A MAORI BATTLE.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7124, 21 July 1888, Page 5

A MAORI BATTLE.

[FROM OUR CtmUESPONDKN'TS.]

EEPOBTED LOSS OF LIFE. I PRESS ASSOCIATION TKLRORAMS.] AUCKLAND, July 20. The dispute which has existed for some time past between two sections of tho Ngapuhi tribe at Wangarei respecting the block of land near the Paroti, culminated this morning in actual fighting. Mr Andrew Wilson was about to commence the survey, and he sent a party to put up a ting on a hill, in order to test the threat which had been made by the Natives. This flaj was pulled down, and a battle commenced. The latest news received statee tkax several o£ tlio Natives have been killed and others woundod. Mr Clindon, K.M., and two constables have gone out to the scene of tho trouble. There are about seventy Natives on one side and twolve on the other. Particulars yet to hand are very nieasjre. "WELLINGTON, July 20^ Intelligence was received in town this afternoon that a collision had occurred between Tauron Kupa, a celebrated Whangarei Chief, and Eni liiri, Chief of another tribe. They and their follovringa met and had a severe conflict, in which two men were killed, one of Taurau s side being shot dead, and a number wounded on the other side. The cause of the quarrel has not yet been ascertained.

AUCKLAND, July 20. The Star correspondent telegraphs that tribal warfare has broken out among tho

aoris at Paroki, near Wangarei. Hostilities commenced at seven o'clock this morning, and continued several hours. Firearms and weapons were used. It ia reported that a number are killed and wounded. Mr Clendon, K.M. has gone out.

WELLINGTON, July 20. The Defence "M , inister has just received the i'ollowiug telegram :—" A half-caste from Poroti reports to Constable Gordon, at Whanirerei, that the Natives under Tfturau Kukupa and those under Eni Hiri came into collision this morning. Two of Taurau's men were killed and Several of Eni'3 wounded. Tho police Heave at once for tho scene of the conflict."

pME CORPORATION <»AS WoEfiV TO THE KDITOR OF THIS PUKS.S, Sir,—As a ratepayer who does not use gas, but who pays a very considerable amount of rates every year, I have for years past been an amused onlooker at the regular attacks made by your contemporary the Lyttdton Times on the Gas Company, but felt that an the price of gaa did not ailbct mc, the matter was not any business of mine.

Tho ailiiir has, however, now taken » different phase, and it behoves every ratepayer to look closely into the matter. Wβ have already to pay rates to the extent of as oid in the £, and our City Fathers propose to borrow a further sum of £50,000 to erect gas works. My first enquiry was ta see what chance there is of £heir succeeding in erecting gas works, including purchase of site and all incidental expenses, for the sum named. The only guide obtainable is the cost of similar works in other centres in New Zealand, and from the published accounts 1 gle%n the following woi ks cost: — Wellington £122,375 Dunedin 1-26,809 Auckland 181,700 and thej are all seaport towns, so thao there was no land carriage on their plant which, being almost entirely iron work, would necessarily cost a considerable amount.

The Council has hurried their meagre report through with great rapidity and has told us very little about it, no doubb being anxious to avoid giving the opposition Company any information. Bat I was much surprised at one clause of the report, which says that already they have engineers and staff sufficient to run a gas works without engaging any additional assistance. One or my neighbors, who takes gas, says that when he goes to tho Company's olfice to pay his account he sees three or four clerks, all apparently busy, and the engineer , is, of course, outside. This being the case, I want to know , what our Council is about in keeping such a staff without anything to do. Why are our rates squandered in such a useless way t And I sup* p'd&e tha real fact is that if they have such a staff at present doing nothing, work mast be made which"Will give them something to do, or rhey will have to join the unemployed. ■I, for one, want more definite information before I agree to borrow money to fight a wealthy Company whose Directors have money and experience at their back, while our Councillors certainly are not gas experts, and would'be embarking in an expenditure of which they cannot see the cud, and adding to an indefinite extent to the already heavy debt which our city has incurred. Thanking you for kindness In inserting this,—Yours, &c. r RA.TBPATEB.

TO THJB EDITOR OF THK PRB9S. Sib —As a ratepayer r have been anxiously waiting for the report of the Special Lighting Committee of the City ~ Coancil, and as it was pretty well understood that it should be presented on Monday.night, I naturally turned to the report of the Council's proceedings the first thiag when I got my paper on Tuesday morning, and after running through the report, was intensely surprised to find that it had been actually adopted, almost without discue* alon. The rushing through an important) """ matter o£ this kind without,allowing the ratepayers an opportunity of digesting .it, appears to mc aa If there was a screw loose somewhere. The gentlemen who form our Council may be very intelligent, but they ought bo remember that thoy are our representatives, and as such they ought to give us the opportunity to carefully consider such an important matter, involving the expenditure of tens of thousands of pounds. The facts and figures may be correct, but the somewhat indecent haste with which the report was hurried through makes one a little suspicious that they were afraid to face criticism before they committed themselves. Fortunately, the law provides for Uβ that opportunity which our Councillors either overlooked or were afraid to face. Suspicion once aroused takes a long time to allay.—Yours, Sets., ) .. - Batbfaybb. to the editor of thb press. '," Sm,-I hear that the City Council ape > already dissatisfied with the guarantees of support for their new gas works, and. are now asking the ratepayers to alga " yet another bond." . v >. It would be just as well if those asked - to sign any document of this kind should make themselves acquainted with the responsibilities they incur. In the event} of there being a loss in the gas department, they had better ascertain if they, do not render themselves liable for the deficit in the ahape of increased taxation, —Yours, &c, \_ Law. TO THJ6 KDITOB OF THE PRESS. Sir —The flrst note of adverse criticism on the decision of the City Council to establish Corporation gasworks has been sounded. The anonymous trumpeter who --. so cautiously, and yet so feebly, blows the opening blast, very appropriately signa himself " Caution." •. Mr " Caution " is anxious that the race- "" payers should be cautioned against accepting the report of the City Council Gμ Committee as correct, and has taken upou . himself to prove (or to hint) that the report x is unreliable. In hia opening remarks, ! Caution" says:—"Because the Council . is- omitted to give any details of the prks which they say can be completed for 50,000" therefore the ratepayer* ought to iestion the correctness o{ these calcuhv pns. . It does not necessarily follow that the itepayera will act aa your correspondent ~ eppears to think they will. Ratepayers aye brains, and may be allowed to think )r themselves, and are therefore far from kely to call in any gas shareholders to do lie thinking for them. Because a few iterested people may affect to doubt the orrectness of our estimates, it does not tamp them as being unreliable. Expert s, eatimony, on the contrary, has prouonnced the details carefully worked out, ttd the estimates framed with greao jfcuracy; added to which a sufficiently N - atople sam has been included in the total Amount for contingencies. > , Jap Caution" next intimates thafcthe wmncil will not be able to manufacture Xts at 4s per 1000 cubic feet. He does not, jfewever, attempt to prove what he lniSmnates. He only gets himself ternpjy Evolved and mixed up in a lamentable lltempt to understand what somebody Sice said in Dunedin. "Caution' f **?S-7 ggoneof the Gas Committee ««£«?*£«£ He actual cost of gas to the Corporattga Was 69 8d per thousand feet, *nd «"*£?<> BSSSSSSL

anrri n to make tip the loss on the work Ing qf the gas department." Kter before making a statement that has' te air of definitenees about it, your couftpondent should have exercised a sxnaß modicum of caution. Assuming, for i be sake of argument, that it does cost tbejjpunedin Corporation 6s 8d per 1000 feel&uid that they would lose 5d per 1000 feetjfthe total loss would not amount to £330. Taking the total output of the Du#din works at 7J,000,000ft, the defidScy would only come to £1458, and not 43KBP as stated by your correspondent. Bmt, sir, as the Dunedin gas account sh<ws a credit balance of £10,000, no amttint of reason or assertion on the part of <R>nr correspondent can alter the fact thaj the Dnnedin gasworks is paying the CoSoration handsomely. "Without in~qumng into the correctness, or otherwise, ofAhe sums quoted by "Caution" as haling been paid for and in connection wiab the gasworks plant in Dunedin, the reSTlt of the operations clearly shows that de»ite the high price paid for the propeSv, and the Targe sums since expended oinhe works, the Council in that city are alsp to supply gas at 7s 6d per 1000 ft, iqike no charge for meters, and are still Lqtlt position to carry forward a substantial bdbnee at the end of the year. So much fSthatfact. jXeaving Dunedin, however, and coming tack to this city, we find several facts that oftnot be successfully disputed. We find tggwnall select, ana wealthy Company -flsnopolisine an industry that pays better «£n a gold mine. We find struggling Edespeople compelled to pay a most i iorbitant and iniquitous price for the gas ley are compelled to use in their places ! I business in order that a comparatively . hnited number of gas shareholders may • enabled to draw nice fat dividends and i |fee at home at ease. We find free- : Bade stifled, and the •* screw" put ipi to any tradesman who does not happen to be independent of some Bpmrticular ges shareholder, but who has, potwlthstanding, the temerity to eximpress openly his honest convictions confSerniiiK the justice or otherwise of E»li»?yiTig a, most unjustifiable price for '"gas. We find influence being brought to r bear, in an insidious and underhand 'manner, in order to prevent the rate- ? paye» establishing what is bound to 'become a most valuable and rate-saving property. These and all other means are oeing employed to bolster up a most gigantic monopoly and prevent the cheapening of gas; but unity and determination on the part of the citizens and Council will, ere ions, P ut a ll to dear gae. If tbe present scheme for the establishment or a Corporation gas works fails for lack of support, the ratepayers seed never blame the City Council if the Gas Company takes advantage of its power to inflict still greater burdens on the gas consumers and the ratepayers generally. But I have confidence in the ratepayers, and when the day arrives for ■voting the loan I will find that my confidence has not been misplaced.—Yours, * a * C. M. Gray.