THE GREAT KORERO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13484, 10 May 1907, Page 6

THE GREAT KORERO.

A MONSTER PETITION. ■■-■-* .■' : --. ■../■'.;" '.'.-'■":''' V ■■'■'.' '■".■■..'■.. s ■ *' "•" TO BE PRESENTED TO PARLIAMENT. > A REMARKABLE DOCUMENT. - [by telegraph.—own correspondent.] Hontly, Thursday ' " ..After '.'.a, protracted sitting the Select Committee adjourned this morning at two o'clock, the question ~of union engaging the attention of members to the exclusion of all other matters. At length this subject was settled by a unanimous affirmation of the principle that all tribes assembling should form a union, in order to force upon the attention of the Government the necessity for legislation to supersede such laws as at present bear heavily upon the race. ■ ,'•;'. ';-■

On resuming this morning, Tupu Taingakawa being present by invitation-, the committee decided to organise a monster petition for presentation by native members to the House of Representatives. Should such petition be ignored, or be received without the promise of immediate results, then the final action must consist in sending J a deputation to England. The latter alternative, it was thought, would be, as unnecessary as was the. desire to • proceed to such an extreme. ;. They determined,, however, to use. all influence they possessed to have-, deleted "from the Statute Book such laws as were not in strict con-, formity with the. letter and spirit of. the Treaty of Waitangi. • To-morrow, or Saturday, the resolution passed by the committee will 'be submitted to the gathering.: ► , ■ ~-', : -

The committee of 84 members, or 85 now, as Taingakawa may .be included in the membership, appears to have been found an unwieldy body. Each delegate is naturally an orator, and feels bound to express his views on each and every subject, and his views are generally hidden in a mass of verbiage. ;. Thus ; those who think Saturday should see the end of the general . deliberation will not be far off the. mark. All-night sittings are not relished, so that the tendency to settle down to work is more marked .than heretofore,. while the strictures which have appeared/ in .; the press' .as to waste of time have had - some ' effect. Though the chief secretary, Mr. Rawhiti, could,; not be induced to speak, other memben stated that the personnel of the deputation was considered, and, especially the head. On this point the debate was long and protracted, the line of argument taking a Biblical turn. Just as Moses advised the Israelites ..elect as king one of their own race, .so - should they have ■■ as • head > of 'the deputation one of the native race, .-' This advice had been followed in the case of Potatau, the first king of the Maoris, the implication being that the natural successor J of Potatau was Mahuta. / Reference was made to an interview which appeared in ! the Herald, in which Messrs. Rogers and Morehu te Kirikau ; stated that' the meeting was a, farce and only an excuse for feasting. The rangatiras of h the Arawa j tribe gave vent to the indignation aroused : by the appearance of such, sentiments in : print, and in ; no > uncertain tones declared that the meeting was of vital importance, to the,: race, that the opinions so expressed; were those of individuals and did not reflect the feelings of the tribe, and that no infor- '■< mation as to what transpired at the nrcet- , ings was :■■■ authentic • unless it \ bore the • imprimatur of the chief secretary, who was the sole medium of communication between ' the meeting and the accredited members of the press. ; ''■;/, "■'.". : Hearing that the president, Tupu Tainga- ; kawa, had! received an : anonymous letter , which referred to the presentation of a flag to the Maori race by William IV., and that in order to obtain further information on. the subject he had advertised •in ItlioiHerald,. asking the writer to communicate: with him, your representative .-, asked the ; chief in question if such : were true, and" though inclined to be reticent he at length gave permission for a copy of the following curious document to be made: — .'>•■ "Auckland, February 20, 1907. "'"'' • "To Taingakawa, secretary to King Mahuta,".;.': , ' ..'. . "This is my word to you; to all of you— be strong against the '"lure Muru ' Act of 1905. Do not let the Government take your lands and put them up to auction as if they were waste lands of the: Crown. If you go to England,' be strong to show , that , the Native Land Act of 1905 sweeps away the Treaty of Waitangi, 1840, and the Constitution Act, 1852, so far as the natives are ; concerned. . Let your. cry be that his independent nations in 1840 signed a treaty. One party to the treaty agreed to acknowledge the Sovereignty of Queen Victoria,, the other party to the treaty guaranteed to the native [!, tribes, collectively and individually, . the full and undisturbed possession of then- lands, forests, fisheries, and other properties, to be sold only with the consent of the native owners. Beware of putting your lands in the hands of land boards, and extinguishing the native title to lands' The Treaty of Waitangi protects the native title, but if that title is extinguished all is lost. If the Government of England refer your petition back to the New Zealand Government, then state that there is ,no hope for justice in New Zealand, for 11,500 adult Maoris signed a petition in 1904 and 1905 to be placed on the same footing with regard to their lands as Europeans, but no notice was taken of their petition. Let some of, your leading chiefs • throughout the North Island sign a document firmly denouncing the Treaty of Waitangi, on the plea that oneparty to the treaty, the British Government; had not fulfilled their' solemn obligation by giving the . Maoris : full 1 and undisturbed 1 possession 'of their lands,' and imparting : to the natives all the rights and privileges : of British subjects. Keep this document until you hear the final decision of the British Government, then, 'f you are. refer-?, red back to the New Zealand : Government'. hand in your document /demanding the treaty, which would mean that you prefer : to go back to your position of independent ■ federated tribes of New Zealand under your flag, given you by William IV., 1835. 'This wul bring matters, to a: crisis, and something will have to be done, to -put the Maoris v.in the position/ of natural bom subjects .of ; His Majesty, , as provided for under the Native Rights Act, of 1865, and this will give you the full possession and rights over your own Lands, - and no New Zealand Government can dare to interfere with your lands, -no more than with the lands of other "British subjects. '■• ."//J/ ~ " Enough from your friend and wellwisher of the Maori race." : ".;' -.:.' >

Asecond .'.'communication from, the " friend" and well-wisher would appear to have followed, but of its contents no information, could be obtained.

If, as has been stated, the length of the meeting is to depend on the holding out of provisions, the meeting will be of indeterminate duration, as supplies of all kinds are coming in daily. Parties have even been sent to the "coast to secure supplies of pipis and mussels. According to George Paid, who is chief of the commissariat department, the sum of £559 lis 7d has been expended in bread and groceries alone, being distributed among local and Ngaruawahia storekeepers. . The same authority states that .two truck loads ■ of kumaras and one of shellfish arrived by train to-day. The size of the truck? was nob mentioned.;' v V. • - >!

Last night was devoted to a wrestling match, a native from Hawke's Bay carry" ing everything before him. As the result of a collection made to-day, £10 was gathered, -and given as prizes for athletic contests held this afternoon. To-night a dance in the hall forms . the attraction. These dances are a source of the nightly takings approximating £10.