THE NATIVE GATHERING

Evening Star, Issue 14637, 5 August 1911, Page 1

THE NATIVE GATHERING

The settlement at Waahi is almoet d«Rerted. and vril". remain comparatively tnipty until the Maoris begin to reassemble alrtjat the lßth inst., when tho basinets ro;moet,od with the partition of the lands lif=u<l will bo completed. The following jay. fcrn-sh.d by Mr Pakj, who ia at the of* tho commissariat department, will iumis.'i ooroo idoa of the cost i.{ tbcFC mfrdiuj;*. and although such list is bv no moans complete, it gives tho fig-u-Tvs iiom tie beginning of the meeting proper up to Saturday hit:—3,B23 loaves of bread, 215 cases of cabin bread, 2,1251b of butter, 142 hags of sug,v, 1,640 tins of jam, ono large chaefie, 57 bullocks, 54 pig-S 556' Backs of jiiaraa, fonr of rico, 1,200 pigeons, .7* racks of pipis, 70 boxes of tohercae, 102 tacks of mussels, 83 rack* of tuna (eel*), 35 sneke of kapuka, 80 boxes manga (barra-c(u'-a). 8 cases cocoi, ZO.b of tea, 12 bottles of tomato fi.'iuce, 216 tons of firewood and 69 BAckf. of coal, .irxl 6 canes of soap. The erst of jrroceries alone and of foodstuff* purchased totals £'652 17s 4id—a sua v inch does not ii elude the &?h, shellfißh, pigs, etc., brought or fient gratuitously by the 'members oi the virions hapu.-, interested A'i the work done at the meeting is calculated to areirt the (Jovernment in opening up tho native lands, a, subsidy is expected, the remainder being made up bv the Natives themselvts, wboue first dutv when the.v enter the settlement is to hand over to the treasurer (Te Marae, the \wfe of JJahuta) the donations in cash sent by those they represent. A quaint ceremany accompanies the presentation. Forming single file, they march to the spot selected, carrying in their hands branches of willow or ti-trce, to which notes are fixed, and there forming up in line await the arrival of the treasurer, who soon approaches, and, after expressions of acknowledgment, accepts tho offerings and boars them away to the treasury. The office la no sinecure, large sums pacing through, tho hands of that official.