ONLY ONE AUTHORITY.

Feilding Star, Volume II, Issue 592, 24 March 1908, Page 4

ONLY ONE AUTHORITY.

IPEE PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Rotorua, March 23. The Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, had an important interview yesterday at Whakataoie with the notorious Maori chief Rua, who lias caused the Government considerable trouble by his influence against reform in the Urewera district. Rua, it is understood, is not going to persist in his attempt to block the efforts to better the conditions of the natives any longer. Sir Joseph Ward told Rua's followers that there could not be two Governments in the country and that Rua's request to have all tho natives placed on the electoral! <roll could not be acceded to as Maoris already had representation and could not be represented in Parliament by both Europeans and Maoris. Sir Joseph Ward returned to Auckland by express train to-day. A conference will take place on Wednesday between Rua and other native chiefs of tho Urewera district and tho Minister for Native Affairs (Hon. J. Carroll) respecting the. settlement of mining rights in the Urewera country.