ANOTHER NATIVE LAND TROUBLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5947, 8 December 1880, Page 5

ANOTHER NATIVE LAND TROUBLE.

[BY TELEIiItAPH, PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Napier, Tuesday. The Supreme Court writ in the case of the Omaramni block, owned by Mr. Sutton, but which lit; has been deprived of by the Maoris for the last ten years, was served today by the Sheriffs officer. A party of eight went to serve the writ. On the arrival at the pa, it was found that all the men were absent, and from what subsequently transpired it appeared that they had determined to leave only women and decrepit men, in the belief that Europeans would not use force to eject them. The bailiff and his assistants waited all day trying to find some of the men, but wcr« unsuccessful, and at last, having failed in their repeated efforts to get the women to leave peaceably, were obliged to use force. The women declared they would sooner die than leave their laud, and taunted the Europeans witli sending a war party against defenceless women and children. A sudden fancy took them, and they began to strip, declaring that they would be removed naked, and when at last they were carried out, struggling, kicking, and screaming they wore only chemises. Possession was then formally given to Mr. Sutton. Soon the women seemed reconciled, and asked Mr. Sutton to lend them his cabs to carry them to Tareha's pa, and this was done. Tareha was acquainted with the proceedings, and acknowledged that the orders of the Supreme Court must be obeyed. Three men were then left in possession, the remainder returning to town. All seemed satisfactorily settled, when, two hours later, a native policeman and eight Maoris went and removed the men in possession. They stated that Captain I'resce, native agent, and Mr. Hamlin had informed them that the tile ejectment was carried out by the orders of Mr. Sutton, and not of the Supreme Court, and, though they would yield to the Court, they would not yield to Mr. Sutton. This agreed with the statements made by the women, to the effect that Captain Preece had told them that the Native Minister had instructed him to inform them that Mr. Sutton was the sole author of the proceedings. Is this so ? A great victory over the Maori trespassers on European lands here has been lost. All assistance was refused to the Sheriff, and he was left to act on his own responsibility, which seems to bear out the assertions of the Maoris.