Mr Ballance and the Wairarapa Natives.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1817, 7 April 1886, Page 2

Mr Ballance and the Wairarapa Natives.

The Hon Mrßallance, the Native Minister, had a fairly satisfastory meeting with the Wairarapa Natives at Papawai the other day, the result of whioh was that a Native Committee is to be appointed to confer with him about the vexed question of the Wairarapa Lake. What will be the result of the conferences yet to be held on| this question we cannot predict, but it is to be hoped that a satisfactory settlement of the difficulty will be arrived at. It is absolutely essential that the settlers should possess the power to let out the flood water of the lake,?so that injury to the land may be prevented. In his remarks to the Natives Mr Ballance did not take up a very firm stand on this question. He was smooth and calculating and used a

good deafof “soft sawder” in his speech" A little more firmness and bac!ibon° on the part of the Minister would have made his words carry greater weight. With regard to his other remarks, Mr Ballance told tlm Natives plainly that King Tawbiao possessed no real power, and that Lis voice in any matter went for very little. We hope that good will result from the visit of Mr Ballance to the Wairarapa Natives, and that after some further negotiations between him and the Native Committee the lake question will be finally and definitely settled.