A REPLY TO ''PATEA." TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING POST.

Evening Post, Volume XVII, Issue 549, 30 June 1879, Page 2

A REPLY TO ''PATE A." TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING POST.

Sir,— "Patea" complains that I have so often aired my grievance, ss he is pleased to call it, and take* up the cudgels to castigate me and to show, by refuting what I have wntten, that I have made an unjust attack upon tbe Government, and I thought when I commenced to read bis letter that a second Daniel had come to judgment, but mark how this sapient judge disproves my statements. He gives a Ion? rambling account of Te Wiiiti's fanaticism and about tbe difficulties the Native Office have to contend with, and a rigmarole about some Waitotara native* threatening to murder somebody. I have little doubt "Patea" is connected with that secret office and draws bis £500 or £600 per annum. The Native Department if abolished would be :an immense gain to tbe country. He then accuses me ol giving a pretended illustration about Bayley's land at Opunake being ploughed, knowing it to have been Crown granted. I fall to see where the fraud is. The land without d<>ubt is part of the 2500 acres confiscated, so that my illustration stands good, even upon bis own showing. This sapknt critic th'n point-blank accuses me as,, follows:— "That they (the natives) are not willing to allow her to mark so much off as her

portion to Bell or to do with a* she pleases, which is what she wants." That, sir, fa a calumny and a deliborato falsehood. I nover to natives or to tbo Government made such n proposal, and "Patea" in an anonymous namo is not justified in slandering me. " Patea" can write a gltb letter, but I think he lacks common Bense to attribute to me views that ho may take of my Position. Kov, sir, as this anonymous writer has received from the Government ril the Information which he observes enables those who are in a Potion to judge to expose many of tbe pretended claims who, being Government servants, dare not, I will put numerically a few faeta which « W 'or somebidy else may feel disposed to reply to, and they will show the shallowness of "Patea s knowledge. Does he think for one moment I could do as be said was proposed, viz., to use my full share of land in common with the other natives ? Ido not mind telling •• Patea" my wish was to pass the block through the Nttive Land Court, so as to open it up for settlement, and not allow a monled roan to leano the lot for a sheep run. Why did "Patea" not confess that 1 prevented It being leased for such a purpose, although the Government were agreeable? But to my few facts— l. The gazetting (as the law at present stands) of any block of Ixnd constitutes it Crown land. 2. Natires or .Europeans locating or occupying Crown Lands are liable to imprisonment, and the Government have taken action against trespassers. 3. Middle Taranakl -was confiscated by Gazette. 4. Opunake and tbe land north and south of it was included in the confiscation. 5. Tbe law distinctly states that no lands of loyal natives Is to be confiscated. 6. The Government in confiscating the whole of the country from Wanganui to beyond Urenui included all lands irrespective of loyal native claims. 7. Petitions to Parliament setting forth their claims are not investigated. 8. Sir George Grey and the Goin 1866 acknowledged that Wiremu, Kingi, Matakatea, and Araina Karaka and their Hapui were loyal natives. 9. Mr. Parris in consequence of such acknowledgment returned publicly the whole of the land between Taungatara and Mantoti. 10. When that land was returned nothing was said about reserving a vote for a township. 11. The natives obstructed the surveys, and a strong force was sent there to make tbe Maoris Ight, and rather than resort to arms tiie survey was allowed to progress 12. The Government were acting unconstitutionally in taking loyal natives' land, therefore tbe land sold and given away by the Government can be and is still claimed by tbe aboriginal owners. 13. £-25,000 worth of property is seized, and If Government is petitioned and no retires* given, what action is left to the natives but to take up arms or grin and bear it ? 14. Wi Parata presented a potiti.m to Parliament ia 1868, signed by 150 i Maoris, praying for redrets, and there was not so much as an investigation. Messrs. Br.iwn and Parris have boon repeatedly applied to for an inquiry, but tbe subject has always boon shelved by them. 15. Sir George Grey and Mr. Sheeban had a petition sent to them last year, praying for an investigation, and tbat shared tbe same fato — no reply. 16. There was a commission of enquiry granted, to enquire into tbe Electoral Holt of the Bay of Islands, and surely a subject involving £25,000 worth of property is entitied to the same consideration 17. There has not been a penny paid as compensation to the natives, but Messrs Parris, Brown, and Wilson bad 500 acres each ; besides, other Europeans got their picking out of tbe Block. 18. Tho Government have not gazetted the abandonment of the Block of 50,000 acres referred to by "Patoa." It is still Crown land, and trespassers are punishable. 19. I wrote last year and asked the Government to gazette the abandonment, at tho request ot the natives, who appointed me at a runanga to do so. 20. " Patea " must see how unwisely he writes, because the block is still Crown land; and I am not likely to lay myself open to imprisonment. 21. Tbe Government, in the land tenure map just published, put tbe boundary of the supposed 50,000 acres from Koteoteo, which reduces it 16,000 acres. Look at tbe map, you will see it marked* pink. Perhaps the Taranaki Harbor Board wanted it. 22. Sir Donald M'Lean distinctly promised tbat ample reserves in each block should be made for the natives, and the balance of the land paid for at a price not exceeding 5s per ato. That promise has not been fulfilled. You can see, Sir, by the above that " Patea " X like a great number of others who fly to £rint to express their opinions only half informed. " A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." He should bear in mind the old motto, " save me from my friends." Ido not tbirik he has done the cause he advocates much good. He certainly has accused me pointblank of a thing I never contemplated, and if he or any of his friends desire to reply to this letter, 1 ask in fair-play tbat they treat the subject numeriolly. With the other portion of bis letter about mammon, all I have to state is that my allusions did not apply to tho general public but to tbat portion who are known as political agitators. There is one more request I have to make that is, ii " Patea" alludes to me personally again that he gives you permission to inform me of his name ; if he does not I shall treat him as a dastard and not reply. I thank you, Sir, fox your courtesy. I am, &c, Akanihi Himiona.