THE EVENING MAIL, TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 241, 30 January 1877, Page 2

THE EVENING MAIL,

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1877.

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ArrMRS in the North wear a particularly gloomy aspect, and the storm-clouds which have been gathering for some timt appear a* if ready to rift at any moment. The demeanour of the Natives » moat threatening, anil at Alexandra, in the Waikato district, were it not for the judieious conduct of Mr. STcesrcta in giving way to the Maori demands until in a position to resist them, there was every probability that we should have had a repetition of those horrors attendant upon themassacre of Mr. Toot*. M there are possibly many of our readers who do not understand the present difficulty with the Waikato Natives, or what is known as the

Pirongia quarrel, we may just give a short account of uuj'ttfc* q>tectstfo. Som«* months since- a settler named Starrs bought four hundred acre*©? land, within pistol-shot of the town of Alexandra, from » Mrs. MoRCUtf, to whom he paid £6OO cash. As all the preliminaries* were executed, the money paid over, and the Crown Grant in his possession, Sitm* very naturally imagined he was at perfect liberty to put the land into cultivation, and for this purpose despatched his overseer to lay it down in graas. Mr. FalCOWltit, wfco was acting on the part of Bftsxm r had seed ploughs, harrows, and other implements forwarded from Otago, but being unable to define the boundaries of the purchased land, he telegraphed to have a surveyor sent to Alexandra for that purpose. A Mr. StCMWJ, a surveyor, and a chainraan arrived in due course, and were proceeding with the work, when they were surprised to see curtain chiefs, named Hcvia Tb Koakav, Taks W*m\ and Takere! Tb JUtr, who ordered them, in the name of the King, to desist from their work, as it was his orders that no pafeeha should be allowed to enter upon or occupy the land. A* SdaßaV i« well known to be the right band man of the King, and it was presumed his high-handed proceeding was executed under the authority of Tawbuo, Mr. Stapswa and party having the fete of Mr. Too» before their eyta, very wisely obeyed the mandate, withdrew

from ih* disputed ground, and left the surrey unfinished. It would appear that bad not Mr. Snrrarso quietly submitted to the order given him, a party of Natives wens in readiness to march to the spot to enforce it* compliance, for immediately after the surveyor had left, Noakac despatched a m*s3enger to TaWU ao to mforni him that it was unnecessary to send a party to torn away the pakeha, as placable possession had le«n given up. The bas« upon which the King party rests their claim to the land in question, and their plea for the extreme measures taken is, that the Pirongia land* w»re promised to be returned to the King, and they look upon the handing of it over to Europeans as a hrcact of the covenant entered into with them. From the action thus taken by the Natives, it will be .'• n that the spirit of lawlessness is not yet crushed out of them, and tfiat all it requires is a griev-ance-real or imaginary—to make them at once resort to their old games of violence and outrage. In fact, the fdeling of thjt Natives in the North Island is at the present time altogether bellicose, and it would appear as if the train merely wanted ! firing, and a spark would set the country | one* more in a blaze. The new settle- ! inent under the auspices and supcrinten- \ tendance of Mr. BROOMHAtL, although as I yet subjected to no outrage or violence, \ have the pleasing prospect before them ) that their occupancy of the land will not b« a very peaceable one. On Sunday 5 week a steamer conveyed a party up to ■ view the locale of the nmv settlement, and l when they had proceeded atwitt forty | mites up the Thames River, they were cafLnjed by a huge party of arniud I Natives, who insisted upon their landing, [ aud after making a rigid search any of t.ie Ohineinnrt Natives, declared that, |! had t.ey found t »em, t tey would have \ killed them for having sold to the Settlement, land to whic.i they could lay no claim, and of which they possessed no ! right. Further tt;» the river, t.iey were i again stopped by another j>arty, which went so far as to point their at t .ose I on board, cVciittidty tiring over the he.uls of the who htard the whistle of t;te bullets in disagreeable proximity. In referring to the matter the Auckland | weekly says :— '* Un Monday, a number of the Uutncmtiri Natives*, including j I lljtxtA te PostUA and TiswoaKa, were

g*.iag up the river to attend a Laud Cuuri at Cambridge, when tuey were stopped at l\j Aroha, and compelled to run baek. Tue Uhin.uiuri Natives, •»» the other hand, have established a bl ickade on the tiver, so as to prevent the Te Aroha Natives from coming down. Altoget .er, j, very awkward position of affairs has arisen. Mr. PtCKEY, Native Agent at the Thames, and UoFaTa, came k> Auckland last night, probably to consult with Ministers on the situation between the different sections of Natives." With this not very cheering asp.-ct of affairs staring us in the face, we ;isk does it not appear the very heig.it of madness to reduce the Armed Constabulary Force. Here are a class of men who, we presume, are trained in the peculiar mode of warfare required in dealing with the Natives, and just at the very juncture when their knowledge and training would be invaluable-, for some inscrutable reason their services are to be dispensed with. High an opinion as we entertain of the Police Force proper, and efficient, as no doubt they are in their own peculiar sphere, four hundred of the body would not be equal to half ttte number of the A.C. Force, whoaa- services have just been cavalierly dispensed with. By the course proposed by the new Autocrat General of Poller*, a three-fold injury has been inflicted. It is an egregious mistake, looking at the result with reference to the Native question ; it is an injustice to the ratepayers, who have been heavily taxed to provide efficient protection to their property, and which it is now sought to withdraw at a moment's notice; and it te a double injustice alike to the members of the A.C. and Police Forces. The question is one ho deeply involving the interests and welfare of the Colony, looking at it from several points of view, that we trust the Press will bring such pressure to bear upon the Ministry that the stupid blunder of the new Commissioner will not be allowed to be perpetuated. With sucli a man as Mr. Commissioner Wbldox at thtir command, who thoroughly under*

' stands the working of the Police Force, r which tinder his superintendence in this Province has won such high and flattering 1 opinions from strangers for its effic'ency and creditable appearance, it is a perfect riddle why a new and untried man shonld be appointed to the supreme control with powers to upset the mac'.inery which has worked so harmoniously fur years, and to render migratory the labors of St. Johx Bra .vieAS and tho3e brought up in so excellent a sc'mol. There are " wheels within wheels," and the appointment of Lieut.-Colonel Movie is evidently one of those little transactions for which a key is required before understanding the working of the machinery.