WHAKATIWAU-THE NATIVE. MEETING.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1897, 21 August 1874, Page 3

WHAKATIWAU-THE NATIVE. MEETING.

(FEOJI. A SPECIAL COEBESPONDBNT.) Monday, August 17. The raia has cleared away, but the dark over hanging clouds still look threatening. Notice was given this morning that a native magistrate's or Assessor's Court would be held in the large whare or runanga house at half-past ten. So away we go to have a look. Summonses it seems had been issued in duo form, and counse and witnesses were in attendance. Soven native assessors took their seats by the table in .one end of tho house, W. H. Taipari acting as chairman, The first person called was liomri Puru, a Maori well-known in Short-land) who was charged with having take liberties with the wife of one of the Ngatihaua people, but after numerous witnesses were heard the case fell through, on account of the evidence not being strong enough to convict. So Jemmy just got off by tho skin of his teeth, as the saying is. After this he was again charged with threatening to shoot somebody, and this time the complainant was more successful, for tho bold Jemmy was fined £3, which he paid down on the table at once, and so eased his conscience.'! henext cise on the list was against Wi Koka, who was charged that he did most offensively curse one Honatana by saying that he would kill him, cook him, and eat. I him. Europeans may mot be aware of the fact, but that is a protty tall curse; in fact one of the worst on the list. The prisoner admitted the offenco, 1 but excused himself by saying that Honatana bad bewitched his son, aud thus caused his death. .But the severe assessor could not see it in that light, aadWi Kika was adjudged to pay £110s, which he did by presenting a cheque for £2 Bs, and demanded the change, lie will get it when that cheque is cashed, which won't be till late in the afternoon, for just as the Court broke up word arrived that tho ' Golden Crown' steamer was close in with passengers from Shortland, so we are too busy to think of cashing a cheque just now, and get down as fast as we can to the beach, where we notice four boatloads of passengers coming on shore. Soon they land, and come straggling along the stony beauh making for the camp. We see a great many friends, and a still greater number of strangers, some of whom wo are told represent the Circus Company from Auckland, and others are members of the Koyal English Opera Troupo. Those of the latter will hardly see much here by which they can increase their stock of learning, but thoy will find plenty to amuse. If this place was alive before it is very animated now, for the new edition to our population has set us all by the ears; in fact wo were beginning to feel so isolated that it is as much a treat for us to see them, as it is for them to see us. Some few of the natives have assembled on the beach, and given our visitors a bit of a war dance. Amongst tho now arrivals Inotioed an artist, who, surrounded by a gaping, and admiring crowd, is busily engaged making sketches of Maori whares, and other things of interest. Mr Itobcrt Graham is also here, and has already been recognised by his numerous Maori friends. The arrival of the steamer has put a stop to all idea of

having a great talk to-day, but should th e weather be fine it will in all probability take place to-monw. August 18. The natives did not resume talking after dinncr'yesterday—that is not publicly, but betook themselves to their tents,-and there talked each tribe by itself, the idea being to thoroughly sift, if possible, the charge brought against them,, of having been concernod in secretly selling the Ohinemuri and Aroha lands. I thought the camp of the Thames natives would be the most likely place to get enlightened in tho matter, so. I betook myself thither. On arrival in the evening I found them all assembled to talk the matter over between themselves, and one of the chiefs was exhorting the others to up and tell all, as it was foolish now to attempt to keep the matter secret, but that they had much better make a clean breast ot it, and then they would know what position to take, at the meeting to« morrow. A long silence ensued, no body having the courage to •■ begin, and I thought to myself that it would have been much better for those Ngatimaru people of they had made straight away, for cihortland when they struck tents, after being insulted by Mr Mackay. Instead of coming back as they did and take part in the meeting, which now looks very like as if it were going to be the cause of their discomfiture. At last one gets up, and explains that he has taken raihana not for tho Aroha, but for the Waihekau block, at Waitoa' (about five miles from the Aroha.) So he is exonerated/for the tribe are evidently in a forgiving mood, unless it is a very plain case indeed, [and perhaps also because they know that they are all more or less implicated, and are only too anxious to extend that sympathy to others which they will be glad to get accorded to themselves. The making use however, of the name Waihekau by the first speaker has opened a loophole of escape for all the others, and they are not slow to avail themselves of it, for now they stand up one after the other in quick succession, and state that they have all taken m >ney for raihana, but hot for the Aroha, oh dear no; only for the Waihekau block; they are quite certain it was only for Waihekau, but the schemingHuropean may have written it down as the Aroha, for the pakeha will do anything.: Poor.Ngatimaru, how,hardly you are being treated, and to think that you should be able to draw money in 'fifties, and hundreds of pounds on certain lands, and then not be allowed to shift .it on to other blocks, as it may suit yourselves. With regard to Waihekau we believe it is pretty well known that this is a block or blocks of land that went through tho Native Lands Court at a sitting held at Cambridge last year, and known as'Waihekau JN0.1,N0.2, lie,"the largest of which, it is reported, was purchased.by Mr Mackay, for his own private use; but which did not happen to., be . owned -by the Ngatimaru or Thames natives, but by those who live at Ohinemuri. The other Waihekau blocks are only of small extent, and it is difficult to. see how all these people now cuarged with selling the Aroha will be able to provethat their transactions only affected these blocks-it may be tho illustration of the face that the drowning man catchSs at a straw-but I think Mr Mackay could not do bettor now than come down, and state* for what particular portion of the Aroha these sums of money and stores were taken, and who were the recipients, as, it is well known that Maoris aro perfect masters in the art of deception even amongst themselves, so that those who have been selling in this underhand way will deny before their companions that they have done so, and like Te Hira and a few others whose lands may not yet have been sold will still be as obstinate as ever, being only too glad to believo in the innocence of their people. It certainly canuot be the policy of the Government, to have these native land purchases carried on in any secret _or underhand way, or that, anything should be done in connection with them that would be prejudicial or offensive to tho principal native chiefs themselves. Mr Mackay's absence in the Waikato for the last fifteen months has to a certain extent precluded him_ from holding periodical meetings with the Thames tribes, and informing them as a body what lands were being sold or tendered for sale by some of their people. But we think that now the whole of the people of the district are congregated together and all anxious to have the thing cleared up, Mr Mackay could not do better than give them a thorough explanation, so that they may be satisfied that it is only themselves that they have to blame, and that they may also know what portions they possess of their lands still untrammelled or untouched. The sneering assertion made yesterday by Mr Mackay that, there was not a single block of laud from Cape Colville to the Aroha that had not been treated for makes itall the more necessary that some information should be given to the tribes, so that they may know; whether or not their lands have been sold ,by themselves, in,a way fair and creditable to both them and the purchaser, or whether others, having perhaps no right or claim, have, whilst incited by. the greedy love of gain, bartered away to a not too particular and over-worked land purchase agent, or his ignorant employes, lands to which they had no title, and the inheritance and property of others. Perhaps,that gentleman will see fit to do this before the meeting ends, as I am quite certain that a proceeding of that sort would tend to allay the fears and distrust of the natives, and be the cause of making the land purchases, whatever they are, more binding. hilst the Ngatimaru were holding their meeting, tho Ngatitamatera were also holding one, their subject being the Ohinemuri lands; and I believe that some of them had to acknowledge that they had been concerned in selling some of the lands of that place. Old Te Hira has already found a way out of the difficulty, and he does not hesitate to say that Ohinemuri must not go as payment for the monies, and raihana admitted to have been taken. His fiat is that all those who have received any of the above mentioned payments must find land, for it elsewhere, so that unlo s Mr Mackay is fortunate enough to have the old gentleman himself in his books he will,still prove to be, as he always has been, an almost unconquerable obstacle.