TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3238, 16 November 1881, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1881.

Te Wiim and Tohu have both been committed to prison on the charges of using language calculated to disturb the peace of the district. Under the West Coast Settlement Act these two chiefs, and the other natives who have been arrested, may be imprisoned with or without hard labor for any time not exceeding two years. The Act defines as misdemeanors—the cutting down of fences, removal of survey pegs, unlawful erection of fences, and other practices prevalent among the disaffected tribes. It makes provision for the arrest of offenders without warrant by any one of the Armed Constabulary, and provides that the person arrested " shall be taken, as soon as

conveniently may be, before a Justice of the Peace, and charged with the offence." Provision is also made that natives so arrested shall be deemed to be in custody under the provisions of the Maori Prisoners Act, 1880, and be detained accordingly. Such Act makes provision that no Court shall, during the continuanco of the Act, discharge, bail or liberate any native in custody without an order from the Governor in Council. The Act as originally passed, was only to remain in operation until the last day of October, 1880, except extended for periods of three months at a time by proclamation from the Governor. The firm attitude that has been assumed by the Government, and by whijh a best of disaffected natives has been cleared from the path of progress, while securing the hearty approval of the col any, is sure to give rise to many questions in the new Parliament. Anticipating the explanations that are certain to be demanded, the New Zealand Times enters into the details that have led to the measures now being taken to quell the troubles which have so long prevailed on the West Coast. Io respect to the Parihaka block, our contemporary explains that before sending in their third and fijal report, the West Coast Commissioners communicated with Mr Sheehan to clear up one particular point on which there was some little doubt, namely, what really was his intention, while Native Minister, in regard to making provision for Te Whiti and the Parihaka people. and what previous Governments had either promised or intended to do for them. The reply made by Mr Sheehan, under date 27th July, 1880, was that he had expressed an opinion that Te Whiti had done good work for years in preserving the public peace ; and that he (Mr Sbeehan) was disposed, in the event of his pursuing a similar line of conduct for the future, to recommend the restoration of the Parihaka block to the original owners, such restoration to be entirely dependant on good behavior, and expressly that Te Whiti did not actively identify himself with the obstruction of the survey, or with any breaches of tbe peace. Mr Sheehan further mentions that the return of the land would, nevertheless, have been subject to reservation of sites for lighthouses, for roads, and other necessary public purposes; and also, that this intention — i.e., the restoration of tbe Parihaka block —had never been mentioned to the natives, and never assumed the aspect of a promise upon which they could found any claim whatever to such restoration. The intention was first publicly notified in the House in the first session of 1879 ; two or three months afterwards the Ministry, of which Mr Sheehan was a member, resigned, and consideration and settlement of tbe question devolved upon their successors, the present Government.