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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 80a

"The Premier and the Natives

"The Premier and the Natives.

"The Premier's tour amongst the North Island Maoris can only be characterized as a triumphant march. He has been received everywhere with demonstrations of goodwill and kindly feeling, and, so far as we can gather from the published reports, the Natives have shown him pretty plainly that they repose confidence in him. Mr. Seddon has not gone amongst the Natives with a cringing mien; he has employed no arts in his efforts to secure their goodwill. When a man arrested for some misdemeanour in connection with stopping surveys offered to shake hands with him, Mr. Seddon refused to do so, on the ground that he could not take the hand of a man who had been guilty of breaking the law. Compared with the action of Mr. John Bryce in 1883, in shaking the hand of the murderer Te Kooti, Mr. Seddon's conduct stands out in bold relief. In the same way, when Tawhiao, the Maori King, put on airs, and attempted to get the Premier to dance attendance on him, the Premier maintained the dignity of his position by insisting on the King coming to see him. The King was an hour behind the time he had appointed, and when he arrived he found that Mr. Seddon had left. This is the way to teach the Natives obedience to the law; it is, in fact, the best way to bring them to realise their position. But this was not all. Mr. Seddon told the Natives that the vast areas of land which they had kept locked up must be made productive. He told them that the Government were cutting up the large estates of Europeans, and that the Natives must expect to be similarly treated. It is not with honeyed words or fair promises, or deceptive artifices, therefore, that Mr. Seddon has secured the goodwill of the Natives. He has spoken to them bravely and fearlessly, but at the same time he promised them that they should receive justice and fair play. Manly and spirited independence, as well as earnestness of purpose, and a disposition to be just and fair, have won for the Premier the confidence of his European fellow-settlers throughout the colony, and we have no doubt that it is an appreciation of the same qualities that has aroused the applause of his Native audiences. They have, with that keenness of perception peculiar to them, seen that Mr. Seddon means to treat them honestly. They see that he is determined to save them from being robbed by the harpies who have hitherto been preying upon them, and hence the secret of their confidence in him.

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"But, from all appearances, Mr. Seddon will have no easy task in devising a land policy which will be acceptable to the Natives. They are imbued with the idea that they ought to have a Parliament of their own, and manage their own affairs in their own way. This cannot be permitted. If they had lived on a separate island something of the kind might be done, but in this colony, where Natives and Europeans live in promiscuous intercourse, a separate Parliament is an utter impossibility. Then, there are some of the Natives ready to lease their lands, and others who would prefer to sell. So far as we can see Mr. Seddon is more favourable to leasing than to purchasing Native lands, and in this respect he is unquestionably right. There are many good and tangible reasons why leasing Native lands is preferable to purchasing them. In the first place land is the only means of living Natives have. A European can turn his hand to a thousand-and-one things, but the Native's whole dependence is on the land. That being so, it is necessary that he should have land in order to live, for without it he must become a burden on charitable aid. This must be prevented, and now is the time to do it. The Maoris have more than enough land now, but they are not making proper use of it. It is necessary that this land should be made productive, and at the same time secure to the Maori a living from it. How is this to be done? If the land is sold the Maori will squander the price of it in a few months, and be a beggar for the remainder of his life. That certainly is not the way to do it. If, on the other hand, the land is leased, an annual income is secured to the Maori, and he cannot become pauperised, for the yearly sum will always be paid to him. Under the leasehold, also, the land is secured to the Europeans, and is made productive by them, and thus all the requirements of the State are satisfied. Selling means beggary to the Natives, and consequently taxation tor charitable-aid purposes to the Europeans; leasing means a secured income to the Natives, and immunity from irksome burdens to the Europeans. Leasing, under proper conditions and Government supervision, is better for the European than purchasing, and thus, in whatever way one looks at it, the advantages are all in favour of leasing. We have no doubt Mr. Seddon sees all this, and that he means to carry it out. If so, it will be a good thing for both the Natives and the Europeans."