A Maori Court.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 238, 10 January 1881, Page 2

A Maori Court.

The Hawke’s Bay Herald tells the following story of Maori duplicity and Maori honesty, in reference to some of the East Coast natives :—“ A native girl recently appeared at the home of a well-known runholder, and told a pitiful tale of how her aged father had’ fallen and broken his arm. The frac-i ture was most minutely described. The object of the girl was to obtain Li, in order, as she said, that the old man could be carried to Napier to have his broken arm set. The runholder gave the money, full of admiration of the girl’s affection for her aged relative. A day or two afterwards a pedlar came round, and it transpired in the course of conversation, that this girl had spent exactly Li with him. Further enquiries showed that the girl had no aged father, and that no one connected with her or her people had broken an arm. The aggrieved runholder went to the chief and represented the facts; suggesting that they should be laid before the Native Committee of the district, answering to our courts of law. He was told that -he must pay ss. for a summons before anything. could be done. This curious request was complied with, the runholder being anxious to see the result of his application. Two days afterwards he heard that the Committee had met, considered the case, and fined the girl Li, in addition to ordering her to pay the Li borrowed and ‘ costs of the Court.' The L2 ss, was sent to the runholder, which is, by the bye, a little different to our experiences of European courts of law. He kept the pound and, the costs, but sent the fine back to the,Committee.”-