HASTINGS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7385, 7 June 1895, Page 3

HASTINGS.

I OWN GOBBESPONDBNT.]

The Rev, Mr Morrison informs mo that a very successful meeting of the B*nd of Hope was held at Olive on Wednesday night. Somo excellent dialogues and recitations given. The attendanoa was vary large, about one hundred and soventy, many having to stand. The Awa Awa case is nearly complete The legal arguments, whioh are now in progrees, are not of publio interest, which will be centred in the judgment. _ Tho question brUfly is, what ia the position of an adopted ohild according to Maori custom as to property ? One aide claims that it has the same privileges as a cbild born to the parties adopting it; tho other side deny this As there is another case to be heard of tho same character, it is understood the Judges will deliver both judgments together. I notice that Mr Edwards, the assessor, has ratnrned, but of coarse Mr Aperarr,a will continue to occupy his seat on the Bench till the oonclusion of tho present case.

The remarks of Mr Fitzßoy at tho meeting of the H.B. Licensing Oommitteo, as to the Maoris, were very much to tho point, and fair to the hotelkeopers, j 8 ha says, the natives who come iv large numbers to the Native Land Court muat go somewhere, and they naturally go to the hotels, where they crowd the passages and any cornet thoy can get into, 'ihe Maoris as a rule are a joyous, happy-go-lucky sort of people, and all attempts at keeping a crowd of them quiet would be futile. A stranger could often think tham quarrelling when they are only having a friendly "korero." Another cogent raason for believing that the hotclkeopeia have no desire to havo this oause of complaint is tho fact tbat at pro sent the natives havo very little ready cash at all.