TROUBLES OF THE MAORIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13491, 18 May 1907, Page 6

TROUBLES OF THE MAORIS.

MEETING OF ARAWA CHIEFS.

STATEMENT of k grievances.

After the bigkorero at Waahi native* of-the Arawa tribes decided to hold a kbrero of their own, and accordingly < a meeting of j'Arawa > chiefs ■:■'■- was ■;..- convened Cat Whakarewarewa '{; by the chief, Te Rangipuawhe, and thero were present To Nihotahi, {Wi Hapi, { Wiremu Pauro, { ,Mika Aporo, Tekeepa Mohotoumata; and other well-known chiefs of. the - Tuhourangi and other; tribes., Teono Tcehi (Mr. John Chase), of Wanganui, whose wife is an ■ Arawa, : was invited by -the chiefs to be /present, and in. an interview yesterday be gave a'HEBAID representative some particulars :of the gathering. ; Mr. Chase, ".: who was commissioned by ■ the meeting to communicate the various matters to the press, - said. that while sympathising with the .Waahi meeting with regard to unity,, the Arawas stopped at that point., The meeting at -Whakarewar'ewa resolved to petition Parliament, with a view to check-; ing the purchase of native land be-fore adequate provision was made for the natives themselves and the children, who were lan less. There were thousands of natives who held no land- at ; all, and then 'there { were those natives who had suffered by- confiscation of lands. ' The meeting, considered, that it was necessary to open up surplus lands by either sale -.or lease, and to make laws by which this could be done, but the present land laws were so confused that the natives > themselves were blocked from being able to do anything with the land. .They were worse off now than before the advent of the Land Court. Failing; some satisfactory solution by Parliament, the' matter would be taken to King Edward. {,:{;-,,■•"

; ;Tawhiao- and Topia Turoa and other prominent chiefs went to England once, under much the same conditions as the Waahi meeting.advocated, but 'the mission signally failed. Tho Arawas were • aware of this, and as those chiefs were, told to return to New Zealand and put their complaints before (Parliament, so the Arawas proposed to appeal ,to Parliament first. The meeting absolutely and resolutely declined to recognise, the kingship or any authority on tho part of Aiahuta, and expressed the opinion that each tribe would have sufficient to do to manage the business of its own district without interfering with others; but if the Arawas'could' assist the others without prejudicing their own interests, they would be willing to;; do 'soi,.{ Their : grievances many, but all were owing to the land administration. , Tho Maoris had every confidence in ;tho personnel of the Courts, -but it was the law .itself that was at'. fault ■■. The forefathers of the present Arawas had asked ' the , government to-i reserve to them the hot springs, these" being the best assets the, Maoris; held in ; the pumice country- V-.ln-times gone by the Maoris used to receive good : remuneration by means of the springs. Tho Thermal Springs Act missed the mark, from the Maori point of view, because the Government had taken all. the springs, with the.execution of a few mudhoks. ■ The meeting, Mr. Chasoi added, also considered - that the Maori : country should bo opened un for ; settlement.; ev»n if the individual titles had to be balloted for. This course * would bo quite readily agreed to whero: the present lejral : processes of ascertaining titles was - delaying, adjudication, but it was desired that the land should'riot bo ; openfld before adequate : provision was made for all Maoris. {'; There seemed to bo no, hope from ► the {Government, as one Government after another had. the- same-.old policy of dointr nothing. -It had, however, remained for the - present , Government l. to pass the . worst law of, the lot. th© Native Land for ;-• Settlement Act of 1905, : and : its amendments of 1906. The Maoris called this tyre kohuru tangata, or "man-murdering law, and . they were also { doubtful {what would remain for . tho natives after the rivora. ! lakes.".and mountains were deducted from the five million acres, for it eeemed that there would not -be '40 acres of nativeland, left to each Maori. The Government bad given-out nothing to assure the natives ai,tc.{ what area they {were to get., ; The Arawas were afraid they would bo settled on an acre or leas per man. ; Tho meeting also .: complained that ' natives were # ; clearly wronged '-"in.-'.' having {the .fishing rights of rivers arid lakes taken from them. { ■ ! '{ {'{ ' MifaSTaupbnoki; the .leading: delegare who attended the Waahi mating, was unable to be present at the : Whakarewarewa meeting, but sent ; the opinion that' the. Waahi gathering had achieved . a.great,deal by 'getting . the , Waikato' : natives to,unite'under' ; the treaty. { Tr- Rangipuawhe was now pointr round to visit the {tribes belonging to the Arawa canoe, beginning at Maketu,, and working over to Tongariro. whiph was. the Aiaw* ■■' country, and holding meetings to discus* th»so matters. To Rangipuawhe is a eon of Major Kemp. ;,',. '■:{{?',.:■{;,■;{,{