THE WAIMATE PLAINS DIFFICULTY.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1606, 14 April 1879, Page 3

THE WAIMATE PLAINS DIFFICULTY.

[Press Special Wire.]

[from the special correspondent of PRESS AGENCY.I New Plymouth, April 13.

Now that the war fever has reached the pockets of New Plymouth by depreciation of property its temperature has been reduced, and people bore see that they have much to lose and nothing to gain. Coming along the beach yesterday, Imot a numborof Te Whiti’s men,with whom I had converse, and the whole burden of their talk was—“ When will Mr Sheehan come back to settle this dark business ?’ ’ Meanwhile Mr Mackay is interviewing the people and endeavoring to make them amenable to reanon, but wherever he goes and touches on Government business he is told to hold his tongue, as the Government are liars in not fulfilling their promises which were made to the Natives by Sir Donald McLean This is all their justification for interference, and their pretext for eventual bloodshed, if in their eyes it becomes necessary for a general rising. Their reason, if they are driven in a corner, for any outrage they may commit is neglect of the present Government to fulfil the promises made by Sir D. McLean, and all through the meeting to day Te Matu told Mr Mackay and his people that all the trouble arose from Mr Brown’s ignorant or malevolent neglect of Sir D. McLean’s promises. Meanwhile Mr Mackay is stealing all the Hula feathers from Mr Sheehan’s cap. There has been no mess in Now Zealand like this West Coast mess. There has boon to the Natives no individuillisatioh of title, and no security of tenure yet granted. The Natives consider such a state of neglect only a prelude to their murder, and to complete annexation, and you cannot think, how deep is the disgust that they have towards the pakeha. When expostulated with ou the subject they only say that the past has tanght them the value of British promises. A very little thing would make the Natives fight, and if they are compelled to do so we may fear trouble. I hear from the Plains yesterday before I left that Mr Commissioner Williams had been threatened by the Ngatiruanui with the Ngatu and the Ngaturu. You cannot conceive the irritation such canards have on the Native mind. They are perpetually asking, ‘‘ls it true, can the Government be prepared to so ignore its past pledges, or be so dead to all f eling of justice in its dealings with us f” There is no doubt but the Gov- rnment has not been kept well informed in the matter. I remember five years ago when I was here that the Natives told me that certain promises had been made to them, the exact nature of which I forget, but these promises form, I think, the only ground of complaint. All I can say is that whde Messrs Mackay and Blake have the control of the affairs on the coast, I think the difficulties are likely to be well handled.