his , brother many bad hahits, vwe can <yet ,tieritve,sottie ,cpmfortr« from^ the.- knowledge that the. aboriginal native of New Zea-, J land//. ,has; *» never " experienced' ""the rcruelVyf: iJhat;. top .Often ils the lot of a^onq^eied" people-. ; w v