PREMIER AND PROPHET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 72, 24 March 1908, Page 4

PREMIER AND PROPHET.

TIE^TOBONGA: /PBOTHET gUBMTIS (By -Teiegraplj-—Spedil to "St»r.") • ; : • IHDTOKU&, ifcis day. j JWlen.>on~;S*tarday night :-at_- Qpcrtaki Sir Joseph Ward /received -a' telegram iroin that latest- rj>riest lV leader; among the still :Urewexas, Kua U»e prophet, iavituig New Zealand's Prejnter ±o'yisit ! his.pa at.finatokifor'a ooa-. Jerencej a. reply was promptly despatched to the effect tiat if -the. prophet wished to ittteryiew the mountain-he must-needs travel to it, and the astute'native'trayelled .accordingly, ..leaving ,"his .'Beat 6i goyerhment somewhere ;, in rthe early hours of. Monday'TiJorning for' the v dozen or fifteen . mile - journey. ;to,Whakatane, iliere .to catch the Premier. ■Consequently 'lyheii 'the : miiiisterial coach .swung -round: '.the " hluff :iEto .the little Bay ,of Plenty township at halfpast eight this -morning, -a-.semi-barbar-ous and wholly -picturesque assortment of greeted -the eyes-'of - the party. In the- foreground;'::drawn up. under a. wide spreading pobuts«kawa, was a tand •of . some 'fifty: loyal natives under the chief Kereruj -who wasfseated in dignified state, npon -a. chair requisitioned from fee hotel.opposite. ' ■ ■ : ■ ' Some : fifty or -sixty yards further on was another assembly of Miativesj 'folloTV- : ers of ..the ambitious :and Vpfophetic E.ua, .for'the greater .:part-more or.less well eladiin pakeha : hs.bi&nents.' This body■guard of ".stalw.art -'swart-browed VUreweras,'to "the number' of abo\ rJ ; ; a'hundred, formed a,semircircu]ar array as.a.frania to tbe ,quasi."deity,' who sat with "his heaJd resting-meditatively on the palm of one hand, apparently :gazing into -the vicinity of mother"Earth. ' Tt was doubtless toMs tzealous adherents the,; attitude, emblematic lof ig-reainess. incarnate,;;and the

pose -to :please iim

while the sun -rays -glistened about the well ; oiled and glossy locks "that Jpll'from beneath..the, large wideawake that, crown.cd. his prophetic --temple. Jrideed ; £he same might be of all his "troop, -.bar

the'liat, which: he ialane wore, the'disciples' "heads luxuriating content jn: their, ■jdusky -ringlets, eitherwith -pride- of .possession or becoming humility 'before rtheir chief.;/;.Xfie '.long but '•Wβ!! groomed hair arid' implicit cpnSdence lm. •the-supernatural-propertied -possessed,of Rua.-appear to'be the - distinguishing chiracteristics of his.believers, who 'are I otherwise, .a .very placid looking' Hot of

:soinewhafc broad-featured natives.! ■ 'for the prophet, the mesmeric or --what- ? ever other grip 'by : which he" maintains .supremacy-over the minds-or fears of his vassals, appears iThere is -nothing, of the ihaughty Tangatira ;abqut..Rua, Trhose.main effort appears'to betlie-pre-servation-of an -air of ■inscrutability .-rather at variance. Tvith -ttee cunning gleam that, occasionally., . through the mask. For the rest, he is a rather pleasant featured young "Maori, and' clearly not averse to the comfort of feminine society, as .three . .jgood .'looking young damsels -wJio.r.eclinecl at-the feet of thejr sovereign lord and master testified. -~The natives, , or those, who-re-gard the pretensions., of Rua with" scant .-favour, tthunder;ed r ,haka ,of wel-. come as the great _pakeha chief arrivect

and After their .salutationsj lie walked across ..to ,who jreiaained r .Bea±eji .in.- all his .quees ■aborted Signify;"'.■: while' Jxis ; followers, stood around in solemn sflence.! ".Therna-! tives were .briefly: addressed, sKua jstijl remaining motionless isave_ for a slow bow. and'JJie.pakeha party adjourned to breifcfast.

Then "band -was addressed,'

Sir : • Joseph ■■ '• congratnlstijig I them. :.upon ;

the wisdom that'tbad forbidden them from -participating in--the -foolishness of Bua.'s jXhfflifthe Chief .Eereru spoke, .Two lisis, "he said, were.theingprepaTed for .presentation, to the Government, 'one "was *JJuk J s -and one iras hie towju Rua ■rdesirjed rail the -to ripV low hinu 'fMy r.will not agree" to this," exclaimed -the old >Trith-.flre. 'We wish 'to:iobey"3the Rua desires to make laws for. the -people. "Una carries -a. rrfle 'and tries' its, so I told one of .my sous' to" sfiobt "Una if "he 'threatens -agam," and the old warrior all the he uttered.

"Two -suns-cotQd-not ; shjne in .theitsfcyafc one tinie.,"-.said.the.Premier, referring' to the prophet's pretensions. Kererp and his associates could depend upon •the Gpvermnent ; seeing :tiat ,-tbe lawswhjch governed pakeha and Maori alike 1 ' -would'be rcairied' oirt 'aiuT Applied fairly" Jbo -all. No .section -of Maori s .could pos-: sibly have a separate Government, for the 'majority must rule/and that major-' ity was the.pakeha. This announce-; ment, interpreted to .the eager natives ,was'received, with the liveliest" cvi» l dences of satisfaction, the distaste of ; •this ;faction to -any' -government "by <ith.e.prophet being'largely visible, 'while Its • moral effect on divisipn was' nowise inconsiderable. ...••.'

The astute yopag jjrefasnder tbeji asked arid obtained a privatie .bjit whatever his ulterior ,motive any' atto- f nppdynink'"liis .following was prevented "by an" address to )thein by the Premier, who assured them that though; -matters -affecting the -indi-rfjlnal -atid Tβ-. ligious beliefs would be strictly respected the would ybrob']£ ! ;no to trifle in any -with- tfie adniinisira-' tion of the laws. They must cease to ■entertain dreams -of a L separate Jtfapri Government -with Rua at its head. That -was impossible, anxious as; fhe T pakeha' •Goyernment \was for the general welfare of the native racei' -Let Rua epcpiirage. his followers to educate their' children and cultivate the arfe'of :industry ; and aU would be weU, r but let him not seek to breed dissension and quarrels amouo-' the ;Maori people if.'he iad at neart;; their •welfare. ■" : '' : -'■ - '<■ ■'•■' '-''■

, These .words were'listened to by the -prophet and-his people -with deep attention, and at -their conclusion jßua rose arid informed Sir ' Joseph thai he "no longer desired to hold put. He could aee.:that ±be pakeha;GroTCrnment was too powerful for him and his people to hold out. against it, and he that the laws must be obeyed,: He then went:to ■inquire hpw he rojght -set about to ipbtain roads and bridges for the'land, to which .the -Premier : ad.yisfid :.him to apply through the proper channel, the native member for the ; district, stating clearly what he required.

Both parties of natives then commingled, ■ their differences, for the time being at all events, .apparently : sunk in : amity, and once -more the coach'tooll ( the route, followed'by the vcScifer.ou-'i .fareweJJs of the deeplyjmpresse'd Teteko, which was reached in time for luncheon,l was" found weltnlgh deserted of its male.element, who, since Saturday; tad deserted -the fiverside kaingas ; -fon the kareros *ad" diysigiona .of the big gathering at Koaioki, where, tcw»rds.

the end of this week, it "is -estiibatej some three thousand natives will-h! rasserabted to .discuss .with the -Hon. \r? CarroU. (Minister for Kative AtfaS and the Son. Mr, McGowan (Minister fJ aCnes) the important question, others, of-;settling:tb.€ matter of m infa£ in the Urewera country Minister reached' Botorua shortly after seven o'clock, after a W te%x?t ™rk;xni travel, beginning at il ; chmy,hour of half-past four^hisW n ing he will snatcha well-earned resto. from the-hard -work of-the. w g and to-morrow, he addresses a. «nlr ! Onehunga. P^ 10