Ahuriri

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 1228, 9 May 1857, Page 3

Ahuriri

(From our own Correspondent.) Napier, April 4, 1857* Since my last communication, with which J forwarded a copy of the address to the Superintendent agreed to at the public meeting at Napier on 19th ult,, Messrs, Fitzherbert, Roy, and Fox paid us a sharp visit, and left about the Ist inst., en route for Wellington via Manawatu, they arrived here on 26th March, and Mr. Fox held a Court on 27th to hear the appeals made from Mr. Domett’s awards in the run cases, which he had given notice he would hear on or about the 20th March, A week’s delay, however, and the expense of living at public houses to five or six country settlers, who had their heads full of other business at that time, did not appear of much importance to the Chief Commissioner, who, by the judicious administration of a good dinner at Munn’s to the parties who had been waiting on him for more than a week before he appeared, got them into tolerably good humour for hearing his decisions next day,—which were no doubt identical with what had been arranged by Mr, Sub-Commissioner Tiffen, as Mr. Fox had himself no opportun’ty of seeing the disputed boundaries,- —and this impressed on the minds of all *he settlers here the absurdity of causing so much anxiety and delay in obliging the interested parlies to await in such cases as those lately •tied, the nominal decision of the Chief Commissioner when they must really be decided by the local one. It is understood, that in future Rome change will be made, and that the SubCommissioner will be invested with fuller powers, h is but just to say, however, that on (he pre. B ent occasion the decisions given by Mr. Fox oppear to have satisfied, as far as it was possible, Ml except one habitual grumbler. Messrs. Fox and Fitzherb. rt appear to have met with a very cool reception from the settlers m general, scarcely any notice having been taken <’f them, and, when their conduct in the Provincial Council on the presentation of the petition of the association is considered, they will scarcely wonder nt their not having experienced a very cordial recejtion here. Much disappointment is felt nt the non-arrival

of the Superintendent, but hopes are still entertained of hie coming up; though nothing much '.s expected from him but the usual fair promises and expressions of anxiety for the welfare of the settlers, the cost of which is not more than their estimated value.

Ab, however, his arrival cannot be calculated on for certain, and as no answer to the resolutions passed at the public meeting at Napier on 31st December last has yet been received from him, and the petition presented to him by R, J. Duncan, E«q., arrived too late to act on it by formal motions, I understand (hat at the last meeting of the Committee of the Association, on 2nd April (Messrs. Fox and Fi’zherberi being at the time in the next room), the Chairman was requested to write to the Superintendent, asking him to favour the settlers with a specific answer to the resolutions, and a memorial to his Honor was resolved upon in support of the prayer of the petition of 2nd February, which will probably be published by the Committee. At the same meeting, it is said, a reply to Mr. 11. R. Russell’s letter of 2nd March (published in your issue of 4th March) was unanimously resolved on, which, if report speaks true, is anything but of a complimentary nature. The Settlers’ Committee appears to be working well and consistently ; and much good may be done by such a political organization in a district having no press of its own, if their views continue to be fair and moderate, and no extravagant opinions are put forth, or premature steps taken by them : the want of a newspaper however is so much felt that many wishes are expressed in favour of the gentleman at Auckland who is thinking of starting one at Napier like the Wanganui Chronicle', there can he no doubt that great advantages would result from it, even from the facility that advertisements in it would give to settlers in buying or selling goods, lands, houses, and sheep or cattle ; and, as a body, the Ahuiiri settlers would then assuredly have more weight in the public affairs of the colony than they can ever hope for as long as they have only the press of the neighbouring settlements through which to express their wishes or grievances, Great preparation has been made this some time past for fighting—on the part of Ilapuku and his supporters, against Moananui and his followers—which however may end in nothing; they seem to exhaust all their energies in talking and pah-building: three new pahs, involving the consumption of an enormous quantity of potatoes and other edibles, having b*en built by the opposing parties, who with all their warlike demonstration take very good care to keep out of each other’s way. No payments for land have yet been distributed amongst the individuals of the different tribes, although large sums have la’ely been paid the chiefs cn account of land for which they have given the necessary receipts to Mr. Commissioner Cooper; it is thought that the chiefs wish to see their pahs completed before they distribute the money, as, after that, they would have no hold over their followers to induce them to remain and finish their useless fortifications.

Napier, April 27, 1857.

On Thursday, 16th instant, Dr. Featherstoj at last reached this, having been detained al Wellington longer than he had anticipated by the arrival o' the dnn Wilson, with immigrants from Liverpool. He remained here till 25th instant, and received a much more courteous reception from the inhabitants than his colleagues Messrs. Fox and Fitzherbert. On Wednesday, 22nd instant, a deputation of the settlers waited on him with the address agreed to on 19th ult., of which a copy was lately transmitted to you. Af ter the reading of the address by Captain J, Curling, the Superintendent spoke at some length. It was remarked, however, that, although he had been presented with a copy of the address immediately on his arrival some five or six days previously, and repeated wishes bad been expressed by the settlers for distinct and specific replies, which they reasonably supposed would be in I writing,—that his Honor paid no attention to their request, and instead of furnishing written answers which might be published for the information of the settlers not then present, evaded them altogether, and contented himself by answering three very important documents laid before him, viz., the address of 19th ult., the memorial of 3rd inst., and a letter from the Chairman of the Committee, of which I now enclose a copy, in a very cursory and unsatisfactory manner, by word of month only, after the address had been read to him by Captain Curling. It is true that having been pressed to give his opinion in writing on certain points, he promised to do so, and to put the statements he had made on paper, ns soon as possible, from the notes he had made; but, considering the ample time he had between getting the copy of the address and other papers, and the day of meeting, his conduct to the settlers is by no means complimentary, and does not look as if he felt himself able to give very satisfactory replies to the various matters brought under notice. In his speech after hearing the address, and which cannot be looked upon as a regular reply, he begged to thank the settlers for the satisfaction they expressed on the occasion of his present visit, and their kind wishes for bis personal welfare; he wished to apologize, also, for any apparent neglect in supposing that he had not before acknowledged the receipt of the resolutions passed at the meeting of 31st December last, as, to the best of his recollection, he had addressed a letter to the Chairman of the meeting (never received) acknowledging the receipt of them; and saying that be had directed them to be laid ou the table of the Provincial Council; and then taking up the resolutions, in regard of the sth or the first connected with the Provincial Government, he said that the Sub-Commissioner at Napier had now been invested with the same powers as Mr. Domett formerly had, but that with respect to making absolute sales of land a’ Napier only, (see Capt. Carter’s letter of 3rd inst.) he did not think the Government could alter the present role, as the objections stated were not, at any rate in the case of Wanganui, found to exist in practice, but one instance having occurred there of two persons applying for the same piece of land, on the same day, at the land offices at Wellington and Wanganui. It was contended, in opposition to this, in the dis cussion which afterwards took place, that Wanganui could not be compared with Ahutiri, aa the Government never had much land io sell in the neighbourhood of the former, which was established by the New Zealand Company,—whereas they bad very ext nsive tracts in the latter, —and that it was very different with Wanganui io which there was a regular weekly post, and Ahnriri, with which four or five weeks is the average time of communicating and receiving answers. Touch-

ing the Gth resolution, his Honor stated that he thought the discussion before the Council on the pastoral interests had done much good in supplying information on the real position of the sheep farmers that many were previously ignorant of, and that there was no reason to apprehend that anything would be in future attempted to injure or annoy them ; with respect to the upset ptic** of suburban lands, the Government had •Jetermined to fix it at 10s. per acre, leaving it to bring as much more at the time uf sab* as it might be worth ; he believed that the rapid advancement of this settlement depended altogether on our acquiring soon the Ahuriri plains, and that no effort ought to be left untried to obtain (hem. His Honor said he looked on 7th and bth resolutions as really the most important ones ; that he agreed in the main with the 7th, as it always had been his opinion that each district should have, as much as possible, the full benefit of the funds raised in the district, but he thought the settlers misunderstood their position ; they as yet contributed not much more than a 40th part of the Customs revenue of the Province, and already had the Provincial Government expended very large sums for their advantage in buying lands here; beheld in his hand a statement of the amount received from Mr. Cooper, by which it appeared that over £23,000 had been already advanced, and this sum woul I be further increased by £4OOO that would be paid the natives for other lands in a few days, and, before all the land was acquired that was particularly needed for the prosperity of the settlement, the debt might be increased to £50,000 by sums advanced

out of the loan to the General Government that was to be repaid by the Province. By the returns of the amount of land sold here, he found the amount received from this district was a little over £9OOO, whilst the expenses for surveys and administration was about £5OOO ; therefore, in place of the Province owing anything to this district it would, he imagined, be many years before the latter could clear off ns debt to the former, and tbathe believed the chief land revenue of the Province would arise, for some time to come, from tie sale of townships at Raugitikei and Wairarapa. He said, also, that the settlers were unnecessarily alarmed about the debt that the Provincial Government had contracted, for that he would undertake to pay it off in the course of six months, if required, for what had he to do more than to put up four or five of the runs for sale, and the money could easily be realized. This financial statement rather took the deputation by surprise, and very many inquiries were made of his Honor how the £23,000 alleged to have been expended was made up. His Honor explained as far as be was able, but no one present seemed able to understand the matter ; nor were their minds much enlightened when subsequent to the interview with his Honor, some members of the deputation found that the statement of the amount of £23,000 already expended in land purchases, included the sum of £7,100 paid by Sir G. Grey out of the grant from home, and which the Province of Wellington would have as much right to call on us to repay, a’ the people of Auckland would have to ask the Wellingtonians to repay the money spent by Sir. G. ( Grey in the Rimutaka and other roads, that was derived from the same source. It was also observed that some £4OOO, also included in the £23,000, was paid for 1-md at Castle Point end Akitio, out of the Ahuriri districts altogether, so ’ that it is difficult, at present, to say how far further investigations would substantiate his Honor’s i statement.

Alluding to the road through the 70-mile bush, his Honor said he was sure we should never get many people to come here unless we had a rosd, such as he intended should be made, opening into this district from Wairarapa,—that it would be like a door through which population would flow ; and although it was objected that, however useful the road might be to the Ahuriri settlers, the sum of £20,000 was wholly insufficient to make it as was proposed, judging from the cost of work formerly executed on the Rimutaka mad of a similar character, his Honor said that Mr. Roy’s estimate for it was only £lO,OOO, but (hat he had put down £20,000 as quite ample, and that a road of a similar nature through the bush from Masterton to Grey Town would cost but £lOO per mile; and he believed that when the road through the 70-mile bush was opened that it would be extensively used, for that all the wool from Wairarapa was brought over the Rimutaka road ibis year. Nor did His Honor seem willing to alter his' opinion in spite of a remark made by one of the gentlemen present, that, to his mind, it was merely a case of simple proportion, for if it costs £l2 per ton to bring things from Wellington to Masterton, a distance of 60 miles by land, it can surely be ascertained what the cost will be of bringing them here, some 210 miles, by the same way ; while we know that things can be brought by sea at £2 10s. per ton. A very interesting description of the 70-inile bush was given by the Rev. Mr. Colenso, and listened to with much attention by his Honor, from which it would appear that Mr. Colenso did not estimate as trifling the difficulties that would have to be encountered in making the road. His Honor, however, frankly declared that the 70-mile bush road was a hobby of his, and that he bad set his heart upon making it. When it was pointed out that the guarantees sought for were with a view to the future separation of this place from Wellington, his Honor said it was not in his power to give any guarantees, which could only be obtained by a vote of the Provincial Council. With reference to the 9th resolution, he said that the members for Ahuriri had the power to ask leave to bring in a Bill before the Council such as was required, but he did not think the Council would sanction the management of main roads, harbour improvements, &c., being transferred from the immediate control of the Provincial Government to local Boards. In the discussion of this point, and in support of the necessity of local control was instanced the conduct of his Honor’s Government in the case of the main road between this and Ruataniwha. Last February two years, his llonot promised that Mr. Roy should be sent up immediately to choose the best line and set the work agoing; some four months after, in midwinter, Mr. Roy arrived and rode over Te Autf and middle lines, choosing the latter in preference to the former on account, it was understood, ot the difficulty of crossing two rivers on the old Te Ante fine that it was not then known could he avoided ; in going Lack to Wellington, after having remained in the district a few days, ht put in some stakes on the middle line in one place, and called this laying out the line, — no plan or section having been made by him; but, as the natives expressed themselves averse to this pne, nothing more was done, until about two

months ngn it was discovered that the Te Aut<* line might mill be mad** by a way that Mr. Roy hud overlu-iked in bis hasty visit, at:d by which H would not he necessary to cross the Ngaruroro and Okawa river* up the country, where no ferries or bridges could be established ; but though this has been long known, no steps were taken by the Government to prosecute the work last summer, and the £4OO or £5OO that the inland settlers have had to pay for carriage of wool and stores this year in excess of what it ought to have eoM them, will probably be increased to £BOO or £9OO next y<*ar, from the delay and inactivity of the Provincial Government ; and, to make matters worse, it is said that Mr. Roy, on his late visit, at the instance of Mr. Tiffen, has now declared himself in favour of another road to the Ruataniwha by Maraeknkahu, rather than the new Te Ante line, and on which the very same obstacles, viz., crossing the Ngaruroro and Okawa rivers at places practicably unbridgeable, exist, as caused him furmprly to reject th* old Fe Aute line It was pointed out to his Honor

that most of the sfitlers were in favour of the new Te Arne line ; that it was the most central, having the great body of the settlers on the right and left ; that it equally opened up all the country that would be opened up by the Maraekakahu road, besides much that the latter woold not benefit; that it crossed no river unless at Waipureku where there was a good ferry, or where it was possible to build a bridge ; that there was no hill whatever on the linf*, and that ’he natives were most favourable to it; that from Napier to a point on the Ruataniwha plains common to both lines, (he distance by Te Ante was 53 miles, whilst by the Maraekukahu line, crossing, as it does, the two unbridgeable rivers Ngaruroro and Okawa, and one range of hills, and leaving the great mass of habitable country on the left, the distance would he only one mile shorter, added to which it was very uncertain

whether the natives would allow it to be made or not; and that the adoption of this new scheme after all difficulties had been removed from the new Te Aute line, would probably cause us to be

without a road that would be of much use to the settlers for some years to come. Notwithstanding all these representations in favour of immediately prosecuting the road by Te Aute, his Honor said that he did not think he could decide the matter until he had received Mr. Roy’s reports, and until levels were taken and sections made by a Mr. Anderson, who was to be sent up by Mr. Roy for this purpose. Mr. Tiffen, who is to have the control of the road works, is very much against the Te Aute line, which would pass close alongside cf

his own run that be holds on lease from Mr. Tollemache, and the candid avowal that he rather incautiously made in presence of the deputation “ that he did not want a road to go near his run,” confirmed an opinion held by some of the latter, that the true reason for his opposition may be sought for in considering his present relation with Mr,-Tollemache. His Honor how-

ever, positively promised that, even if the Te Aute line is not selected as the trunk road to Ruataniwha, that the sm 11 bridges on it shall be built, and the road made passable for drays as quickly as possible. In speaking of the 10th resolution, his Honor

ia ; d, he would be very willing to have as much if surveys and public works dene by contract as vas possible, but did not well see how detached

surveys could be thus executed ; he would be willing, however, if a township were formed at PorangebftU to get it surveyed by centrad ; and if contractors could be found willing to execute road-wotk be hoped much might so be done. And, looking at ILb resolution, he said, be had already requested the Governor to proclaim the Resident Magistrates’ Court extension of Jurisdiction Ordinance, and made provision by the appointment of Mr. Ward, as Chairman, to carry it cut. He did not think, however, that until the road through the 70-mile Bush was open that an overland post to Wellington was really required. As the interview had then lasted several hours, Captain Curling, in the name of the deputation, thanked his Honor for the trouble they had given him and the patience with which he had listened to them, and the meeting terminated ; without, however, having afforded any satisfaction to the seitiers on the main grounds

of complaints, and which the absence of any written answers leaves in as uncertain a state as before. Previous to the Superintendent’s departure many of the settlers begged of him to urge the General Government to appoint a Resident Magistrate fur this place without further delay, and his Honor promised co recommend strongly Captain J. Curling, who is much respected by bis fellow-setilers, for this important office now so long vacant by the shameful neglect of the Stafford ministry, and it earnestly hoped that his appeal, backed by the wishes of the settlers, will prove successful.

(Copy of Captain Carter's Letter io His Honor the Superintendent.) Napier, April 3, 1857. Tobis Honor I. E.Featherston, Esq., Superintendent of the Province of Wellington. Sir, —As there appears to be now but little probability of your Honor’s arrival here at the present juncture and as no opportunity may be afforded the settlers of presenting the address agreed to at a public meeting held at Napier on 19th ult., in anticipation of your arrival on the following day, and a copy of which is enclosed, I have been requested by the committee of the Ahuriri Settlers Association to apply to your Honor to favor the Ahuriri settlers with a reply to the memorial transmitted to you on the Ist January last, and covering resolutions passed at the Great Public Meeting on the3lst December, 85G, with an explanation of the views of your Government relative to the subjects of resolutions 5,6, 7,8, 9, 10, and 11. I have been requested also by the Committee to bring under your Honor’s notice what appears to them a very unsatisfactory regulation introduced by the present Chief Commissioner for effecting the sale of public Lands in these districts. According to this, as regards application made on the same day for the same piece of land at Ahuriri, at the Land Office of Wellington and Napier, they are given to undcistand that the applicant at Napier would have the preference, but that if the Napier applicant were a day behind the applicant at Wellington the latter would take precedence of him, so that in neither place can an absolute sale be now made, or an assurance given to a party lodging his money at one office for a piece of land that it is his till the receipt of a communication from the other office, that it had not been already sold—involving a delay of four or five weeks, and preventing emigrants or parties purchasing land here from occupying it for a consideiable time after they had paid money for it, during which they would be uselessly exhausting their resources living at public houses with their families, instead of at once proceeding to their land. This is putting a heavy tax on intending settlers, as also forcing them to remain idle for four or five weeks, and would have, in the opinion of the Committee, a most injurious effect especially when joined with the anxiety that settlers would be in fur fear that the land they applied for hud been already bought at Wellington, and that they would have again to try for another

piece with the same loss of lime and money, per- ! haps to be attended with an equally unfortunate result. Th-* is only one of many serious evils and annoyrturcs »o he apprelo-mied from arrangement* lately made by Mr. Commissioner Eox in reference to the sale of land here; but the CommiUee confidently hope that it will be unnecessary to trespass further on your Honor’s time by detailing other objections, and that from what has been stated you will see fit to.order the alteration of the existing arrangement in favor of the plan formerly adopted in the time of Mr. Domett, which was, that absolute sales of land would be made at once al M/uer, and there only, and that although every information and assistance be given in future to persons applying at the Land Office at Wellington for laud at Ahuriri—their applications should onlv dale from tin- day on which the lo< a ('ommissimier at Napier received the description of the land and certificate of the money having been lodged from the Commissioner at *W ellington, so that absolute sales could be effected at all times at Napier, and settlers couid occupy the land bought at once. Ihe Committee would also wish io p irit out to your lloirnr the reasonableness of trusting the local Commissioner with full power to manage all matters in regard of land and sheep runs without reference to Wellington, except in cases of appeal, and that he should have authority to receive all rents paid for runs in the district—as the present rule which obliges the rents to be paid at Wellington causes considerable inconvenience, risk, and expense to parties having no agent there. 1 have been further instructed to represent to your Honor the great hardship felt by many actual settlers who bought land near Pataogala on the banks of the Tukituki on the runs held by Messrs. Tiffen, Curling, and Cultins, in the t : me of Mr. Domett, by the very rigorous interpretation lately put by Mr. District Surveyor Tiffen on 10th clause of the Land Regulations, and said to be owing to instructions received from Wellington on that bead.

It would appear that Mr. Domett in many cases relaxed the strict interpretation of clause 10 where the purchaser intended to be residents, and where the agricultural land along the banks of rivers was very nairow with high hills close behind, he allowed a much mure extended frontage ’han 10 chains in a lot of 40 acres, and did net oblige ’he settlers' to go back the distance of 40 chains mentioned in clause 10, as the rivers were not navigable and no particular advantage was derived from such river frontage. In the case of many persons who bought land on the banks of the Tutaikuri and Retano rirers, and who had it surveyed by the Government before Mr. Domett left all the selections have been allowed to stand good by Mr. Tiffen, who makes the accident of the land bo.ight under exactly similar circumstances on the runs of Messrs. Curling, Collins, and Tiffen not having been surveyed before Mr. Domett left, the reason for the F’rovincial Government now breaking faith with the Tukituki settlers and upsetting the title which they have in equity, at least, it is submitted under Mr. Domett's receipts to the same consideration enjoyed and guaianteed to purchasers on the banks of the other rivers named. In fact by making the Tukituki settlers go back half a mile, as Mr. Tiffen wishes them to do; in some cases thej' will not have more than four or five acres of level agricultural land in a lot of 40 acres, and a great hardship will be experienced by them if they do not get their selections as promixed on the part of the Government by Mr. Domett, and which induced them to settle there. It is however hoped that your Honor will cause an investigation to be made into this matter, and direct that justice be djne them now that your attention has been called to the circumstances I have just stated, and which the Committee trust will meet with your earnest and favorable consideration, especially as the interests of some 8 or 9 actual settlers are involved in it. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, (Signed) J. C. Lambton Carter, J.P., Chairman of Committee.