The Ohinemuri Meeting.

Auckland Star, Volume X, Issue 2939, 15 September 1879, Page 3

The Ohinemuri Meeting.

GRAHAMSTOWN, Saturday. A "Star "pigeongram of 3.15 says the judgment of the runanga has just been .given to the effect that there must be no anore shooting on the penalty 6t being handed over to the Supreme Court. The land dispute between Ngatikoe awl Hgatiliakoc is to be decided by the Supremo Court. E. W. Puckey, native agent, demanded of the runanga the surrender of the murderers, but they declined, on the ground that they had not the power to do so. Nothing will be done till a telegram is received from Mr Sheehan. A number of terror-stricken out-settleis are still at Pneroa, FURTHER. PAItTICULAKS. The tribes of Hauiaki have at last given their decision, leaviug the Government "as you were." They tell the assassins to be good boys for the future or they will be handed over to the law, but seem to have no intention of handing them over now, although pressed to do so by the native agent, the one who urged that it would be dangerous for the Government to attempt to take them whea Superintendent Thornsou wished to go up with a few policemen to arrest them. The Native Minister has been communicated with re the result of the inquiry, and by the time any instructions can be received from him, for he is believed to be t'.t Napier, the culprita will have disappeared, and so another farce will have ended. GRAHAMSTOWN, this day. The "Advertiser's" reporter sends by pigeon : —The opinion expressed a few days ago that the Hauiaki chiefs in conclave assembled would, as the result of their deliberations, demand the immediate unconditional surrender »>E perpetrators of the outrage has proved correct. All day yesterday the two committees appointed by the runauga to go through the evidence were engaged in carrying out their instructions. The younger committee appointed Taipari, sen., chairman, and sat iv the Court-house. Hohekope Brown was chosen chairman of the other body, which did its •work in the Public Hall. After each had gone through the evidence, they met together and re-examined, after which they discussed the whole matter and arrived at a decision. To-day the runanga met Ngati.koho hapu at the meeting place on the river bank. Two noticeable features iv regard to them were that they were more than usually quiet, and that only oae mtin was decked out in fightiug costume^ all the rest being dressed ia ordinary fashion, although ever since they arrived here they have had their war paint ou. Hoaui Nahe, of Kirikiri, opened the day's proceedings,, by reading the judgment, which is as follows : —" The JNgatikohe's action.—lt has becn_ proved that Timiha was wrong in connection with the ownership of the laud. 1. He "was wrong in not stating to Mr Wilkinson that Tangitehua and Kirituna were included in the block Ngatiko proposed to sell to the Government. 2. His keeping hidden (or misrepresenting) the boundary known as " Owhakatana," and stating that a kilnliatea tree was the boundary was wrong, many witnesses having stated during this inquiry that the boundary was Owhakatana. o. At une time he stated that the boundary line of his ancestors ran in a zigzag direc> tiou, and another time said it ran in a Btraight line. That is false, 4. The land at southern boundary of his block, and which he calls Native land, is not so, as that is the Papa block. The Government action in advancing money on land not yet through, the Court, viz., Pukehanga, Taugituha, and Kiritnna (as no Crown Grant had been ordered for those blocks)— is wrong. The Ngnlihakos action.—They have done wrong, as blood has been shed. This committee is clear that the survey iv which a European was shot was the Ngatikohe survey. That is proved by Mr Wilkinson, who states that nearly all the Ngatikohe tribe took money on the land, which they sold under the name of Pukehanga. Mr Wilkinson says those of the Ngatikohe who ■were able to do so gave the boundaries of their land, and those who could not give boundaries listened whilst others of their people did so for them, and none objected. The name they gave for their Llock was Pukehanga. Mr Wilkinson gave the names of all who had taken advances on the blocks, and they turned out to be all Ngatikoe people. Therefore the Committee are satisfied that Ngatikoe were the cause of the survey, and that the survey was for the Pukehanga blocks. The Committee see that the survey was being made by Ngatikoe and the Government conjointly, consequently on the Government buying Native lands before they passed the Court, and it was on account of tbis system of land purchase that trouble has arisen. The Chief Surveyor authorises his surveyors to make surveys of land on which the Government advanced money. Had not the Government made advances on this lands, which was not through the Court, this trouble would not have aiisen; and had they nut paid money to Timiha and the rest of JSgatikoe, and authorised survey, Timiha would not have had the money to have survey of the land made, nor would the Chief Surveyor have authorised his men to survey it. Therefore the committee consider both Ngatikoe and the Government to blame, and they also consider that the Ngatikoe should give up 200 acres of Pukehanga Block for the European who was shot as an atonement for their wrong in surveying lands Tangituha and Kiritiona (adjoining Pukehanga), which, are owned by Ngatihakos. The committee consider that the shooting of the pakeha was wrong, according to English law, or according to the law or word of Hauiaki, which provides that no blood should be shed witbfn the Hauraki District; but the committee, on looking at the matter, consider there was reasons for shooting the European, which was the surveying by Ngatikoe and the Government of a portion of the Ngatihakos land without their consent. Many survey parties had been turned off previously by Ngatihako without their discontinuing to survey ; but they at last got tired of turning them off, and although they used to take surveyors' instruments, they persisted in surveying the land, and the reason why they shot a person in this case •was in order to stop the system of surveying. The Committee consider that the act would have been justifiable had the person shot been a Maori, but as it was a Pakeha the committee consider the act was wrong, and reference was made to the case of McCaskill, who shot Hoard Pahau at iHkutaia. His case was carried to the Sudreme Court, so that he might be tried by law, and it was proved that he had not committed any crime, and, therefore, the Committee decide that the persons who shot the European should give themselves up to be tried by the Supreme Court in the inauncr that McCaskill was tried.

The judgment was read clearly and deliberately, and listened to by the belligerents with the greatest attention, i A long rambling discussion ensued. HataPaka, on behalf of the Council, asked the owners of the Fukehanga block (Ngatikohe) whether it wa3 their intention to carry out that portion of the judgment Which had reference to themselves. Timiha replied that his tribe were content to allow the law to take its course. A demand for the surrender of the culprits •was then made by the assembled chiefs, which was, as expected, refused, although not in the European manner. Ihe oniy sneaker on the Ngatiuako side were the Chief Piuuha and a young intelligent Eauhau priest named Tiwai. They strongly deprecated land-buyiDg and selling, as it had, and always would be the cause of trouble between the two races,|aud asked that surveys, roads, railways, telegraph and Lands Court should be handed over to them, meauing, it is thought that they should be abolished. Mr Wilkinson informed them it was _ impossible to discuss those matters until Pakara and Ephia were handed over to justice. Finding that Nsjatihakoc would not yield, old Hoteren Kaipara rose and in a brief spcecli said the runanga had carried out to the best of their ability the purpose for which they had been called together, hut had failed to achieve that success which they hoped they would have attained, and they now handed back to Mr Puckey, who represented Mr Sheehan, the whole matter. Mr Puckey, in a few remarks, regretted that Ngatihako had not agreed with the decision that had that day been given, and warned all outside that hapu not to interfere in any future course the Government might decide upon in order that they might not get themselves into trouble. He was followed by Pineaha, who maintained his people had not transgressed the law. Under the circumstances, he said they -would now return to their settlements on the banics of Waihoa, and if the Europeans wanted them they could go and take them by force. He advised them not to take only Pakara and Epiba, but the whole tribe of men, women and children, and- make away with them, thereby blottiog out the name of Ngatihako. He warned them that if the two men were lodged in gaol the whole tribe, when released, would take up arms and devastate the country. The meeting then broke up. The chiefs left for the Thames this evening in the Te Aroha with exception of Pineaha. The Ngatihakos