FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 150, 29 June 1929, Page 17

FIFTY YEARS AGO

NATIVE CRISIS

SETTLERS TAKE ACTION

SIGNALLING TRAINS

The "Evening Post" of 23rd June, 1879, contains a vivid; account- of' the Native crisis which then existed in the Hawera district owing to the ploughing up of settlers' land by Natives acting, it was said, under instructions from Te Whiti, the so-eailed Maori prophet.' The "Post" said:— Considerable excitement "prevailed in the city on Saturday night, when it was known that telegraphic communication had been received at the "Evening Post" office to the effect that the settlers at Hawera were determined to bring affairs to a crisis, by turn-. ing the Maoris off the land which they were ploughing up. The settlers having communicated yesterday with the Premier, Sir George Grey,, the.latter took steps to have the telegraph office kept open during the day (Sunday), and several telegrams passed between- the Premier and Major Brown, divil Commissioner, at Hawera. At an early hour this morning the Ministers assembled at the Government Buildings, to consult as to what steps should be taken to meet the emergency, giving instructions that all available reinforcements should be sent at once to the disturbed district. Meanwhile, tgreat eagerness haa prevailed in town during the day to learn the latest news from "the front." Wo understand that if, after , Government has done.all that is,possible to prevent- bloodshed, hostilities should take place, it is the intention of Ministers at once to send the flying,column of constabulary, now over 300 strong, to break up the Parihaka settlement, leaving the protection of the Taranaki frontier on the Waingongoro to the settlers in the respective districts. Major Rqberts, who covered the retreat at Okatuku in the ' last War, has been sent for to take command of the constabulary". Major Noake : will control affairs on the Waingongoro boundary. : • The Ngapuhis have offered to furnish a contingent if Government wish it. Bewi has also said he would send five hundred Ngatimaiiiapoto if required. Even without the Ngatiporou .-■- contingent the Government calculated on being able to place nearly a thousand friendly Natives in the disturbed district should occasion arise. . The steamer Stellaj-which sailed for New Plymouth yesterday, carried "away fifty members of the armed constabulary. ... The. Government chartered the N.Z.S.S. Co's steamer Manawatu to-day, to proceed at once to Wanganui with fifty armed constabulary. The men are all in readiness to start, and the Manawatu will leave this evening, arriving at Wanganui early to-morrow morning. "'" ' - SETTLERS TAKE ACTION. A message from Hawera stated that when the news of the Maoris ploughing Livingston's land reached Patea, the settlers determined that they would not allow it. At 10 o'clock the volunteers paraded, two hundred being present. A meeting was held on the ground afterwards, and decided that if the Government would-not give a satisfactory reply, the settlers would turn f.he Maoris off at 12 o'clock on Sunday. At half-past 9 on Sunday morning, when the settlers saw the Natives wilfully destroying the lawn, they could" not wait till 12. They therefore took the . ploughs, yoked bullocks to theni, and. carted all off: to the ..Waimate. Plains. ■ There were 200 Europeans present at the time. The Maoris were-very sulky, and said "Wait, you will see." They also threatened to come back at ouee, saying that the land was theirs and they intended cropping it. The settlers waited, to see if they would return^ determined to turn. them'back. '..-.• Livingston's house was guarded last night by thirty volunteers, and the settlers are prepared' to> meet a large force of Natives this morning and turn them off if necossary; The settlers are determined to protect cacK'other to the utmost, and throw the' result on the Government. '■"'., ■ ' . . SIB GEORGE GREY'S MESSAGE. ' The Premier (Sir George Grey) in a telegram to Major Brown, Civil ;Commissioner, said: —"Thank Mr. Middlemas for telegram to me. Am sorry to hear that the settlers'are excited. This is unnecessary, for I understand there are men of singular courage- and determination amongst them. Anything done under excitement in.times of disturbance is badly, done, and something takes places which always leaves reason for lasting regret. I believe also there is such strength' at Hawera that the place'can: protect itself against any immediate danger, without difficulty. Had I been-ablesto travel- I would at once have gone up there. .From ignorance of the circumstances, I can not now pretend to give complete!- directions :to those on the spot. Much responsibility must therefore rest; upon the authorities there; but the best interpretation shall be put upon all.they do. lunderstand there are warrants out against Borne of the Natives ploughing—for theft and other offences. It must rest with the authorities, on the, spot to determine whether their strength at Hatvera, and other circumstances, render it prudent to execute these warrants, tnd whether it is most advisable to do that, or simply prevent the Natives from, going on the land,' or to warn them off the land; and if they do not go, to .move them and their ploughs without insult, and quietly, from' the land. .-.-. Let the settlers understand that the great thing is to bring on, no unnecessary disturbances and that measures will be taken to secure, the permanent peace of the country;.arid that if this can be done without bloodshed, and the evils which follow from an unnecessary war, all we can desire will be gained. Some of the Natives represent that what they are doing is only to call attention to wrongs which they state they have for years suffered in reference to lands promised them as compensation. "Others undoubtedly are doing,it under the orders of a fanatic, and there is. no telling.to.what length fanaticism will proceed. This is no new thing. Nearly similar, circumstances took place in the County of Kent in my youth, and resulted in much loss of life. ..; ',•'.■.. " ' "You should let them -understand that there are no' negotiations whatever going on with Te Whiti; and that we aro quite free.to take any course we think necessary;" that they may rely that everything possible shall be done to secure their safety; and that I feel sure they will act with calmness, with a view to their own welfare, and to the good of the colony generally. The wire will bo kept open all day so that the settlers may keep me advised as to matters. G. GREY. DANGER OF BLOODSHED. It should be noted that the settlers did not wait until they received the Premier's message, but removed . the Natives soon after they arrived, and commenced ploughing the land. As will be seen, the Natives returned next day, and were again removed, amidst much excitement on the part of the settlers. A tether message from Hawera

stated that about fifteen Maoris started to plough on the settlers' land again on 23rd June, and reports were in circulation about town that there were 150 cavalry,' fully armed, ready to act as» a covering party. A large muster of European settlers took place, and the Maoris were carried to the Waingongorp bridge, and put on the other side of the river. Some settlers decided to arrest four Maoris, there being warrants out against them. The Maoris were kept in custody for some time, but were afterwards liberated on account of there being some European families still remaining in danger on the plains at Oeo. No violence was used. ! The settlers are very dissatisfied, and unless at once some organisation be effected, blood certainly will be shed in a day or two. The settlers are tired of simply turning the Maoris off, and as they know that, war must come, they think it had better come at once, rather than that this ■ suspense should continue. The settlers are determined to resist every aggression on'the part of the ' Natives in , future, no matter what the consequence may. be. The Natives, acting apparently under instructions from: Te< Whiti, continued) ploughing at various places in the Tara•naki district, and were ultimately arrested by armed constabulary and imprisoned. - , EXCITEMENT FOLLOWING GREAT ■-:.' -:<.-.; -.: .- . .. TIRE. , . , Following the great fire in Manners street, the "Evening Post" on 23rd June, 1879, again apologised to subscribers for .the supply, of copies of "The Post" running'short, in consequence of the excessive "run" .on them. Notwithstanding • that a large extra number had been printed,-not a single "Post" was to be had anywhere in town by. 7 o'clock on Saturday evening. . ■ ■ ■ • ■'•:.. , ,-: LONG VOYAGE TO LYTTELTON. A paragraph published on the 23rd June states: "As illustrating the extraordinary severity of the gale on "the coast, we may mention that the steamer Eotorua, which is justly noted as one of the most powerful boats trading to these ports, occupied 45 hours on her last passage from Wellington: to Ly ttelton. She left this port on Friday at 3 p.m., and encountered the full fury of the storm on Friday night and during Saturday. . For, many hours she could' make no headway at all against the hurricane, and she did not reach Lyttelton until ■ noon yesterday. > The Wanaka-also sustained a tremendous buffeting on her way. down ■.... from Napier, taking 46 hours on the trip." It was reported that the damage done by the storm in town was trifling, comprising- the upsetting of a few fences, lamps,> and chimney-pots, the carrying away of some sheets oi iron foofing, and the breaking of several windows. The last ancluded the . south transept winaoin of St. Peter's Church, which was blown in and "had to be temporarily boarded up. for" service yesterday.'' A STRANGE PREDICAMENT. ■ An extraordinary aeeident "is reported as having occurred, on the railway at the siding this side of the Upper Hutt oh Saturday evening, states "The Post" of 24th January. -It appears that Mr. "Withington, a resident of Newtown, was anxious to come back to town , by. ■ the last train,, which leaves the Upper Hutt at 5.30 o'clock. Accordingly he lit a newspaper for the purpose of signalling the train to stop. The driver did not pull up until the train- got a considerable distance past the siding. The guard then shouted to Mr. Withmgton to "come on." He ran for the'train, fell into a "cow-catch-er, and could not extricate himself. He shouted} but being probably misunderstood/ the train proceeded without him." He ; continued shouting till a settler arrived and cut away a plank of the cow-catcher and released :him. It has been suggested to us," stated the "Post," with a view to preventing such accidents in future, that a bull's-eye lantern should be left at wayside shopping places,' for the purpose of signalling the.trains.»»■>: ■.■■.•-...-.