The Evening Herald. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 1869. HOW TO SETTLE THE NATIVE QUESTION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume III, Issue 534, 17 February 1869, Page 2

The Evening Herald. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 1869. HOW TO SETTLE THE NATIVE QUESTION.

..-A'l gentleman in "Wanganui has ■'received a letter' from Mr King, of the Bank of ' New Zealand in New ' PlymouthjL.in_wh.ich the question ot road-making, as a means of settling trie-country a~nd: preventing native outbreaks,''is-discnssed. Ihe road . referred to in.. th.c, 'letter -wliich we publish in another column, would, run from the Wairigongora river throno-h Te Ngutu o 1c Manu, and round by.the back of Mount Fg/mont. "Mr. King's,,.plan should now have the careful consideration of the Government. If a choice had to be made between it and ,Mr Richmonds',. ._ which we referred to a few issues [ back, Mr King's would decidedly .have the preference, since it proposes road-making and settlement at the .same time; or rather, road-making as , a consequence of settlement, the land being given as. an inducement to' perform; the given work.. Both plans, however, might be adopted at the same time. The Armed Constabulary would intersect the troubled .parts with roads, .while, a land company would carry put main lines ; or the Armed Constabulary could assist the.Company and protect-it-while it performed its contract. The land on 'the other side of the Patea river, i which has.'not been disposed of by- ' the Government, and all native re- . serves up to the 'Waingongora, might lie.given to stout-hearted men who would go there and hold the land ,'a gainst "all comers. Numbers of the right class would only be too glad to '.' go and remain if they received grants of land conditional, upon their holding the country. The land is worse than valueless now, fbr it encourages ..'insurrection. If it were occupied, .rebellion would be impossible on this 7]cpfist. .'To sweep away all native go".'hctweens, such as paripateticagents, , to make roads through the country, ..and give the land to. men who will live upon it and hold ir,, is the only possible way by which future native troubles can be averted. At the

same time it is necessary to bend native custom to British law. A Maori king, i( 4 much longer tolerated, may .hying the Colony to financial ruin, ii is,existence is in accordance with neither policy nor common

sense, an fl negotiations with his^M^-., jects should cease for ever. Maori agents and Maori runhohlers : are; proper objects for suspicion in the.j Assembly, and their advice on na-; tive questions should he relip-iouslv ' eschewed. The pandering, namby~-'' nambv way of dealing- with the na-" tivps has nearly stopped the bank, and will assuredly break it if followed. Let our notive policy be' reversed; it is time we shewed the conquering spirit of the Romans, and threw off an Asiatic effeminacy and weakness. Sugar and flour have failed—let us try axes and rifles.

I Brick of Sheep in .the Waibahapa, -T-lOCO sheep have been sold in the Wairarapa at 2s 6d.per head. , :'

Wairarapa a Countt.—There is but little doubt, (says the Mercury) tbat a movement will he made similar to the one last year to advocate the virtual if not complete, separation of.the 'Wairarapa from Wellington; and-the inhabitants of the valley will be again moved to petition the General Assembly for Local Pelf-Government. There is but little doubt also that this movement will not meet with the same amount of opposition that the former encountered.

VrrcrcrnNG tke Forces.—We hear that wnout 200 men will be discharged from the Armed Constabulary,, as physically unfit for service, and as bad characters, before the weeding process has been completed. The loss this will entail upon the Colony must'be something very great. These men have been drilled peid and fed, and as they have been physically and morally unfit, they are discharged without having, rendered the colony any service. The Defence Department is responsible for the mismanagement which allowed at least the invalids to. get into the force. In the Imperial service the examination ofre r emits is so rigid that it is almost impossible for men physically incapable of service to, pass. As for the morally had ones, they are put into a mill, ground up, and brought out elegantly baked in pipe clay. Put in the Armed Constabulary there seems to be no alternative than to "discharge bad. characters, which looks like holding out a premium to them to become bad, if the service is unpleasant. These 200 men have been kept for two or three months, and the colony ; has been put to many thousands of expense, and yet. the premier will sa}^ that his brilliant Defence Minister is the model of enconomy, " sagacity," and prudence. It is one of the objections to constitutional government that accident will often bring the mostimhecile dotard into office, and circumstances keep him there. Every other page of constitutional history is pregnant with this fact.