UNPROCLAIMED GOLDFIELDS. OHINEMURI.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVI, Issue 3961, 3 May 1870, Page 6

UNPROCLAIMED GOLDFIELDS. OHINEMURI.

April 25. r H. T. Clarke, Esq., has had interviews and long talks with the natives, and he found, too, a certain number of natives were desiroua of opening, and a certain number, against. A sort of opinion was implied that Government should protect those natives who would give up their land for mining purposes ; and when Government did so, they were prepared, and had been a long time, to give their laud for the general benefit onfair terms, 'lhe nonconsenting natives (the Hauhaus) said the consenting parties h^ave no lan.d ; the whole of the QSinemuri w.as theirs., the mana the King's. From all that I can learn, the opening depends entirely upon the action of the Land Court. Ifc is, in fact, and has been, the only legitimate means of a lQyal Maori qbt^inmg ##§ to hia ow-q l^nd, and nntil he gets ifc he U powerless. Certain sections of natives have now applied, wid ftfir applicntioiu appear ic. tke QwttU -

for adjudication. Upon their title the whole of the auriferous land gazetted now belongs to Maoris, and haa uot been leased to pakehas, as reported ; and in the event of the natives obtaining their Crown grant, they will at once offer it to the General Government for mining. If they fail in getting the Government to protect them in the opening, Ac, they will then offer it to the miners. This has been promised by Te Kepa and party to a deputation from the miners to Messrs. O'Haire and two othera ; and, besides, it is well known the natives prefer the Government to private parties, so keep their laud in their own bauds, &c. This I le irn against the exaggerated statements of so much of Ohinemuri land being in th« hands of private speculators. No doubt a deal of European money has gone into th«J pockets of certain Maoris for land which they never possessed, and a few presumed choice spots of land have been erroneously I leased many times over, which will be a certain loss to many very clever pakehas. — Correspondent of Thames Advertiser.