THE Thames Advertiser. TUESDAY, DEC, 21, 1875.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2230, 21 December 1875, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser. TUESDAY, DEC, 21, 1875.

It isrquite impossible for us to give, at the present time, all' the evidence takenby the Tairualnvestigation Committee/ because'jt is so voluminous that it Kbul|/i'fjjl. our /columns ' for ; .wnilst' some it 'is', 'pi[ 'such % ; contradictory.; and;! conflicting .nature] | that;we cannot -pretend'.to :offer:-anyi opinion upon-it; and 'm'r.m convinced 1 that- the public-would not ~be. able .to arrive .■.at any satisfactory conclusion upon the subject were'W'to'reproducethe evidence^; f in;extenso. Thi| statement more particularly refers to very-singular transact }|; ;T.' : thV.nbvthern'pbri tio'n 'of the '!/luckland;'proVince.f The Select Committee, were themselves in a state of great confusion in consequence of the flat contradictions given by Mr Brissenden,_-Colonel'McDonnell, ;and othersaboufctheNorthern \ land transact tionsV and they were [compelled' to conftel: jthayhey can arrive, at any decisiye or satisfactory conolusionV' 1 But sufficient evir (lence-was taken to "show that a change 1 is;desirablejn,the land purchase policy ; of :,t|e Govwnmen^; /as; v>eU;as^]n" the agents employed IwMucUhafc'nplicvl

In glauoing through the evidence relating to tho grievances of this district, we find that the Tairua scandal was probed to the bottom,, and tho statements about tho matter published in these columns were fully confirmed in every particular. The history of the purchase of tho land, as given by us, was the correot version, although it was contradicted at the time it was published by those who imagined that the true 'state of affairs would never see the light. Respecting the much talked;of Tairua reserve of 1,000 acres, which Messrs Guilding and O'Halloran at tempted to .lease when it was believed to. have great prospective value^"the report • of- Mr ■■ G. T. Wilkinson, - who was sent by his, Honor the Supermten' dent to inquire' into the matter, clearly explains the affair. ;We give Mr- Wilkinson's report in full ;—!' ,

; During the latter end of April or ; tlie early part o£ May last, Messrs O'flalioran and Guilding went to; Mercury Bay to see some of the natives of that place in connection with the Government land purchases, It was then proposed that 1 Mr Guilding should'have' the management of matters iu connection with the Tairna reserve of 1,000 acres on behalf of-the native ownors, and. it .was-to be surveyed forthwith. I: ;:>-.,)■_; ••■ ;;;. ; .' : ;: : '" '! The said reserve was granted to the natives at their request .whea the, purchase, of-the Tairua block by the Government took place in. : , 1872, '■[ MessrsyMaokayand-:Preeoe being the agents: on :bebalfjof the : Government, The patives wished at that time to have .the 1,000 acres.divided, and, take, a portion,fit Pukiore '(the present reserve), and a small portion of 48 acres somewhere at the entrance to the Tairua ;River.' Bul'thigyl believe; 'was overruled, as it was not thought that the ..Government would jissuo two Crown; grants,!and;the)vhp!e, ; thou>' :sandwasthen,arrauged ! to,bo,taken,at'Pußiofe,|i !the .Government having'; agreed, at'the timb'bf jthe' sale to pay for the slrtvey of the reserve. ! During the visit'bf' , Messrs ! o'Halloratfantl [Guilding, it/was decided that the reserve [should be at once surveyed, andj on Mr,Guildjing's return ; tq the-Thames, .'a'MrTole was jsent"to make'thVsur'vey.••■',.''' ■'■• , ; ' ' *; ; <■'■ '■•'>•■} i A letter was sent by Guildlng to Peneamine, jo'ne ofjthe native owners, to meet himaud.the purveyor at Pakirarahi (tbe site of,the-Pros. ipeotors' claim, Tairua), and there, to point'out ithe boundaries of the reserve; Thiß jand it wap,at that meeting with Peneamine that ;Guilding proposed ttiatJe,:,(Poneamine)' should

'leave the:block to. himself and.-.ilr jjOlflajioran. . The. ternu : ' l apoa.rw^bh^nUi^gr^^q^cl;-tfae Jease for' 4nd i r for jtwenty-oneyears*al j£2ooper year, or"*so per (quarter. This/howeverl washot then, nor has •it been sinc,ei' ;; whollV'agrded'tb by the' natives, . jespedaUy : 'w\iSSgara(i''thi !; number ; o£ ! 'yiais'--" ■Peneamine -and-Miriama wishing the'lease to !be only a yearly 1 One/orat'lriost'for-tKree or jfour'y'ears.' ''J';-- >' whti. ! Altho'iigh'the matter does'n"ot;appear By. any i'means to-be .Bettledj Mr Guilding took upon [himself arid Miriama !JEIS in cash,- and'alspto take;.up an t account of Jsome £i owing-.by them at lir ..Carina's Btore, •Mercury Bsqr.-v.v.i.-r ;io)i-;\, \\-•-. \ M soon as the survey.should -he,! finished by ;Mr Tole,'a letter was to bo.i Written tojhe. na« •tives, whon they ..would possibly go over to the [Thames or Auckland, and,,if the arrangements 'made were satisfactory v tq,"th'emselvesj. would j perhaps sign'the deed of lease,'.' ,'Gailding. told

them not to go aud d emand _ rent froin' atiy, pt the.Kuropeans'npw living on 'the b'loeki as'tliaVwould be payable to,'himself and cb-lc'aseo'j the yearly rent'of the block being what the native's 1 ! wereto receiver ■• •.■•> •v.!hvj::,i-.;,;,£ -vjy 1 The Tairua 1 River is navigable for; vessels up ■ to the reserve,' the p.s; ?Effort' having beenup'i there and discharged passengers and cargo;•:-.si,-:.--It'does not-appear'tKSt'Mr.'O'Halloran took dnyactive part in thetranaaotioE, although itseems, that,he was to. have been a party, with-, Quilding in .'the' lease. [ He does not appear to 1 have been' present'whea : the'matter of the lease was talked about or when the money was paid. •' (The'-whole' of r the business appears up to the presentto have .been done by Quilding.. There isi Small'portion of the reserve; - said to be some three a'cresfor. so, which is intendo'd by the natives to be.lcased to Mr Jackson, of Tairua, he having had it for some considerable time, I*and1 * and ;beemia- the habit;of-paying rent yearly to the natives,:. ,• • It would-appear, from.' the foregoing .statement that there- has .been ■ no'lease made up to the-: Ipresent, time Vol / reserve, Neither do the natives J consider that they are in any ,way-, bound- to': grant aleasotor Messrs Quilding andO'.Halloran, nothing definite having beep, agreed ,to, between them; ; and .from conversations that I held with Miriama;;Peneamine,,,and. Matene Pehi/Hheyjaye' : me,,to understand that they would be willing: to ldaae the reserve to the'Glovernmeriti'providedbitable terms could-be arranged;' -But they would to' - be held indeninifiediiw against any/aoiion that might,be .taken' by. Messrs. Quilding and O'JSalloran,• should ;those gentlemen.be bold enough to institute proceedings against themi One of the owners (Peneamine),his,,written ,a short note to the in whioh'ho partly refers tpthe ( matter, „', ( ..,_ _ - Ihe'above accbnnV-is- from"purelyFnative sources, and as such; cannot be relied upon as correct in every particular, .• i therefore thought it better that I Bhould"see;if anyVinformrtion was forthcoming;from,Buropean'Bonrces/ and from Mr Carina,'..of' the Whitianga-Hotel,. l ; phtajaed the.foll.owng;.—Thatj.'heowas present TOtn Mr .Quilding';'' at hisbwn.hoUlj'and'saw the'natives Miriam^-PehSamine, 1 ' Pehisign a deesirWijtto.. r out;.;ia.bothijEnglish and Maori, .which, he t ,was given to understand was an'agreement to lease'the of 1,000 to Messrs Quilding and O'Hallorariji and he says that cheques-were made out and signed by .Quilding ,to the amount,,he,,thinks, of nearly jGfiO, and paid to thenatives..'There was no, other ; . interpreter present than Mr • Guiding himself. r ", , It would appear that at first Mr Mackay knewnpthipgpf • made by.his steal y anarch.: - : upon the publiq;by \leaefng tlie'Tairua reserve on',their "own account. .He made'eDquiries!,'abbuf the following^telegrams'were the re--Suit:~-;'-'-L7'.';■; ' "'

I;.,.;Mr' John. Guildipg to ■ Mr, James Maokay. I'it '■;)h-;■'- ■■ Jnne^lß7s.;-" Hare not. got lease: of Tairua ieserve^but rativea haye asked.mo to' lease it,^/])o'n6t';sce wby I should-not'take it, as Jacksonftf Tairua, : ..will if. I do not;,besides which- they owe mo [money; 1 ! '- i: r !> '"\ S .K!' Zy l^wA■ im-k&j. ■ ; . ,;,flrahamttpwni 25$ hnei'i&fs." ■ .. Plan of -Tairurreserve will be 'forwarded to-morrow tO(Land,Court.\": Eese'rye ih'asVheen Amnot aware,'of. 1 any -one • haying obtained leases. Natives, haye ..repeatedly' asked mo to lease reserve.; -,', v ... f ... > - ;'■'" "'■•"*";■■■ \ Mr Jolmj^ J; "-; ; '; : : y.• .Graiiamstbffiij' : 26th; . ' I have no lease of -Tairua reservej'liut! have .promise of .one from',natives, and have/paid money to" them, ■ and: got; receipts* on:.account of rent,;'Do not see * why /if eliould. not take it. '■>"■;;" I ';v; A; ' '■ [ ?-??%<&:&rT ~-; . , ; - Joiiß'QottDisa;'! •j'.i to.Mr : ; -•■' ::v;?•? ■-' Granamstown,'M Jul#:lß7si >; • Qrace in\Auckland>toput .injunction; on Tairua ,claim, ;'for p [natives',',: '.Tookey ■'told me. ; ! Topkoy falso; ■. say's 'letters' in Thames papersj^'re'' Blocks 27, • Hikntaia,.;; Sas/, are', bis"dictation, and-written by Brace.'4 He al/ojays ;h.e, "him;\with\ : -alirinforinahoa. v '-"\x^pm*':lva , ata" iTeokey,'jSracey and himself to ; \ Tookey also says, if rwilTgive you up thatlhe will telegraph; to Grey,.that mistaken, ' and thatl have 'nothing to do with yon,' and ■ ' ; ■'' '■' '- v - ■■■■;'- '.

lorhimte'gTO;tipM'plqMtt(ms ; tb.inyleM^rb' T^uafeaerre,".vV..^;. X; : .^'~,-""/•/';,' ; : Mr James Mackay to Mr Join Gtuilding, 4 : : ;:; 6tlifJrily, 1875, ; Private. .'• ■ Thanks for yom honourable conduct in the matter^'' get Tookey to Mmmit-himielf' objection to my letting QeneralQoTerh'' ment haye a copy of/jonr telegram ?:':'/;/" ' U-: : -;;:;-'£*:: ..-. ~■ .James, Mackay. Mr John Guilding to Mr. James Mackay. '.;"(.:<;■ O^amVto'wn,:oii'h'Jii]7 ) ''lß7's.'.' : . Will try and get him.to commit himself to writing, v No objection to'■your letting General ..Government ha7e:Copyi';Tautoi'u anxious to' ■«ee.yo,uie s PakirarabJ. ■■'•;[ ; : ;r". [:ujfi(i]\ ;>: .''"l .'.' Johh (3oimiho,'7. ■—These telegrams. disclose some very' singular proceedings,- and if true- are hot' very Creditable'to-1 those 'most: •directlyconpei'ned in the affair. Messrs' Tobkey: aiad'Grace, are presented as, quite ready tq^,go;;in.;.for, a little. sha,rp practice, and; take. Mr John' GuiidiDg into partaerßlaip. ; if v latter /-would throve Mr X' Mackay• pverboard, and the"';trio were then'lo Manage ■Sif' George Grey about the Tairiia-reserved -But it is only fair that the •'public should suspend their judgment in the matter '.until we' give the other side : of ■'Qrace.''#'; f |':: ! :,i !' •■' ■•;•;•':>'' , '^-'•:^" i •-' h.