West Coast Times. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1881.

West Coast Times, Issue 3889, 24 September 1881, Page 2

West Coast Times. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1881.

The Native question, which according to the Government trumpeters was settled aome months ago, is at the present moment more threatening than it ban been for years. The experiment of putting a Middle Island man in charge of the Native Department has failed signally. Mr Rolleston has, in fact, delegated his functions to Sir William Fox, knowing himself as little of the Native question as he does of mining. The result must be said to deduct from his administrative powers. To the ordinary understanding the ways of the Pakeha-Maoris are quite incomprehensible. In the South Island there is only a vague preception of the dark and winding paths which have to be traversed in order to accomplish the end of all negotiations, the transfer of Native land to Fakehas. It is not too much to Bay that the people in the South are tired of the Great Mystery Man business. So far as one can know of the matter, the Native Department is a terrible drag on the progress of New Zealand. Mr Bryce was the only Minister who ever attempted to fairly grapple with the question, and he had to sacrifice his position to the base timidity of bis colleagues. Had they endorsed Mr Bryce's policy, the Native difficulty would have been by this time settled, to a great extent, at all events. Te "Vfhiti would not have been in a position to tell his followers to resist the law, to return blow for blow, and shot for shot. What it may be asked, is Te Whiti's last manifesto but a defiance to the Government ? We are told that the Armed Constabulary, who seem to be permanently settled in Taranaki, lock on with calm indifference wkile the Natives, by Te Whiti's orders, fence in the property which the Crown has lately sold. We hear of the inducement given to settlement on the West Coast, but purchasers have no right it seems to expect the protection of the Taranaki army which is nominally paid to defend their rights. Every thing is to be settled when Mr Rolleston arrives at the seat of war or of fencing. But the Native Minister has shown himself lamently incompetent. To begin, he does not understand the people he has to deal with, and is just as likely to «rr on one side as the other, to treat the Natives with undue laxity or too much severity. He, from his very ignorance, is bound hand and foot in the

toils of Government agents and of persona whose object it is to keep the Native question ia a ferment in order to preserve their means of livelihood. It is now quite clear that the Government made a grave mistake in opposing Mr Bryce, when he desired to put an end to Te Whiti's power. If serious complications do arise from this mistake, the Colony will have to thank Mr Hall and his colleagues for the consequent expense and delay of settlement. There is scarcely an act of the Hall Ministry which deserves so much public censure as their refusal to endorse the policy of Mr Bryce. That refusal was prompted by a " paltry motive. They only cared to retain their seats. It is quite clear that affairs on the West Coast of the North Island, are in a dangerous condition. At any moment there may be a shot fired. And worst of all, Government is in the hands of men who have no patriotism, no political faith or honesty, and who only care to retain office at any risk. The opportunity which Mr Bryce saw is gone. Had his policy been carried out, Te Whiti's power for evil woul d have been dissipated. Now it is too late. If Mr Bryce had seized the pestilent Maori Prophet, no fighting would have resulted. But if the constabulary dare to pull down fences, the Maoris will replace them ; if they attempt to arrest them, they will resist ; if the Natives are fired upon, they will return the fire. Such is the position in which the Colony is placed, solely through the cowardice and incompetency of the Hall Miaistry. The Native question is, we were told by Mr Hall, settled in a peaceable manner. Yet he asks and obtains a vote of £100,000 for defence. It is evident that the Government know perfectly well that they have dragged the Colony into a desperate difficulty.

For many years past attempts have been made t» obtain the hot springs of the North Island, from the Native owners, in order that their healing qualities might be brought within the reach of invalids at comparatively small cost. At last the Natives have been induced to ruake certain arrange* merits with the Government, by which the springs of Rotorua are to be thrown open to the public. In introducing the Thermal Springs District Bill, Mr Whitaker said that the object of the bill was to enable the Government to give effect to certain preliminaries The arrangement is that the Government are to obtain 4000 or 5000 acres of land, including the best springs, for the purpose of managing the property. The Natives are to give a lease of 99 years, and a settlement is to be formed with as little delay as possible. The only hitch at present is caused by disputes among the Natives themselves as to the ownership, but these are in process of being arranged. Once this is done ihe Government will "attempt to induce persons to take leases of these lands, with the view to the erection of hotels and other conveniences for the purpose of entertaining 1 visitors who might happen to go there especially invalids." There was no discussion on the bill, which is obviously necessary. The Maoris seem to have abandoned their conservative spirit with respect to their property in these healing water&, and are evidently inclined to give way to the invading Pake ha. In the course of a few years, if the intentions of the Government are fully carried out, these springs will become as celebrated as the best known places in Europe, which owe their prosperity to the crowds of invalids and pleasure seekers who periodically travel to them to drink, and bathe in, their waters.

His Worstip the Mayor received a tele* gram yesterday from Mr Reid, M.H.R. as follows: — "Boroughs to receive 7s 6d subsidy; road boards, 10s j counties, 10s." The amount payable to the Borough of Hokitika on £994— rates collected for the year ended 31st March last will consequently be £372 15s— which will no doubt be very acceptable.

Aa entertainment in connection with All Saint's Church will take place at the Town Hall on Monday next, commencing at eight o'clock. The Managing Committee have arranged an excellent programme, and are doing their best to make the concert as successful as the last.

The Rev. W. S. Hamilton, Curate of Ross, will officiate at All Saints Church morning and evening service, to-morrow, Sunday the 25th inst.

The circuit sittings of the Supreme Court will be opened at 10 a.m. on Monday by his Honor Mr Justice Richmond. Jurymen and witnesses must therefore be in attendance at that hour.

On Wednesday last there died at Woodstock a venerable Maori named Hakiaha Tahana at the age of 85. He was the son of Ka Tehoro Talmna and was born near Lake Ellesmere on the East Coast. The deceased used to relate stories learned from his father, of the manner in which his tribe was driven over from the East to the West Coast and of how they killed the origin»l possessors of the soil, the West Coast natives, taking possession of their land which they occupied until the all pervading white man came. The funeral will take place on Monday and the remains will be buried in the Maori Cemetery, Arahura. The deceased leaves a wife, an aged woman, and a hoßt of grandchildren and great-grand-children.

From a return laid before Parliament, it appears that the land on which the Government Buildings are erected cost for reclamation £3,724 16s, and that the amount paid to the contractor for reclaiming the remainder of the Thoradon reclamation waß £56,787 3s 6d. The amount received by the Government for the portion sold has been £82,888 13s Id- The area reclaimed was 49a lr Bp.

At Wellington the other day, one Roderick M'Donald was convicted of stealing a set of bagpipes from Angus M'Lellan. The two were in a hotel when Roderick, after performing the " March of the Cameron Men," wound up Mith" The Rogues March," and cleared

off with the fascinating instrument. He got

two months, and was not allowed even the solace of the pipes in prison.

The following appears in the European Mail:— "l nave a brother, Joe Earnshavr, a stonemason by trade, who, when I heard from him last, sixteen years since, was in New Zealand. I have been to a gentleman in this town, who advised me to write to you. lam anxious to hear from him, and I am led to believe you will give me instructions how to proceed. If it be necessary to advertise him please write to Josh. Earnshaw, Quay street, Huddersfield. By so doing you will confer a favor."

There was laid on the table of the House last week, a statement showing the apportionment between the several Provincial districts of the amount expended out of a loan from the commencement of the Public Works policy, 1881, as follows:—-Auok-land,£2, 680,900- Hawke's Bay, £817,325 ; Wellington, £2,620,509 ; Taranaki, £604,006; Nelson, £904,030; Marlborough, £287,206; Canterbury, £3,008,532; Westland, £811,064; Otago, £4,714,872; general, £1,346,705; total, £17,795,143.

Mr Foster, of the Coffee Palace, Christchurcb, has been making some experiments as to the comparative cost of ga3 and coal as fuel for cooking. The result is that he finds a|gain in favour of a joint cooked by gas of ten per cent, in weight, and fifty per cent, in fuel, the amount of gas required to cook a dinner costing 3d, and of coal 6d. These conclusions were arrived at after experiment ( ing with two legs of mutton, and he proposes j to repeat the trial again. Farinacious food, arrow-root, violet powder are being made from potatoes by Morgan' Ward & Co., in Christchurch, The process is simple, the potatoes being mashed and cleansed and the starch eliminated from the i pulp and dried.

j What will our young ladies think .of the following advertisement which we cut from the London Times :— « Unmanageable Girls. — A good home, with experienced anil juiicious supervision, offered by a widow lady and daughter. Strict disciplinarians. Educational advantages. Excellent references — Address Nil Desperaudum, care of Chas. Walter, 4, BelNyard Teinple«bar."

The Timaru Herald, whose editor formerly held a leading position in the Civil Service, remarks ;—lf; — If we desired evil to ao enemy to take the shape of rendering nugatory his intellectual attainments, aud of destroying his ordinary common sense, we shottld place him in a Government offioe. Ere a fevr years had passed under the cold passionless life to be fouud in departmental bureaux, brought about by the steady unswerving system of routine and of red tape, and of that nowhere to-be-fixed responsibility which in itself is so charming a feature in officialdom, we should find uur sweetest revenge more than gratified ; the intellectual attainments o£ our quondam foe would be brought to one dead level of no high order, and his common sense, from want of exercise, if not entirely desertine him, would be fourd to have so wofully deteriorated in quality as to be practical!} valueless for the ordinary busiuess oi life.

Why have persoof such a horror of the ievised edition of the Bibl , as if it were common and uncle m (asks "Asmodeus/'in the N.Z iila.il)? It reminds one of a btorj of a Frenchman who was staying in an English house. On coming home from church one Sunday morning, the lady of th c house discovered him reading the English Bible (not the revised version), which he attempted toshufEb away in a fit of modesty- " Oh, I see you are reading our Bible," said the lady. "Yes, " returned the Frenchman* when he found concealment of no avail ; "I know it ees not a varry propaire book, but ees varry amusing. " Exit the hostess, dissembling.

The Wanganui Herald has been taking stock of the different popular modes of waltzing, aud thus describes them ; — Danc~ ing cannot yet be considered as an exact sciencu, nor is it (to judge from the styles in vogue at public balls) governed by laws* whicti, like those of the Medes and Persians, never change. Take for instance the various methods employed by those who indulge in the giddy yet, fascinating waltzIn one case, the gentleman* contents himBelf with touching the tips of the lady's fingers and a solitary button on the back of her dress. This, we suppose, may be termed the correct {esthetic idea. In another instance, where, perhaps, the parties understand one another a little better, the male of the species places his hands firmly on the female's back, and both go round the roon with a look of ineffable contentment. Yet another mode, and this where the performers understand one another even more amicably. The gentleman takes the lady's six-and-a-quarter gloved hand in his own larger paw, and comfortably deposits both on the right shoulder. This fashion is greatly in vogue. Last of all comes what may be described as the true lover's knot. Each partner affectionately clasps the other's waist and, •• the world forgetting," but certainly not " by the world forgot," sail round the room to the admiration of some beholders and the envy of others. Variety is so charming that we should be sorry to Bee the day when any one of these styles of waltzing ia made compulsory.

The German Government recently requested the Italian Government to interfere to prevent the wholesale massacre of songbirds which takes place in Sicily, specially at the time of their annual migration. It appears from the accounts given in the German papers that the French are no less sinners in this way than the Italians. It is well known that the birds of passage gather in great masses on the coast of the Mediterranean just previous to taking their flight into southern climes, or immediately afte r their homeward flight. The most common means adopted is to construct an erection called le posts, which is a single chamber of brickbrick, roofless, about 12ffc square, in one wall of which apertures are provided for several guna. At a distance of a few yards are planted a dozen or so of pine trees, to the upper branches of which arc fixed dry boughs and artficial perches, and to these are suspended cages containing decoy birds. Most of these birds have had their eyes barbarously gouged out, as they have been kept in dark rooms to train them to sing, and the idea is that they would, if exposed

to the light, becomft wild and restless, and lose their son?. In this way thousands and thousands of birds of every kind are massacrep and the markets of Europe supplied with these delicacies. But the laws of nature cannot be violated with impunity, and it is instructive to find that the farmers in the south of France are loudly complaining of the increasing plagues of insects, worms, and every other kind of vermin, which are ruining their crops. In one place it has been found necessary to pass the moat stringent laws for the protection of swallows, as the mosquitoes had multiplied to such an extent owing to their destruction.

Holloway's Pills,— Sick Headaches. —Thousands suffer from this worrying annoyance when the body and brain are depressed in warm damp weather. Hollo* way's purifying Pills present a ready means of cure for indigestion, biliousness, and flatulency; in debilitated constitutions, and nervous habits these Fills are the best restoratives ; they correct all the unpleasant consequences of torpiiity of the liver, they remove distention, and never fail to secure regular action. For all abdominal ailments Holloway's Pills are the safest possible edicine, they at once give ease and comfort, and naturally strengthen the whole series of organs concerned in the process of digestion, and will be found usetul in every household.