A HOUSE WRECKED.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 17 February 1925, Page 4

A HOUSE WRECKED.

MORE EXCITEMENT AT OH AWE. NATIVES EJECT A PAKEHA. The sound of rending timbers as the ■.vails of a dwelling were pulled down by a body of lusty Maori men. and the accompanying shouts and excited talk of the occupants and those engaged in the work of devastation, lent colour to an atmosphere of tense excitement which prevailed at Ohawe yesterday afternoon. t he extraordinary scene was the outcome of a. long-existing feud between a section cf the natives and a white man over the rights of occupation of certain native land on which the pakeha had built bis home, and in the eviction of the undesired one there were some surprising developments. PRECEDING EVENTS. Some time ago the natives gave the occupiers notice to quit., but their wishes in the matter being disregarded, the Maoris decided to adopt sterner measures. Consequently last Thursday they gathered in force,'and with methodical exactness which indicated careful prearrangement. they removed every sheet . of corrugated iron from the roof, while the police looked on and carried out their duty in seeing that there was no breach of the peace. Their plans having been completed up to this stage, the natives gave the pakeha three days in which to get out, failing which they would pull the house down. and . the time ’having expired without the building being vacated, the natives yesterday laid their olans for the second act in the drama. Throughout the morning members of the five tribes interested traversed the road to Ohawe, until at midday there was a fairly representative gathering in. the vicinity. After the “kai” had been partaken of the natives lay about on the grass in little groups conveniently handy to the European’s house, and expectantly awaiting the arrival of the police, fo.r whose conveyance to the scene they had provided a taxi, and without whose presence they would do nothing. It was common knowledge that at 2 p.m. there would lie “something doing,” and consequently at various points of vantage round about-, knots of seaside residents and visitors took up their stand. The atmosphere was distinctly foreboding when down the road c-ame a big new car. “Here comes the police 1” The whispered words uttered by numerous watchers were electrifying. Instantly the scattered groups came 'together, and when Sergeant Henry and Constables Tocker, Mullan and Scannel stepped out there was a strong native reception committee awaiting them. The sergeant, immediately made it clea,r that the police’ were not there to go into the rights or wrongs of the dispute, but merely to see. that there was no breach of tlie peace, and having conveyed this information to both parties, he and his men stepped back to supervise proceedings. The pakeha had the assistance of a well-known boxer and his wife, and with his force of six all told he .retired inside, the house. THE FIRST ATTACK. Armed with crowbars, 'about 15 Maori men then approached the building in an orderly column, but there was a momentary halt when the leaders found mem,selves confronted by the infuriated, inmates, who advanced hay-forks perilouslv close to the middle regions of the dusky attackers. The tail of the advancing body, however, swung round and weight -of numbers nflowed a few crowbars to be inserted and half-a-dozen battens to be wrenched off the outside wall. In the short struggle one of the young pakehas became a / little out of hand, hut- he was quickly pulled off a native by Sergeant Henry, - who held’ him in a vice-like grip until his ardour had cooled. So vehemently did the pakehas. both women and men, emphasise their threats to, prod any Maori who came within striking distance that the attack lost, its sting, and the natives, having due respect for the cold steel, retired to conduct, a korero in safer surroundings. PLENTY OF TALK. The lull lasted for about 15 minutes, but during that time the whites forced a strenuous battle of. words, in which, they allowed their tongues to give full vent to their ire. The police and the press representatives did not escape, the knights of the pen being informed by a more than irritable father and. son that if they “put anything in” they would later be “stuck up in some back street and given a hiding.”

THE BATTLE ROYAL. . When the affai.r seemed on the point of fizzling out, the Maoris rallied and led a determined attack on the old black house. They were met with a spirited defence, but soon one old white-haired veteran got a crowbar into the wall, and despite the fact that he had an opponent armed with a formid-able-looking club, using his best endeavours to drag him away and knock the crowbar out o.f bis hands, he succeeded in loosening a twelve-inch board and wrenching it off. The sound of the rending timber lent new vigour to the a ttack, and in a few minutes large gaps appeared in. the side wall. As fast as the boards were torn down the wahines carried them off,, and in about 10 minutes a good-sized stack of timber had been piled up about 30 yards away from the house. The melee continued for about 20 minutes, with much wrestling and pushing and talk of fight, the two pakeha women taking almost as active a part as the men. The police had frequently to interpose themselves in the iray, and occasionally a few sly blows were got home, but apart from a split lip and sundry bruised limbs, none of the combatants was injured. However. it was a down-hill fight for the whites, and the end came when the interior of the house was laid bare to the gaze of passers-by. It was then that the old whitehaired native raised his stentorian voice and issued a long harangue in Maori, which caused the natives to retire to the more peaceful atmosphere of their whares.

The whole affair was watched with the keenest interest by many people, few of whom were *To be seen, and it is declared that the incident provides a unique page' in the history of the little seaside township. There can lie no denying, however, that there were ugly possibilities more than once, and the women a.nd children who constitute the greater part of Oh awe’s nop illation inst now were r.t times more than a little alarmed. Fad the Maoris 'allowed their feelings the same latitude as the pakehas occasionally did, ■ there might easily have boon, a quick change from serio-comedy to tragedy; and the feeling in the settlement last night was not altogether easy. The whole business has had its humorous side, but it seems now to have gone just about, far enough.