The Poverly Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1073, 16 April 1880, Page 2

The Poverly Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter.

PUBLISHED EVERY EVENINC. FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1880.

In showing the necessity of a peaceful and final settlement of Native troubles, we have only to refer to a few brief statistics as an instance in point of the retardation of the Provincial districts of Taranaki owing to disagreements with Maoi'i tribes. Previous to the desolating war in 1858, Auckland had under crop 60,200 acres ; Taranaki, 12,155 acres ; Wellington, 26,023 acres ; Hawke's Bay, 1,330 acres ; Nelson (including Marlborotigh), 17,997 acres; Canterbury (including Westland), 13,935 acres ; Otago (including Southland), 9,363 acres. It will be Been by this that Taranaki was almost equal with Canterbury, and before Otago and Hawke's Bay, with regard to her cultivated land ; but the war swept over the land, and seven years afterwards we find that the cultivations in Taranaki had all been destroyed, merely 9,768 acres being recorded as under cultivation. In 1867 this had risen to 16,197 acres; in 1874, to 40,350 acres; in 1878, to 84,428 and last year (1879) to 101,344 acres ; It is certainly satisfactory to. look at these figures and find Taranaki moving so steadily ahead. That proprovince may now begin to look forward to the time when its people may be equal in population and wealth to other parts of the Colony which have not had the difficulties and losses Taranaki has had to contend with, and which, have kept it from progressing. Very much may the same be said of Poverty Bay. Years ago, before the fanatic Hauhaus broke out into massacre and became hostile to the Europeans, both peoples cultivated the land with unremitting industry. The Natives brought their produce into Gisborne, which was purchased by the European traders. They (the Maoris) owned their own schooners and other vessels of considerable tonnage, with which they carried freights along the seaboards of both Islands and disposed of them to their profit and advantage. Then came the blight of fanaticism, and from that time to this the Maoris, with few exceptions have ceased from their fprmer enterprises. Since within the last two years, no one will voluntarily have anything to do with lands, having Maori titles at the back of them. But we are now looking forward to an early date when all disputes will have been settled by arbitration or through the sittings of !

Native Lands Courts. Mr. W. L. Rees, we are told, has propounded a scheme for the final adjustment of disputed claims which will assume the shape of a Bill to come before Parliament i a its next session for its sanction. We do not care from whom peace cometh, so long as it comes. Mr. Rees, we most of us know, has very visionary ideas, and is believed by many to be sincere. We ourselves believe him to be too hopeful. Of his great ability, none will deny. That he will fulfil all his promises, few there are but must doubt. We have not seen the draft of Mr. Rees' proposed Bill, but we are told that it has been very carefully drawn up, and contains many valuable suggestions. With the restoration of confidence in our land titles, there is nothing to prevent a more rapid progress in the Bay than has been the case for the last two or three years. We believe that Mr. Rees denies belonging to any party known as Repudiationists, and further that he will not countenance those who, by unfair, or underhand means, be they Maori or European, may endeavor to benefit themselves in any other way than by measures thoroughly fair and square. Let us sincerely hope this may be shown to be the case.