THE NATIVE DISTURBANCE AT TAKAPAU.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3567, 14 December 1882, Page 2

THE NATIVE DISTURBANCE AT TAKAPAU.

With regard to the destruction of the bridge and tramway by the natives at Takapau, the other day, we have ascertained the following further particulars:—At daybreak on the 11th instant about fifteen natives from the Waipawa pa, armed with guns and axes, proceeded to the land known as Takapau, and destroyed the bridge and a portion of the tramway constructed by Messrs Wilding and Bull, who were cutting timber on the land. The darhagewas done before the Takapau natives knew what was going on. The Waipawa's had returned to their pah. A threat wae given that they would return, and it was feared that if they did there would be a serious conflict. It appears that the Waipawa and Porangahau natives have lately objected to timber cutting on this land, and they had several meetings on the subject, and in the end they determined to destroy the bridge and tram. On the Government being informed of this, they advised that the natives should be warned that, whatever their rights were, they could not be permitted to take the law into their own hands as they were now doing. The land in dispute has not been passed through the Native Lands Court, and the natives have been urged to allow everything to stand over until the title is decided. They were also told, if further violence was resorted to the Government would interfere. When this was being urged on the nativei Messrs Wilding and Bull were sent for, and it was arranged that a week should be allowed them to remove logs they had cut, after which neither party is to go on the ground for six weeks. In the meantime application will be made to the Land Court to hear the case, and have the whole matter decided by law.. The Takapau natives wto gave Messrs Wilding and Bull permission to cut the timber have been in occupation for a number of years.