TE WANANGA. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1875. PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY.

Wananga, Volume 2, Issue 29, 20 November 1875, Page 370

TE WANANGA. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1875. PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY.

We have refrained from taking notice of a series of articles written in a paper called the "Hawke's Bay Herald" for two reasons: in the first place, they were too contemptible in character, and secondly, because they are instigated by certain parties deeply interested in the matters on which this paper so freely comments. They are written with the hope of disheartening the the Maoris, and preventing them from proceeding with their causes of dispute in the Courts of Justice, so that the dark deeds which have been perpetrated on their unfortunate victims—deeds which, if exposed, would stamp their perpetrators as men unfit to hold a position of honor in any class of society, committed by the aid of gross fraud and corruption, and which, they desire to be buried in oblivion—may not be brought to light, making honest men shudder at at the idea that transactions of such a description should have unconsciously been carried on almost at their very door-posts. Our attention has been drawn to an article in a recent issue of the " Herald," which is calculated to mislead many who are ignorant of the facts of the cases commented on, and who, on seeing no reply to these statements, imagine, perhaps, that there may be some small scintilla of truth in the assertions of our contemporary, and to undeceive those we now write. A great deal has been written by this paper of an observation made in the General Assembly by one of the men interested in these transactions when-he attempted to defend himself from the accusations laid to his charge. He said " The Natives would be lucky if they were left with their skins." We can tell that gentleman and his associates that the Natives, judging from their past transactions with the " King," will be better off if they retain their skins than they would have been, if left to the tender mercies of himself and his " confreres," as in that case they would have been denuded of all their lands, and deserted to die iii beggary on the high roads of the Province. Those who instigate, and those who write the articles in this hireling organ, may rest assured they obtain no purpose by so doing, as their assertions are translated to those interested—the offect being to make the Natives more bitter against those who first robbed them, and now adopt such unworthy means with the hope of covering their iniquities. A well-known and highly influential chief, after having had an article of this class read to him remarked " These people must have a very bad case when they resort to such means as these to endeavor to gain their ends." The " Herald" however is correct, when it states that the "justice which is obtained in a British Court of Law is only justice according to Law and Equity," and it is doubtless from this that the instigators of the mendacious articles it publishes from time to time are so anxious that none of these cases should be heard in England, knowing that irany of the deeds committed by these Provincial land sharks would be brought to the light, and would not be tolerated by -the Law Courts of that country. We assert positively that never if the Natives shall not gain a single case in any court of law affect-

ing their landed estate, that they will be the gainers by the action of those who are endeavoring to procure them justice, as in many cases which have already transpired, where they have been duped of their lands, but the titles not found correct, the people who have taken advantage of their ignorance have been compelled to pay a fair price or disgorge ; and by this means, and with the advice and assistance given the Natives in selling and leasing their lauds, they have derived an increased revenue, and are already beginning to feal and acknowledge the benefits they have derived from the so-called " Repudiation Committee." Some of the instigators of the articles our contemporary delights to publish, have by this means, been touched in their pockets, and forced to disgorge some of their ill-gotten gains, and it is this which makes them so bitter, regretting the monetary loss a great deal more, than attacks on their dubious notoriety. For the future, we shall make no remarks, or any false statements the " Herald" may make on matters that are still sub judice, or take'any notice of the low personalities in which it delights to indulge.