HOUSE of COMMONS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1730, 3 June 1862, Page 5

HOUSE of COMMONS.

March 13, 1862. (From the Home Newt March 26i\i.) Mr. Adderly rose to ask the Under-Secrelary of State for the Colonies what was the nature of tlie new plan of native administration proposed by the Governor of New Zealand, and whether the imperial Government would be free from the responsibility for the scheme, and fiom the military and and civil expenditure involved in its adoption, and whether the present number of troops in that colony was about to be reduced. The matter involved in the question should be considered at once, or it would be too late. It had been decided a week ngo by the House that the colonies, with a few exceptions, should in future bear the expense of defending 1 their own respective territories. Amongst the exceptions was New Zealand, in which we are now maintaining 7000 troops, entirely at own cost, and entirely for local purposes. (Hear, hear,) Her Majesty's Government had, however, held out a prospect that the excepted colonies should as speedly as possible be placed on the same footing as those which bad been thrown upon their own resources. It was important to consider without delay the case of New Zealand, as the Governor of that colony was preparing- a new policy, which in a few months be inaugurated. According to the terms of that plan, the colony would either have to take on itself the responsibility of maintaining troops for its own defence, or this country should take, as it were a new lease of its maintenance. He therefore desired to know what steps had been taken by her Majesty's Government to release this country from the expenditure to which he referred in the new plan of administeration — or whether, if any clause in the Constitution Act stands in the way of their so doing, it might not be repealed. In his opinion it was essential to the interest of this country, to the interest of the colonies, and to the interest of the natives that the new policy should be left to the responsibility of the administration, and that an end should be put to the wasteful interference which had resulted from imperial supremacy. The constitution which had been sketched by Sir George Grey was in the hands of the Government, and he had a copy of it, and he would state its outline. The plan was to map out the territory of the natives in New Zealand into circuits, and to cut up those circuits into villiage districts. He gave to each district a native council, and he placed at the head of those council^ a native chief, and a goverument commissioner was to attend the councils for the purpose of advising them The circuits themselves had larger councilsj consisting of about twenty districts. These large councils would consist of the presidents of all the smaller councils, and would be presided over by the chief commissioner himself. Sir G. Grey also proposed a new scheme as to waste lands, the grants of which were made dependent on conditions of occupancy and residence. It seemed to him that this scheme was far more creditable to Sir George Grey's ingenuity than it was promising either of peace to the colonists or good to the natives. It was difficult to discover from the estimates the total expenditure in respect of any of our colonies, as the items were scattered here and there. But an appioximate estimate might be made by taking the number of troops at present in the colony. The number was 7000, and at a- man which was the average expenditure, that would be £700,000. But he had a letter from a colonist, dated October last, in which he stated that the total expenditure of the Imperial Government in the colony was about £960,000 a year, and if they added to that the cost of stores, the cost of the transport service, and the naval establishment, the total expenditure could not be less than £1,500,000 a year. This was exclusive of all the losses which the colonists had U bear, and which, if the war continued could not be less than £500,000 a year. It was important for the House to consider whether the proposition of Sir George Grey was likely at all to diminish this cost. He (Mr. Adderley) was firmly convinced that if that scheme were backed by the imperial Government and supported by troops from England, it would produce wars which would last till there was not a native to fight with. Did Sir George Grey tell them himself that his fdie'ne would be undertaken hy the colonists P By no means, far he had seen a correspondence in whioh it was stated that his Ministers told him that it was a scheme of the imperial Government; that he was the officer of the imperial Government, and had been sent there on purpose to carry out that scheme. He believed that Sir G. Grey did not at all contemplate saving any expense to the imperial Government by this scheme of his. It was stated before the colonial defences committee that negotiations had been going on between the imperial Government and the Government of New Zealand for six years, to in duce the colonial Government to take on themselves some small share of the expenditure, and the result was that the Government of N"ew Zealaud consented to pay the imperial treasury I £6 a-head for all the imperial troops in the colony, leaving the taxpayers of this country to pay the remaining £95. But bad as that offer was, even it had not been carried out, and the whole expense of the troops in the colony was paid out of the imperial treasury. And the colonists did noi eveH thank us for this. They sonsidered that the war whs in consequence of the imperial policy ; that the colonists, if left to themselves, could deal with the natives ; and that, therefore, the imperial Government ought to bear the expense of the wars their policy occasioned. The right lion, gentleman then read several extracts from leading articles in the colonial newspapers and speeches inculcating this view ; and he concluded hy sajiug that if, the imperial Government t.)ok upon itself the! responsibility of this scheme, depend upon it we had seen an end of the last chance of putting an end to this waste of money on account of the interminable and bloody wars in New Zealand.

Mr. Fortescue said the other night he ventur. Ed to draw what seemed to him to he a plain and inevitable distinction between the expenditure for the maintenance of internal order, police order within colonies of British origin, and the expense involved in wars between British colonists and formidable tribes residing within their boundaries. The right lion, gentleman had been talking of those large sums which he (Mr. Fortescue) regretted to say this country was now expending in New Zealand to provide against a danger so leal, so formidable, and so pressing, and of so grevious a eh a racier, chat it could not be left to the ordinary duties of a police force to put it down. Whether it was right or wrong

the system pursued in New Zealand was one which had been followed by this country for many generations, and it was a system under which New Zealand had sprung into existence. New Zeahnd, which he believed was an infant colony of about 20 years' standing, came under the protection of this country and obtained from Parliament certain vctes for the ordinary expenditure of the colony ; but that colony, like othew, had been called upon to provide some of the means towards the expenditure of the military forces. The vight hon. gentleman told the House that the colonists had entreated this country to protect them against the formidable dangers which surrounded them, and he said that they now bitterly complained of the garrison of the colony being cut down to a single regiment. Now he (Mr. Fortescue) knew that they did not ask this country to protect them, but that they denounced the presence of our troops as a burden upon them. The right hon. gentleman had, however, quoted from New Zealand newspapers, which were utterly worthless for the purpose of influencing the House of. Commons upon this subject, and the quotations could not be put in competition with the repeated expressions of the New Zealand ministers and the great majority of the legislature in their . support of the governor in the course which, he had taken. There could be no doubt that the governor, acting nominally as the representative of the Crown, and acting in conjunction with his ministers, did take certain steps against a very turbulent and active native chief, contrary to expectations and opinions of all who advised him, and that led to those unfortunate hostilities, and now the right hon. gentleman threap ened the Government with seiions consequence^ if they made tbemselv es responsible for the plsfo for native administration which be said he had been informed hud been drawn up by Sir George, Grey, the Governor, and his advisers, andi which the right hon. gentleman suppased would involve this country in greatly increased expenses. He (Mr. Fortescue) was not able to give the house much information upon the subject of the governor's plan, as it was only received a few days ago by the noble duke at the head of the Colonial Department. The whole object and intention of that plan was however, the very reverse of that sketched out by the right hon. gentleman. The whole object of the plan was not to increase expense, but to decrease the risks of future wars. The plan was to introduce, with very few exceptions, a system of local self-government, to be worked by the natives, under the presidence of British officers, and in districts not arbitrarily formed, but depending upon tribal divisions of New Zealand He would not offer any opinion on the plan, for it had been impossible to convey to the governor any opinion upon the subject of it. The noble duke, the Colonial Secretary, had, however, addressed a rigid inquiry to the governor, asking whether New Zealand was prepared to make some efforts to carry it into effect, and also what efforts would be made to pay the expenses of the late war. He would add that her Majesty's government had not committed themselves in the smallest degree to any responsibility in regavd to any portion of the plan or to the military and civil expenditure which it might entail ; but they had simply limited themselves to making requisitions for fuller explanations, and which they had a right to expect to enable them to judge of the working of the plan. One part of the plan he (Mr. Fortescue) approved, and it was an essential part of it — that the action of the popular government in New Zealand should embrace the management of the natives affairs. The governor had transferred these duties to a responsible department, and he was novv acting in regard to the natives' affairs as in those of all other persons. The right bon. gentleman appeared to have been iitformed that some of the members of the ministry of New Zealand entertained objections to the plan ; but her Majesty's Government had reason to believe that it had beeu drawn up witb the approval of a responsible ministry, and nothing could be more inconvenient that some body in New Zealand should instruct a member of the House of Commons to state, at a lime when the plan was not matured, that it bad been condemned and objected to. The iuformation which her Majesty's Government had received was very different, and he trusted it would prove to be correct. As to the reduction of troops in New Zealaud, it appeared to him (Mr. C. Fortescue) that the right hon. gentleman had undervalued the difficulties of the question; for whatever, might be the system of native government which should be adopted in New Zealand, no one could doubt that it would be absolutely necessary for this country to continue to endure the burden of military expenditure for the protection of that colony. It would be a short-sighted policy to withdraw our troops from New Zealand, but he trusted that the measure of Sir George Grey would greatly tend to prevent the causes of collision between the settlers and the natives. The intentions of her Majesty's Government should not be misunderstood, and it was absolutely necessary that tbe natives should feel that the Government were acting for their good, and that it was not out of fear of their arms that these proposals had been offered to them. (Hear hear.) '

Mr. Eoebuck said the time was coming when. they would he able to gather certain conclusion*, on their past policy. He was in the House whdlPthe colonisation of New Zealand took place, and the question now before the House tbea arose in reference to the aborigines. He recollected startling the House and the late Sir Robert Peel, who had the remarkable faculty of assimilating to himself every other man's ideas, by stating that wherever the white man locatedliimself the brown man must disappear. Now, what right had we in New Zealand ? We took the land from the natives, and then turned round and told them that we knew we were doing them an injury, but that we would do them the least possible injury. vVe took away tbeir means of life, and then sent a certain number of pious persons and missionaries to make them good Christians, and to preach the gospel to them, and to do everything towards them except doing them justice. If we would let them inhabit their own country that would be doing them the greatest justice, but that was not intended. If we went to New Zealand out mode of life, habits of living, thoughts, and course of civilisation were . destructive to the brown man. It was like signing their death warrants when we put our foot on their shores* But all that went for nothing in the House of Commons. If we left the colonists to govern themselves and not to depend on our exertions - they would soon put an ond to the war. Let it be boldly and openly stated, and let there be no further pretence for hypocrisy and a large expenditure of money. Let it be understood by all that we bad been creating a new country, and a new people, and giving a place to European civilisation in the Southern hemisphere and that by so doing we had been destroying tbe aborigines. The people of England would find that they begun this colonisation with injustice, and that they must take the consequences of their evil deeds. He had no doubt that the words which he had spoken would be said to be cruel— cruel they might be, but they were ths result of their past policy, (Hear.) ■ ■■-