THE NATIVE MINISTER'S VISIT TO THE MAORIS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3519, 8 January 1886, Page 3

THE NATIVE MINISTER'S VISIT TO THE MAORIS.

(By Telegraph.) Wbllisgton, Jan. 7. The Dative meeting at Waipatu has just concluded. The Native Minister attended on Tuesday, Wednesday and to-day, and explained to the natives the provisions of the Native Land Disposition Bill. The meeting, which throughout use conducted ita proceedings in the most orderly manner, proposed certain amendments in the Bill, the principal being the abolition of bids, the representation of a majority of owners, and to the charge of 5 per cent, alao to the title of the Bill, which thoy suggested should be altered to a " Bill for tho Preservation of Maoris." The meeting desired also that the Commissioners should work with the Committee and that the Native Minister thould amend the Bill in the direction they had indicated. Mr Ballance in his reply said that he considered the suggestions made by the meeting most valuable. The meeting itself was so thoroughly representative that ita resolutions carried great weight. Some of the amendments proposed he could accede to at once, viz., the alteration of the title, which was a matter of comparatively small importance. The abolition of the bids aho met his entire concurrence. The representation of the interest of minorities waa a matter of importance that should bo met. He would also endeavor to amend the system that some other arrangements as to the disposition of the moneys should be made than lodging them with the Public Trustee. The desire of the meeting that the Native Committee should investigate cases of dispute aB to the proportion of shares was also reasonable, and he thought the Committee might make the enquiry in the first place, and if the re-ult was not satisfactory to the parties an appeal should be allowed to the Land Court As to the five per cent charge, he thought that was not unreasonable, and he would have to insist upon it Mr Ballance expressed hia great satisfaction at the manner the meeting had been conducted. It was not his desire to force any measure upon the Maori people, but to consult them regarding legislation which affected themselves and their land, and he thought their representations, while he could not promise to accede to them, had been reasonable and well considered from their point of view. The meeting as regards the Bill concluded yesterday, but at the urgent request of Honare Tomoana and other chiefs, the Notire Minister went out to-day to deßl with the other matters they wished to bring before him. With the exception of speeches by Hirini Tawhanga, who brought forward tlm Treaty of Waitangi, and stated that the third section had n u t been carrier! into effect, the whole of the speeches wore highly laudatory of Mr Ballance and the policy he had adopted with renard to the natives. Benata Kawepo, Henare Matua, Henare Tomoana, Hana Mohi, and many other chiefs of high rank expressed their gratitude to the Native Minister for the p»tient and skilful manner in which he had dealt with the Bnbjects they had brought before him. They assured him that with the exception of the Waikato tribes under Tawhaio, and Te Whiti's people on the West Coast, this meeting represented all the leading tribes of tho North Island, and tho chiefs one after the other expressed their great confidence in tho Native Minister aB thoir friend

and benefactor, and in the Government which he repre-ented. They also expressed their loyalty to the Queen, wishing Her Majesty and -oyal family long life and happiness, and the same to the Government of New Zealand. Mr Ballance, in his reply, which nas frequently applauded, thanked the meeting for the kind way they had spoken of himself and his colleagues. As to their gratitude for his visit, he had only done his duty, but it was his earnest desire whether in or out of office to devote his services to benefit the native people, for whom he entertained high regard. It had given him great pleasure to meet them and the representative chiefs present at this meeting, which, he agreed with them in considering, was one of the most important meetings that had been held in New Zealand, and he trusted it would b« satisfactory in its results. A large number of other subjects wero introduced to tho meeting, and dealt with by the Native Minister, but tho foregmng is a brief but accurate precis of the whole proceedings and result.