Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] WEDNESDAY. MAY 22, 1895. THE PREMIER AND TE WHITI.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8553, 22 May 1895, Page 2

Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] WEDNESDAY. MAY 22, 1895. THE PREMIER AND TE WHITI.

* In out previous article on the visit of Mr Seddon to Parihaka we did the Rev. Mr Hammond an unintentional injustice through the faulty report o£ the proceedings at Patea furnished to the papers by the Press Association. Mr Hammond, it seems, merely acted as interpreter, and expressed no opinions of his own about Te Whiti or his followers. That Te Whiti was also misled by the same means is certain, aa Mr Hammond's exclusion from the house of the prophet was because of what had appealed in a newspaper anent the Premier's interview with the Patea natives. Mr Hammond, we understand, was not one of the Premier's party, but arrived at Parihaka by another route just as Mr Seddon and party got there, and his exclusion waa not at first known by the Premier, who, when informed of it brought the matter before Te Whiti with the result that the rev. gentleman was speedily admitted. This was Mr Seddon's first encounter with the Prophet, and he scored the point. This, it se6tnfl, so upset Te Whiti that he lost his Bsual imperturable temper, and with it any chance of putting the Premier at a disadvantage. It was not Te Wtyti'e intention to open the discussion, aa he was desirous to draw the Premier out and to turn Mr Seddon'* remarks to his own advantage, but having lost his temper Te Whiti made a plunge into the old grievance .connected with the confiscation of the land by stating that what his parents had left him had been taken from him, and that in consequence he could not welcome strangers in the manner he would like. Having got go for the wily old gentleman pulled up suddenly by informing the Premier that if he (Mr Seddon) had anything to say he was ready to hear it. Mr Seddon, however, was not to be drawn, and confined his reply to reminding Te Whiti that they were

both under the law and subjects of the Queen, whose servant he (Mr Seddon) was, and that as Native Minister it was his duty to see the whole of the natives of New Zealand. This was, no doubt, said to explain Ms presence at Parihaka, and te disabuse Te Wbiti's mind of any misapprehension on the subject. Mr Seddon then went on to explain to Te TjVhiti that; if A the latter had any grievance against the law, it was his duty to bring the matter before the Government with a view^ to it being enquired into, bo that justice might be done to all. " I speak," said the Premier, "for the present and past Parliaments of New Zealand when I say that the Parliament of New Zealand has not wilfully wronged either native or European. Misunderstandings have arisen, I admit ; but the natives have been as much to blame as the Europeans. I knowthe law. Does Te Whiti know the law ? He wishes this explained, and if he is in doubt in reference to any part of th» law I am prepared to give him explanation of it. 1 The following colloquy then took place :—: — Te Whiti— l understand from you the native race hits not received any injuatioe P The Premier — I have said, Does he know the law t I have said thab wilfully Parliament hai not done any injustice to the native race. Te Whiti — I am not clear about this. There has bten a fault on both side*. What will the remedy be P The Premier — That, time will disclose. It took seven days to make the world. To Whiti (deliberately taking off bis coat and thro wicg'ib on the floor in front of him) -It trill not take seven dayi to kill me. Mr coat (meaning hii land) is torn (confiscated). I am left without it, and therefore will not be able to reaoh the seventh day. 1 shall perish with oold before then. What am I left by the law,, Ihe Premier— lf you will have patßnee you will know before I leave where you are. Mr Seddon then reminded Te Whiti that he had taicen off his coat to emphasise his meaning by gesture, bnt with" Europeans suoh an aetio* meant preparation to fight. Te Whiti— That is the inside passion which creates strife. The Premier — At your time of life I oonsider'it a mistake to get into a passion. It is only young and fooliih men who get into a passion. Te Whiti— That is right. -No dpubfc if you were in the difficulty I am in, you would take off your coat. (Loud applause.) The Premier — When I was a young man any person who forced me to take off my coat generally remembered the occasion, but now that snow is getting on the mountain top with years I have learned wisdom ; I never take off my coat now. I therefore look upon the episode whioh has iasfc oocurred as simply indicating Te Whiti's desire to show that he feel* very warm on this subject. Te Whiti— Neither of us is young, therefore we will now pnt aeide boyish remarks and actions. The Premier — We will speak now as men of age and experience. To Whiti— l wfti aiked if I knew the law. Some man hat torn my coat ; that man will reaoh the seventh day, bnt I will not. I will perish with oold. The Premier -You laid your trouble h»d been litigation and the law before I came. Explain I I want to know what particular law it is and what particular litigation you refer to. Te Whiti (taking off his coat and allowing Te Whetu to put it on) said — This man has taken my coat and put it on himself, and will leave me to die with the cold. Now whioh is the just thing — that he should take my coat off, or that I should be allowed to continue to wear it ? The Premier—lt is a very bad fit now. If you will explain any grievance that exists, and speak to me and pay doe roipeot to the position I hold, I will treat you courteously, and hear what yon or any other native has to say. My desire is to do that whioh is just to both races, and as it is my duty to lead Parliament it is for the natives to take this oppportnnity of letting me know their wishes, so that there may be no mistake. After this a difficulty arose through the natives objecting to the way the interpreter, Mr Gray, was doing his work, and a trial was made of a native, who, however, was unable to interpret Te Whiti's words literally, as his' command of English was unequal to the task. Te Whiti then suggested that they should adjourn for lunch, after which they might get on better. After lunch Te "Whiti would not go into the matters he had on his mind, and desired the Premier to do so, but he declined to give Te "Whiti the desired lead, and the latter, after some further fencing, declared the talk was at an end, whereon Mr Seddon said it would go forth to the world, that in his presence Te Whiti was dumb. This pricked the old man, who tried !to turn (he tables on Mr Soddon by stating it was the latter who had nothing to say. This ended the interview, in which Te Whiti came off second best and greatly discomfited. He had met a stronger man than himself, who refused to be placed m a false position, and who upheld 'bis official position in a proper manner. No doubt Te Whiti expected to have the best of the argument, as he has so often done before with leas able debaters and -felt hia failure Keenly, as it meant a still further loss of tnana and consequent lessening of his influence. Mr Seddon, has, therefore, every right to feel satisfied with the result of his visit to Parihaka, and to expect that good will come of his outspokenness.

*«* Following oat oar usual custom, there will be no publication of the Hbrjlxd on Queen's Birthday (Friday next). Advertisers will please note. Stoddarfc will arrange for the next team of English, cricketers to visit Australia in 1897. Egan, convicted of participation in dynamite outrages in Ireland, hai been released from gaol. Mr Qmith is at present engaged with his boring machine in sinking an artesian well for the Borough Council at the corner of of Keith and Glasgow Streets. The personalty ia the entate of the late Sir Robert Hamilton, ex Governor of Tasmania, is sworn at under .£12,000, in which the widow is granted a life interest. Louisa Dawes, a waidsnt of Alexandria, N.8.W., her neios, her daughter, and her son, were poisoned a few dayi ago, though not fatally, it is supposed, by some bad porridge and milk. The date for the Alexandra Cavalry Ball has been fixed for sth of July in the Drill Hall. As usual with this popular danoe 1 there is a large demand for tiokefci, which are now in circulation. We ' were shown some evaporated apples prepared by Mr Alex. Laird, whioh compare very favourably with the inmorted American aTtiole. ■ Mr Laird informs us he will shortly- call a meeting of fruitgrowers h«re, with a view to plaoisg before them a projeot for establishing a fruit evaporating and oanirfriff'faotory. Buoh an industry ought to euooeed in Wnnganni and we truit Mr Laird will meet with the support required, as with all our staple produots at suoh low rallies it behoves aofctlera to cast about them for some more profitable source of inoome than they now possess. Mr Miohael Meshan, whose death is recorded this morning at the advanced ago of 70 years, was one of the oldest residents in Wanganui. The deceased arrived ia Auckland as far back as 1848, coming to Wanganui two years later, and had resided in this town erev sinae. Ha was one of the old 6§th Begiment, and Ms face will be muoh miosed by many of his old friends. He leaves a family of six sons and three daughters, to whom sympathy is expressed in their bereavement. The funeral is appointed to leave fche late residence of the ! cteosaied at 8 o'olook on Sunday neit, : 1

%• On oof fourth page to-day w»U be found the judgment delivered by Mr Kettle in the Boad Board election case heard at the S,M. Court yesterday; also some useful hints to baseball playaw, and a thrilling acoonnt of two English gentlemen's encounter with a leopard in India. A braka will leave Ohavannes' at 11.30 to-morrow for the pigeon match at Flemington Lodge. Miss Brewer has tindly consented, in view of the Exhibition Ball, to forego her usual class on Thursday evening. The Orchestral Club resumes practice fchi» (Wednesday) evening at the usual place and hour. A special timatable for Queen's Birthday (Friday next) has been arranged by tho Castleoliff Railway Company, exoursion rates being- charged. A miner named Terenoe McOlogan attempted to commit suicide at Cargo, New South Wales, by exploding a dynamite cartridge in his month. The Loyal Orange Institution protested againit the Melbourne Town Hall being used free of charge for the reoeption of Mr Michael Davitt. Friday being Queen's Birthday, the Museum will be open frea to the public between the hoars of 11 and 1 and 2 and 4. Mr Fred Firani, M.H.R. for Palmaraton, the newly elected member of th« Wanganni Education Board, was in town yesterday. -Mr Solomon Slossman, th« disoorerer of the Viscount of Canterbury nugget, whioh caused a great sensation many years ago in Victoria, died lately at Ooolgardie. At the Ashburton rink last week a splendid race took plaoe between a Maori girl and a paksha, and resulted in favour of the dusky one. Dean, the connoted wife poisoner, whose case is arousing so mnoh •xcitemefc in New South Wales, is a well known wheelman. Daring his incarceration many brother bioyoliefcf hare been to see him, and express their belief in his innooenoe. Mr J. Gobs received wotfd from Auckland yesterday that tho whole of tne necessary material for the Wanganui Baseball Club was shipped by the Glenelg. Next Saturday's match will therefore be played with all th« essential instruments of war. Those who intend being present at the Museum plain and fancy dress ball in th< Drill Hall to-morrow evening will be pleased to learn that the arrangements generally are of a most complete description, and judging by the large number of tickets disposed of, there should be a large attendance Those requiring tickets should communicate at onoe with Mr J. H. Nixon, hon. sec The Mercantile Gazette, in its analysis oi th» bankrupt estates recorded for April, shows that 47 bankruptcies occurred ; thai the valu« of the property available for di*' tribution was £4128, and not £21,780, ai stated by the insolvents, leaving a loss tc the mercantile community for the month oi £18,000. The Gazette estimates that th< estates should pay an all-round dividend oi 2s 5d in the £. We have teceived a long letter from th< Bey. Mr Hammond, of Fatea, taking excep tiou to our remarks concerning what oo curred at Parihaka. As we bad written oc the matter previous to the receipt of Mi Hammond's letter, and explained how the mistake occurred, we do not think any gpoc purpose would' be served by the insertion o: his lengthy letter on the eubjeot. Toe statement of accounts in theestatt of Mrs Winifred Morey, wife of J. C Morey, of Wanganui, shows assets as ni and liabilities (unsecured) of over .£6OO the 'principal creditors being: — Sargood Son and Evren, dSliO 9s 3d ; Bing, Harrii and Co., JBll2 10a 3d; Me Arthur and 00. .£152 12a lOd ; Buttwrworth Bros., .£143 4s 3d ; J. Notman (D.O.A. in the estati of Feterkin), .£25, and G. J. Scott (D.O.A in the estate of Wm. Bellre), j836 10a. It is true (writes the Temuka Leader] that taxation per head of population ii high, but what made it so ? It is not the cost of local gorernment, or of volunteers or anything of that sort which makes it so but the interest on money borrowed to con' struct public works, which inoreased th< prioe of land from 10s to £10, and from ££ to £20 per aore, and so on. The land' owners got all th» benefit of our borrowed millions, and there is no class in the community whioh makes more noise about higb taxation and over-gorernment, and so on than they do. " . During their seaioa of three nights hen Pollard's Lihputians produce for the first time in Wanganui the charming three-act comic opera " The Merry War," whioh wai first performed at the Alhambra Theatre Leicester Square, in October, 1882. It ii only another compliment paid by th< management that Wanganui should b< selected for the first staging of this open in the North Island. The aompany arrivt here to-morrow morning, and open in th< erening at the Oddfellows* Hall in " TJnole Tom's Cabin," whioh drama has proved fchf trnmp card of the present very sucoessf a! tour. The far-famed pioneer traveller, Oaptait Jackson Barry, delivers one of his populai leotures in the Borough Council Chamber) this evening the ohair to b» taken at eight o'clook prompt. The subjeol of the leotnn is " The Early Days of the Colony," anc also " Men of tha Times." Going as fa: baok as 1837 the leoturer will give a graphi< description of his intercourse with th< natives, his tour of the King Country, th< mineral resources and wealth o£ that ooun try, an exhibition of minerals, rsmarks on the great boom that is to come to this coan 1 try, and concluding with a description of hi tour round the world. The Captain 'pro miies to giv« important information for al daises, and such an opportunity should nol be Missed of hearing our old pioneer. Th< prices of admission are 2s and Is. Before Mr Kettle yesterday afternooc the oasa of McDonald v. Gordoi adjourned until 4 o'clock, was taken The defendant said that six persons had been trying to find the boos, but could aofc. The plaintiff (re-called) Bwore positively that he was not ill as stated bj defendant when in his employ, and had always got 15s per week before, that never being disputed until the last time of squaring up. Mr Watt asked thai plaintiff be non-snited. His Worship said he could see no reason to discredit plaintiffs testimony, but had reason so tc do regarding that given by defendant Judgment was, therefore, given fot plaintiff for 15a per week, the total amount with credits off being .£3 16s 6s, less amount paid into Court, with Court costs 6a, and counsel's fee 21s. On the very excellent principle that pra vontion is better than cure, and taking into consideration the many ills that flash is heir to during the winter months in th< matter of coughs, colds, influenza, lung and chest affeobions, etc., eyery householder should have a remedy olosa at hand. When many distressing symptoms appear, espeoially in the young, and it is late at night when outside assistance oan only be prooured with difficulty, it is really essential that parents and guardians should have some effioaoious remedy — something that they can absolutely raly on in aase of need. Gatenby's Cough Mixture is a preparation that has only been in the market a few years; and yet its reputation is daily enhanced, proved, too, by its increasing sale, so much so that Mr Gatenby (tho we'llknown pharmaceutical ohemiat, of Victoria Avenue) has found lfe absolutely necessary to increase his agencies throughout the country diitrioti, whioh should prove a decided boon The mixture, it may be added, is very pleasant to the taste, and is particularly palatable to the littls ones. One bottle, containing 48 doses, is retailed at 2s 6dj, so that those who should have suoh a remedy in the house cannot grumble on the score of expense.