WAI-O-HI-HARORE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1450, 10 May 1905, Page 2

WAI-O-HI-HARORE.

JUDGMENT BY THE NATIVE LAND COURT.

There has been a ■ large' gathering of natives in town during this and last week, when the matter of the settlement of relative interests in the Wai-ohi-harore No. 2 block—the ten acres at the point next the groyne—has been before the Native LaDd Court. Some 300 natives are interested in this small portion, but the real bone of contention is the • division of the utu received from the Government for the railway property. It appears that the original Court found that this and the adjoining land belonged to Kiperata Kahutia and her people. One portion at the Awapuni end was common tribal property, and the Court decided to make a reserve of that spot. Subsequently the position of the reserve was changed to the point, and it was claimed by Mrs Carroll (the representative of Biperata) that, having owned the soil, she was entitled to the bulk of tho block. The matter was brought before Judge Jones and Tuta Nihoniho, assessor, who after going into the matter held that the land having been reserved for the tribe as a whole there must be an equitable division among them all. A scheme which the Court thought would be fair between the four contending divisions was submitted. The natives, with the exception of one party, fell in with the suggestion, and the matter was finally adjusted yester- ! day afternoon, when the remaining party signified his concurrence. A certain number of shares have been allotted to each division, and these will be allotted among the members according to their respective rights, the Court settling any disputes. When this is done, and the time for notice of appeal has lapsed, some £I6OO or £I7OO will he available for distribution among the natives.

I Judge Jones, after expressing satiafac- | tion at the unanimous concurrence of the natives,'also thanked the Europeans, Captain Tucker and Mr H. C. Jackson, for the I assistance they had rendered to the Court and the natives in arriving at so satisfactory a conclusion of what threatened to be a keenly-fought matter. The question of the inter-hapu divisions will come before the Court on Friday.

j An old fellow with eye trouble went to I the hospital ,'the other day, Ono of the I doctors tested his eyes with various I glasses. He tried altogether fourteen j different kind of glasses, asking him each time, as the glasses were stronger and the “test” printing larger, “Can you read that ?” When he had put a pair of glasses on him stranger than Sandow, and put him face to face with letters two feet big, he repeated, “ Can you read that ? ” “ Nr, sir!” “Why you’re stone blind!” said the doctor. “ No, I ain’t, sir, but I nover learnt to road 1 ”

In his address at Dunedin Mr Massey amply demonstrated that if the colony is in want of a romancer to fill the office of Premier then ho fills the Bill.—New PR. month Nows. ”