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Observer, Volume 2, Issue 36, 21 May 1881, Page 388

The native lands are fast falling in large blocks into the hands of private persons. JSo legislation has been successful in preventing this in the past. On the contrary, every attempt at restriction has only .succeeded in throwing smaller buyers out of the iield. It confined the tield entirely to those who had wealth enough to fight with any administration that might oppose them, and influence enough to ultimately get their illegal acts made legal by getting an administration put. in more favourable to their views. Will it lie possible to prevent this in the future? We doubt, it. The influences at work are too powerful. The people interested are united, and they subordinate all their considerations to the one end. To oppose them there is only a people, with many other things, to occupy its attention, and easily divided by skilful misrepresentation of the motives or exaggeration of the mistakes of those who lead them. The Grey Government was, above all things, strong on this native lauds question. It would not allow any private purchasing. It held that the land should be bought -for the people, should be sold to make its own roads, and should be as widely settled as possible. This policy raised up powerful enemies against the Grey Government, in Auckland especially. They defied it, and by influence with the natives and by other means obstructed it in every way. Then they said triumphantly, "See what a foolish Government you have ; it cannot buy for itself, and will not allow us to do so." The Government replied that the light was a hard one, but if the people were firm it must end in their favour The people were not firm. They were divided by skilfully drawing their attention to other questions. To the .Southern portions of the Colony the Native Lands were nothing. The Grey Government was thrown out. The speculators got their lands, and the burden of making roads through them will probably fall on the whole people. Much energy and patriotic spirit will have been wasted, and history will have repeated itself. The united few will have beaten the disunited multitude. People will learn to look upon the thing as done, annd those will laugh who win. So wa^s the world away. °