THE REPORTED NATIVE DIFFICULTY AT MATAMATA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7658, 8 June 1886, Page 6

THE REPORTED NATIVE DIFFICULTY AT MATAMATA.

[own correspondent.] Matamata, Monday. A considerable amount of surprise has been caused here by the circulation of some rather sensational reports, to the effect that a serious difficulty bad arisen between the natives and Mr. Firth's men. Thcso reports, for which there was not the slightest foundation, and which appear to have been circulated in the first instance by some interested parties, seem to have had their origin in a very ordinary affair, of which the following are the faots:—On Saturday week last Mr. Dibble, with some of his men, were taking their usual round, when they came upon a number of horses belonging to the Ngatihaua grazing in one of Mr. Firth's paddocks near the native settlement. Mr. Dibble at once took steps to drive them out, and warned some of the natives who had put in an appearance against letting their horse* g.-aze on Mr. Firth's property, telling them that if he caught them there again, he would put them in the pound. Some little badinage was exohanged between the two parties, and there the matter ended so far as the "difficulty" was concerned. Nothing more was thought of it, till the arrival of Inspector Kiely and Sergeant Emmerson on Friday last, when we were astonished to find that they had been sent by the Government to prevont, if possible, any further development of the difficulty that was supposed to have occurred. No one was, perhaps, more surprised than the two officers when they found on arrival that nobody knew anything concerning the matter they were bo anxiously inquiring about. I need scarcely say that they took their departure by the first train, convinced that someone had been sold.