LIFE STORY OF MR. JOSHUA JONES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12663, 17 September 1904, Page 2 (Supplement)

LIFE STORY OF MR. JOSHUA JONES.

Giving an account of his life to a newspaper representative, Mr. Joshua Jones, whose suit for dander of title to a New Zealand estate was settled recently, stated: —

" I am a Welshman by birth, but I found myself as a boy very hard up in London. "Early in the fifties I landed in South Australia with Is 6d in my pocket. This had been given me by three of the passengers. After a turn on a cattle station, I went to work for a Mr. Denford, a Devonshire man, whom I looked upon Inter as a father.

" I married the daughter of my friend and employer, and she is the best woman God ever created.

.' " Although I was in too humble a position to achieve publicity, I got to know and secured the friendship of all the great explorers, including Baron von Muller, Major Warburton, the Rev. Mr. Woods, Mr. Gregory, Mr. John Macdougall Stuart, Mr. McKenna, and Sir Charles Todd.

" Leaving Adelaide I travelled a good deal, discovering the Roper River district, where De Rougemont- had never been at that time.

" Later I went on to Arnhein's Land, Port Darwin, and the Palmerston River, acquiring property, and becoming a mining speculator. I "was elected chairman of the County Council of Palmerstoni president of the Upsted Board, and honorary ' Protector of the Aborigines.' I always looked after the natives, and never allowed one to be illtreated.

"In 18751 landed in New Zealand. I knew Sit George Grey, who was then just emerging from his retirement after holding the position of Premier for the colony. He was Superintendent of Auckland, the nearest province to my property, being in fact divided -from Taranaki, in which province Mokau was situated, by the river from which Mokau derived its name.

" Sir George Grey had knowledge of the people of Mokau, and warned me in strong letters and telegrams that in going into this country I was taking my life in my hands.

"After a time I entered by way of the River Mokau, and after discussion with the great chief Wetere Terrenga, I went back to Sir Gorge Grey, who by that time (1878) had become Premier of New Zealand. I got him to give me a proclamation in two languages, withdrawing the price (£1000) which was on the head of each leader of the Maoris.

"With this I went and saw the chief Maniapoto, and as a result ot it he and the other chiefs came into New Plymouh and met Sir George Grey. There was a general shake hands, and there has never been, a shot fired since. One of the results of the meeting of the chiefs with Sir George Grey was that four members each of the Upper and Lower Legislative Houses were and are now Maoris. "' There's a very curious coincidence in, dates about all this business which, if I were an Irishman instead of a Welshman, would be more significant still. The Maori war was begun on St. Patrick's Day ; it ended on St. Patrick's Day four years after; and the head chief of New Zealand, the leader in the war, died and was buried on St. Patrick's I-* .._.■' Day. " Now, as to my possession. These great chiefs of the Maori race stipulated that as one of the conditions of peace 'this white man, Joshua Jones,' should have the piece of land they specified, eighty-eight square miles in extent, and that no one should disturb me in my possession, because I had taken the price off their heads. " On April 13,1879, Sir George directed his Government to give me a letter, which I have here, guaranteeing tome the right to this land ; and the Parliament of New Zealand, in 1885, passed a special statute confirming the pledge of Sir George Grey's Government. " In 1888 it was found that there was a flaw in my Act, and they passed another, personal to myself, and entitled ' An Act to grant special, concession to Mr. Joshua Jones in regard to Mokau, Mohakatino, concession' -." "What is the mineral value of the property?" was a not unexpected question, and Mr. Jones produced reports of surveys and other documents, which, so far as a casual examination and. perusal went, appeared to support fully hi? almost incredible story. " Surreys of the land by Government engineers," he replied, "have shown that upon 30,000 acres of it there is over 35,000 tons of coal per acre, the very best coal the world produces— coaland similar to the most valuable Welsh steam coal. That means that there is more than 1000 million tons of coal there, more than enough to pay off the national debt. * "There is another valuable deposit overlapping the coal, in acres of the best hydraulic cement in the world, which is more valuable even than the coal. "Finally, there are millions of tons of this," producing a very heavy bottle of what looked 'like steel filings. "This is sand, but it gives 88 pei cent, pure iron, and the northern side of. the property has millions of tens of it. "This is the estate I have been fighting : for. Now I have won it, lam going down to Pembrokeshire to see my friends. Then. when I have placed a tombstone over my old ;. grandfather's grave (he was very good to me) I shall clear out to my wife and children, leaving my business affairs in the hands of Captain Lewin." There was a break in the strong man's voice .'is he referred to the wife he bad not seen for so many years, a break, which was quite unexpected from such a stubborn fighter, revealing the very deep regret which has anguished the last twelve years of his life spent in separation from his family during his efforts to establish his title to his property.