EXPEDITION TO KAWEIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6820, 26 September 1883, Page 5

EXPEDITION TO KAWEIA.

The communication with Kawhia is so slow that the true state o£ affairs there is not j known even to the Government. " In view of | th'e late action of the natives in cutting the buoys and threatening the storekeepers, Mr. Bryce has despatched his Secretary, Mr. Butler, to Kawhia to report. Mr. Butler arrived by the Hinemoa at Manukau on Monday afternoon, and loft a few hours afterwards in the Government steamer for Kawhia, —where he would arrive yesterday evening. If Mr. Butler reports that matters at Kawhia are at all serious, Mr. Bryce will come up from Wellington to endeavour to settle any differences which may exist. It was the opinion of some that when the Native Minister landed at Kawhia, and marked eff the future township, h« should have left there a body of constabulary. We presume that Mr. Bryce's intention in making no parade of force when he took possession of Kawhia, was to give no excuse for hostility on the part of tho natives, or for leading them to suppose that tho Government wanted to make this a pretext for hostile measures. The (government were Bimply taking possession of and dealing with their own lands, and did not want the natives to suppose that they had any intention beyond that. However, the taking up of buoys and beacons, destroying the means of entrance into a harbour, very much altera the aspect of affairs, and the probability is, that a small body of constabulary will.be stationed at Kawhia,, to see'that thenatjves behave themselves, the men to be employed on road work.