The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Friday, October 24, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 932, 24 October 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Friday, October 24, 1879.

Know all ye men by these pbesents : On the night of Wednesday, of the 22nd October, of the present year of grace, at one of the largest and undeniably one of the most peaceable and orderly meetings ever held within the Borough of Gisborue, situate within the boundaries of Poverty Bay, Mr. H. E. Webb moved, and Captain Tucker seconded, and a majority of those present carried the following resolution : "That the action of Mr. Rees and party in dealing with the Natives is not detrimental to the interests of the district." Further that Mr. H. E. Webb in moving the resolution said "The /Standard had been alluded to as the chief organ of the Repudiation party. He was proud of the position." And this is as it is set forth. God save the Queen and Repudiationists. So, then, if the action of the Repudiation party is not detrimental to the interests of the district, it stands of course that it must be beneficial. Therefore, we say to all, go through the land and proclaim that Repudiation is the grand panacea for existing evils. Let it be known through Maoriland, and Poverty Bay will be transformed into Fairyland, and all things will flourish and prosper. Then will the Maories bring down ruin aud desolation upon the Grab-alls. Let us go among the Native tribes and instruct them. If land has been sold to one of the Grab-alls, and there be some one among the tribe who has not put his name to the sale note, then let him and those with him go upon the land of the Grab-all and so disposses him. If a Native has sold his land, and taken rum and gunpowder, and stores in payment, let him claim back his land ; for was it not an illegal sale 1 It would not have been illegal between European and European, but between European and Maori it is a a dreadful thing — a great, nay, a most heinous offence. By all means then let us as Repudiationists (for snould we not unite with the majority) go through the districts and proclaim our principles. Then will capitalists come into our parts and buy lands abundantly. Then will men till and cultivate and enrich the soil because it will be so good for the Maories when they claim it back, to find everything so well prepared for them. In these times, when Repudiation is claimed as being so beneficial to. the districts, we shall see thousands of smiling homesteads, fields of waving qorn,sheddingtheirgoldensheen when ruffled by the summer breezes. We shall see the woolly flocks depasturing on our land ; the lowing kine yielding their milky treasure— then, ob, won't it be joyful, when Repudiation shall have shed its benign influence over the land ] The town of Gisborne will

grow to be a big city, and Repudiation shall give ample employment to the working man 1

But here let us pause, and ask if Repudiation be good in matters concerning land, would it not be good also in our commercial transactions. Supposing a merchant sells a ton of sugar at a certain figure to a tradesman and finds afterwards that he can get a better price, would it not be well that the merchant should be permitted to send his men into the tradesman's shop, repudiate the sale of the sugar and carry it off by force of numbers. . If this sort of thing be good in land dealings, why not in other transactions ? It would give a fillip and a stimulus to trade. Why should not the Repudiationists, be called upon to organize such a system ? They could do it when no one else could do it. And a meeting — such a meeting and such men as carried the Repudiafcionists' resolution at the Masonic Hall on Wednesday night, would put them through the scheme.

The Repudiationista don't ask for judges and properly constituted Courts for disputed claims to be decided. That would be too much for the Grab-alls. No, the Repudiationists must do the work, or the country will perish. But we would ask in all earnestness, did the meeting on Wednesday night represent the true interests of the Bay ? We think not. There were many men at that meeting who would have risen and lifted their voices against such a resolution as was passed did they not know and feel that the meeting was packed and they would have been hooted down as was the case with Mr Snyder Browne. They saw how he was allowed to be insulted by lai-rikin boys and a tipsy man or a man who was lost to all sense of propriety and decent behaviour, and it was not likely they wouloV run the risk of being insulted an<f possibly maltreated while advocating the cause of law, order, and protecttion to property. The Repudiationists scored a point, but of what was the composition of those who played the game ? Would they hope to do this on a clear stage, where nothing more was insisted upon than fair play and no favor 1 Many have spoken of the proceedings of Wednesday evening, and they all say to this effect — that there is little or no hope' for the prosperity of the Bay while enlightened public opinion is drowned by the voices of unthinking men.