RUA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2052, 12 April 1907, Page 2

RUA.

PRESENT position OF affairs.

The position of affairs in connection with Rita’s camp has. not changed lately. .... A settler who lives in the vicinity of Run’s camp, who came into the “Times” office yesterday, states that tile natives are at present in great fear as to what might happen. Natives would not take work in the vicinity and one gentleman had been seriously inconvenienced by not being able to get Maoris to fell his bush. The • Maoris were more Tightened than the European. Run bad regarded himself as insulted by .being asked to “move on ’ and the natives apprehended that he would take violent means to revenge liimlelf. Any man who thought himself i prophet must bo mad and one could never tcdl what ho might do. Rua had about 200 men with him -,vho were idle, and one would not regard 200 idle Europeans as a safe body. The worst feature was that these 200 idle Maoris would do anything that Rua asked them to. The natives in every vicinity where Rua bad camped had been frightened of him. The Maoris had held a meeting and asked that Colonel Porter, lecompanied by Hukanni, a chief nf tlio district, should visit Rua and endeavor to persuade him to go vway. Rua professed to he religious xnd had done nothing against the 'aw; but it seemed just as necessary to proceed against 200 Maoris in the country who were “without visible neans of support” as to proceed ■ gainst one person in town for the lame reason Rua’s people had done vonie work, hut Rua did not wish them to do any. They had practically ruined the Maori oil whose land they had camped. They had eaten ill his sheep and had now started on bis cattle. At the present rate only itarvation would shift Rua’s camp. The European settlors in the vicinity were not alarmed, but others further i way were—a fox did not steal hens near his lair, but went further afield ■or game. The camp was being fortified, and that must mean something. Rua had been buying a great deal of ammunition which lie said was for duck shooting. Colonel Porter whs to have visited the camp this week, but owing to Court appointments and the rain ho nas delayed, anil had arranged to go out cither to-day or to-morrow to enquire into things.