MR. BUNNY ON NATIVE DISAFFECTION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume III, Issue 532, 15 February 1869, Page 2

MR. BUNNY ON NATIVE DISAFFECTION.

The member for Wairarapa addressed his constituents •on Monday evening-, and among- other things introduced the great; topic—the war. Mr Bunny has a considerable influence with the Government, and from the allusion to native commissioners and their power of working mischief, an attempt will, no doubt, he made, probably supported by the Government, in the ensuing; session, to abolish native agents altogether. The quotation from a dpspatch by Mr Booth will show the reliance to be placed on this gentleman's discrimination of Maori character:— " If we turn our attention to Native matters on the West Coast where Tito Kowaru has carried on his operations ; the Government was again blamed for not having a sufficient force to contend with the cannibal and his followers,, and no doubt there was not sufficient force to do so. But. the blame rested on the colony |not the Government], who would not vote the amount necessary to keep up an efficient force In 1867 it was supposed that Native disturbances were almost at an end, and the General Assembly was not disposed, looking- at the heavy taxation already pressing- on the colony to vote a large sum to keep up a force whose services might not be required. We all see now that we were in the wrong, but no doubt it will be necessary, for some years to come, to keep up a small force of disciplined men .to be ready to take | take the field incase of further out-1 break. So far from the Government ] having any reason to suspect Tiro Kowaru and his party of meditating an outbreak, they had on the contrary every reason to believe that they were most peaceably inclined, for Mr Booth, the Native Commissioner on the West Coast district in his report to the Government, dated 27th November, 1867, speaks as follows respecting Tito Kowaru" : —

'And then Tito fKowaru again came forward and presented the gun to me as the representative of the Government, and said that his influence extended to the four parts of the island, and he would promise for all that the weapon of war should be trodden under foot. He further added, that if any of the native tribes

recommenced the war, he should feet~ ; bound by the declaration he had now ; made in presence of the assembly not to give .any assistance.whatever. I may state in conclusion that ever since Tito Kowaru made the first overtures towards establishing friendly relations with us, he has shown the most untiring-energy in his efforts to bring- other tribes to make peace. He has visited all the hapus between Taranaki and Wanganui, and has now succeeded in bringing- them in. Six weeks or two months he made a long-journey on foot, with a few followers, to Taranaki, the Upper Waitara, across country to the Upper Wanganui, down the river in canoes, and then home again by the coast, and he has > had messengers constantly going to f Waikato and/differents parts of the i country. He says that the Wanganui Hau-haus are now prepared to come in, and, as soon as the crops of potatoes are in {about a month), Matutaera and other chiefs from Waikato and the Upper Wanganui have to attend a meeting at his place, and to which I am invited also to attend. ■ —I have &c, James Booth, R.M." Wow any one reading that report would I think come to the conclusion that we could not have a; more faithful ally than Tito Kowaru. We, have learnt to our cost since what i reliance was to be placed upon Mr i Booth's statement/ and I trust in future, the Government will place very little upon the reports of Government officers upon Native matters, as I believe the natives most completely deceive them for the purpose f . that they by their reports may mislead the Government. I have no doubt Tito- v kowaru during the whole time was throwing dust in Mr Booth's eyes, and was making preparations for war, I and very probably was furnished by Mr. Booth with the very rifles which, were afterwards used against us. I will find this out if I can. It is well known that in one district alone about 2600 stand of arms have been given away by one officer acting for the Government to the natives, the A greater portion of which were used^h" by our enemies. I think the less we have of Native Commissioners and their reports the better, as by dis- : pensing- with their services we save their salaries and are not misled by by their reports.