A TALK WITH RUA.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13159, 4 July 1908, Page 10

A TALK WITH RUA.

THE -PROPHET" INDIGNANT.

(srECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON, July 3. Some surprise, but not great concern, woe manifested by Kua when a Press rt'pr«6ontative called upon him. this evening and showed him the Press Association telegram from Auckland regarding the- action oi the police in forcibly taking bis girl wife away from his kianga in the I'rewera. When the Pressman called at tine lodginghouse in Molesworth street, whioii has formed tho abiding; place of the -Prophet" , and his apostles during tJio past, week, he found a happy family party of about a dozen, including two or three Maori ladies, comfortably seated around a plea.sa.nt fire in a sit-ting-room at the rear of tho re&taurant attached to tho establishment. An introduction to Rua soon paved the irav to business.

Kua, on beiiig asked thro-ugh an interpreter, who spoko but very indifferent English, whether he had any statement to niaKo concerning the incident referred to, re-plied that ho knew nothing of it. Oil the position being explained to him, ho seemed to 1«> relieved rather than otherwise. "I did net want th« girl.' , lvo said. "She was brought to mc at Waimama, and would not go away from mc, and went with mc to the kianga." This, k was elicited, happened three or four months Tho girl's father, it appeared, wont to the -'Prophet" shortly afterwards, and demanded his daughter, i'u.i stated tihafc lm was quite willing to hand her over to her parent, hut she refusal to go: therefore the announcement of tho action erf the polir-o troubled him "but little. Questioned in regard to tho defiant attitude alleged to have boon assumed towards tho police by his son, Rua said: "Oh. ho only a boy—only 19; ho know no hotter. It wa.s wrong to do that. ,. The outlook for Rua, junr., would f-eem to bo stormy.

'ilio statement ne to tho shortage of food at the villapo was also pointed out to Rua. Ho expressed groat nstoniflimont. and explained what measures he had take-n bofcre leaving homo to krep tho wolf from door. He had leffc £'(30. "all cash."' with his son to buy food for his poor>lo during his mission to the capital. Sinoo ho had ber-n in Wellington the son had sent along an account for 19s 3d for food purchased "on ticw , dmrinjx his absence. Whether tho £60 had boon expended in addition he was unable to sny. Ho had left a good deal of food, such as flour, rire, and oatmeal, in the larder at tho kianga, and in addition there were wild and tame bullocks and pigs—"'Plenty of them all about, a.nd three butrhors, too, to kill them ; plenty tucker—there- no need anybody to starve."

Tho sender of the telegram from Auckland came in for a bad time. "People no right to put that in the paper, and make out mv people are starved. Who sent thatr"

Tho interviewer confessed his ignorance on thy subject, but enquired what Rua would do to the man if he found out his name.

'•What I do? Why, I summons him for giving mc bad name about food; that s what I do, and quick about it." An endeavour to extract some information regarding Ru-n's estimate of the value of his visit to Wellington, resulted in the information being vouchsafed that he had had two interviews with the. Native Minister, but that he still had "some business to fix." He hoped to "fix" this to-morrow, and leave for home on Monday or Tuesday next. '.'ls any good likely to come to tho Maori people- through your visit?" Tho "prophet," through the interpreter, diplomatically replied that tihis was a "difficult question to answer, but he hoped good will be done." "Has Rua got any idea of entering Parliament?"

The question was conveyed to Rua, and the laughing, almost contemptuous, as interpreted, was decisive^—"You mean bo a member; get in like Mahuta? Oh no, nothing like that."