The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Ressurexi. MONDAY, JUNE 1, 1885.

Thames Star, Volume XVI, Issue 5108, 1 June 1885, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Ressurexi. MONDAY, JUNE 1, 1885.

The ex Nati?e Minister—Mr Bryce—has been disburdening himself of the mighty weight of golden wisdom which has lain so heavily npon his mind since the close of last session. The hon. member for Waitotara has taken up the lugubrious strain forgotten, intentionally perhaps, by his erstwhile leader, Major Atkinson, and now sees no hope for the future welfare of the colony unless other measures than those proposed by the present administration are applied. Mr Bryce, in fact, sees with a blank despair—having no off shoet even in the shape of future legislation, and the probability of financial genius and good management being exercised—that if the reigning Government remains in power, sad disaster awaits the colony's young life. These ideas pertaining to a pessimist out of office, would perhaps alter very considerably to optimistic ideas were Mr Bryce in office ; and all things duly weighed, an observer of " things as they go" cannot help thinking that the thin veil enshrouding the ex* Minister's meaning, permits those who would go below the wiiwe to thiuk that lite

speaker must have liad an idea that he wc.s fishing in shallow water, or at least that he had a very gullible meeting to deal with. Iv a reference to the present native irritation on the West Coast, Mr Bryce thought, and very properly too, that there was not much importance in it. There certainly is not. But his addendum —"if dealt with firmly " —shows in what groove his ideas in connection with native administration runs. The Parihaka hero would endeavor to undo all the good work done by wise and thoughtful tacticians; would wield an iron rod orer the head of the native, quelliDg—fora time— hispseuelo desire for their welfare; but, he cannot — unless be be softer than the ordinary run of Native Ministers—think his striking down will hare any permanent effect; in all humanity it is to be hoped that it has had none. The " firm hand" policy will not do with the race that has to be dealt with, there is far too much in telligence in its possession to allow it to tamely submit to severe oppression. The native race is gradually, and by de grees, submitting itself to the civilisation of its neighbors, and daily taking advantages of the laws provided for its guidance. It is therefore impolitic, if not inhuman, to advocate putting it down with a " firm hand." In criticising the financial proposals of the present Government, he selected no less an authority than Mr Thomson—by the way, a very insignificant financial light, almost as brilliant a man at Treasury matters as Mr Bryce himself—and revelled in a mass of figures showing, or attempting to show, that a deal of log-rolling had been indulged in, and that the whole colony was fast drifting into a state of hopeless insolvency. Mr Bryce fiercely denounced the local government scheme proposed, yet be omitted to mention that the Government to which he was last attached had had an opportunity of improving on the system that is now in operation, but omitted doing so. We fear that Mr Bryce must have disappointed all those who were not strong partisan?, by his recent deliverance, and judging by its • matter, it can only be hoped that we will not have to soon welcome to a return to office the hon. gentleman who has been emptying the vials of his wrath in the presence of the Waverly portion of his constituents.