TARANAKI.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1901, 30 July 1863, Page 3

TARANAKI.

The Taranaki Herald of the ] Bth iust., gives the following summary of news: — The news of the week has not been of sufficient importance to make it necessary to detail it- day by day ; we have therefore discontinued . our Journal for the present, but shall begin it again whenever things get a little more stirring 1 . The Mataitawa natives are said to be very busy putting in their crops. A small party of them was met by some Bell Block settlers near Te Puke. They were armed, but did not attack our people, who rode up and spoke to them. They said they did not wish to shoot nnarmed settlers, but should kill any soldiers or " wild pakehas' ('goiillas') they coald catch. While upon this subject we may state that the breech loading: carbines we spoke of so approvingly last week have been taken from our bushrangers to be sent up to Auckland, thereby reducing the efficiency of the latter by about one half. If these arms are to be given to men who will use the"m more effectively, well and good; but we think that those who have cheerfully undertaken a dangerous duty deserve at least thus much at the hands of the colony — that they should be appropriately armed, and not sent through the supplejacks with long clumsy slow-loading guns, only suitable to an open country or for firing at a target. We are happy to state that the duties of the Militia and Volunteers in town have been made much lighter this week by order of the Colonel commanding, though with the constant scouring of the country that is kept up, the town is really much safer than it has ever been before. It is only another instance of the care and consideration with which the civilian forces are treated by our present commanders — General Cameron and Colonel Warre. Dr. Mackinnon, 57th Regiment, has been appointed Special Sanitary Officer in this Province. The appointment is a very judicious one, and we feel sure that the inhabitants of this town will afford him every assistance in the performance of his important duties, which we are certain he will execute with an eye only to the public good. We are authorised to state that the issue of the debentures and the interest on tbe £93,000 will begin some time next week.

[from the southern cross correspondent.] There is next to nothing to report since the ' Storm Bird 'left. The natives are quiet; no one knows what the Taranakis are doing. They keep out of the way of our bushrangers, and as active operations are suspended here for a time, no one has been down to sei what they are about. A small party of unarmed settlers looking for their cattle, on the other side of Bell Block, fell in with a few armed Maoris, supposed to be from Maitatawa. The latter did not attempt to injure them, but said if they met any soldiers or " wild pakehas" (bushrangers, guerillas, or gorillas) they would shoot them — they did not want to hurt Bell Block settlers. I give it as reported to me. With regard to Hapurona, who is a great hand at bluster as well as figbtiog, Tamihana says of him that he isjlike the wind, one day making a great uproar and the next he is quite still, you look about for him in vain. A second party of bushrangers has been raised from No. 1 Volunteers and the Militia, under Captain Webster, so that now, including officers, there are about 1&0 men in this most useful service. Their numbers have thus been doubled but their efficiency has been reduced in about the same proportion by taking away from them the revolvers and breech-loading carbines with which they were armed. This is a very heavy blow to the men, to have their long Enfields given back to them to go through the hush with, when what they want in a gun is handiness and rapidity of fire. Are the Auckland men who are to receive them more likely to meet with the enemy, under circum* tances where they will be as useful to them as they weuld have been to our men ? Diphtheria, I am grieved to say, is increasing. Two youDg girls have just died from it. July 21. Natives have brought in word this morning that tue Taranakis aud their friends are busy putting in their early potatoes. When they are coming to lurk on (wbakapiripiri), lay this is done ambushes, aud kill those they can tatch. #