THE NATIVE RESERVE.

Western Star, Issue 464, 23 July 1881, Page 2

THE NATIVE RESERVE.

TO THE EDITOR, hare been getting it'pretty hotTn your Wednesday’s issue, but to enter on a long series of replies would, not do for me at all for various reasons. ; J I cannot write twe letters ; I, must therefore slump you.and Mr' Crockett. What I have to say to him will soon be said.. With your remarks be says he has nothing to do. If that is Into, he has nothing to do with mo either. My letter was purely an answer- to i; your remarks, and to nothing else. I stated that at the very, first as precisely and pointedly-as I could. So far forth as their aims or arguments may differ from your article of July 2nd, Mr Crockett and his friends can know nothing of my opinions. They protest that they only want to the kaik without any ulterior object in view. Mr Crockett believes that fifteen-sixteenths of the natives desire that. Well, why did he not get up a petition from the natives praying for annexation; If they

are agreeable, I am content. But you know, Mr Editor, you stated an ulterior object, viz., to remove the natives far from any European settlement. Ido not think those parties will thank you for letting the cat out of the bag. In your last article you have shifted your ground entirely. Your main object now is to train the natives to the duties of citizenship. How do you reconcile that with yoiir expressed opinion that it was a great mistake to place them near a municipality? You sneer at the idea of the natives paying for drainage or water supply. I have not your article by me while writing this, but I think the way you put it was this—that the kaik would bo i» the way of these objects. I stated that the mutuality of the advantage would prevent them being in the'way of drainage. A 4 to water supply, there is no water in the kaikjDpr. beyond it except the sea. With sublime indignation you deny that anyone has an intention of using management or artifice to get the Maori sections under value. Well, the thing canfio.t Jie, proved nor disproved; but rembvo ■ the obstacles and the temptation may preVa too strong for, their virtue.; We can only judge from what has taken- place in other parts of 'the colony. ' I have been informed on very good; authority that the Government nave had plenty of trouble with that sort of thing. I simply-believe that human nature is muah the same here as elsewhere. You indulge in the most extravagant admiration of the half.-c^ste. as compared with jlsori, or even ijQe'Bn&m/ I hope your motive-fOr this was not to lure me to contradict you in a way that would make me unpopular with that class of people. I simply say that it i# notisense, and I should know.—l am, &c., Justice,’