Interprobincial Items.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 768, 10 March 1870, Page 2

Interprobincial Items.

EAST COAST. The following interesting items are from the Tauranga and Opotiki correspondent of the Southern Cross ; Intelligence was received at Opotiki on the sth February that a strong force of Hauhaus had come down from Waimana, and had occupied Okianga, an island in the Ohiwa harbor. The forces were at once placed in a state of readiness for any emergency. About sundown Trooper, Benavitch arrived from Whakatane, Laving been sent the previous day with despatches to Whakatane. He stated that on his arrival at Ohiwa the Arawa would have detained him but for his determination to proceed. He was cautioned by the Arawa to ride fast, and as near the sea as possible, lest he should be in-

;ercepted. Upon his arrival at Waio ;ahi.he saw the enemy in strong force joining down the river. They were ust too late to cut him off, so they nade across the hills to the next stream, there to try and stop him. [lbwever, he galloped along the beach, tnd succeeded in crossing the stream ust as they were coming down the lill. Luckily ior him he was well nounted, otherwise he would have 'alien into their hands. A reconnaisauce in force was made the next day, md traces of the enemy found, but ;e seomed to have cleared out. On ;he 9th his position was discovered md examined. There seemed to be ibout 100 men, who appeared to be scouts ; bat from camps and places vhere they had been cooking there ,vas every reason to believe they were n force. An orderly was despatched ;o Whakatane, upon whose return it „, vas stated that the Whakatane valley, •■ rom the gorge up, was literally alive vith the enemy. Large fires were ieen away in the direction of the iVaimana. A meeting of settlers was held to liscuss the proposed sale of the Opotiu town belt in 20 acre blocks, in Auckland. It was considered that it vould have been better to have cut t into 10 acre blocks and sold it on ;he spot. A satirical gentleman wanted ;o know if the chairman would kindly nform him whether military settlers' >own grants would be signed by Te looti. At Tauranga, on the 25th Feb., a roung man named Burrows, was acciientally killed by attaching a train of junpowder to one of the unexploded Armstrong shells lying about, Intelligence has been also received ;hat the native woman, Elizabeth juernin, who was taken prisoner at \Vhakatane in March last, where her msband, Mr John Guerain, with a landful of his wife's relations, had jeen gallantly defending, on the approach of Te Kooti, a small redoubt at ■he mill, but, being overpowered, fell, iud with him most of the members of die family, Mrs Guerniu being taken prisoner and forced to become the wife jf Tukau. (uot Te Tauhana, as I stated n my last), a savage chief, the particulars of which I communicated in ny list, who on Sunday last flail from die house of the godfather, Mr Borel, who resides near to Te Puna, who in ler childhood had nourished and wrought her up until she was taken to ;he Catholic school, where she received ;or a native, a very superior education, and whose character and position up to the time she was taken prisoner commanded the high respect of all classes of Europeans and natives. This imfortnnate young woman, about 25 years old, on arriving at Mr Borel's residence, at once wrote a letter to Major Mair, R.M., who had often been a guest in the good old times at the hospitable table of Mr Guerniu, apprising him of her flight, and her anxiety to be restored to the bosom of her relations and society at large. This poor woman, who thought she was clear of her persecutors, was pursued and seized on Monday night last by 47 determined King Hauhaus, the neutral Pirirakaus, a hapu who are in great confidence at the Civil office of ibis place, by whom they were thought incapable committing a dishonorable or treacherous act. They surrounded Mr Borel's house at night, and led').. captive this poor girl against her will, banding her over, it is said, to a baud of Te Kooti's most determined savages, of whom her husband is one, to be butchered and maltreated for daring to mingle* with civilised creatures, and otherwise affording information the most valuable and reliable, the like of which we shall never again be permitted to obtain. Under the heading of " A. Correction for the Southern Papers to Copy," the Taranaki Herald says:—" ' Wireiuu Kiugi (William King), notorious for the part he took in bringing about the Waitara war, is now rendering e\ery assistance in his power to the Cape Egmont Flax Company.' Some of our southern contemporaries have been copying this paragraph, but from what journal it originated we cannot tell. However, we may state for the information of our, contemporaries that Wiremu Kingi of the Waitara war notoriety is not the individual who is rendering every. assistance to the lias Companies on the coa.st s

but a native who is known as Wiremu Kingi of Umuroa. Wiremu Kingi of Nga timaru is the native who was concerned in the. Waitara war, but ho never shows near the European settlements, or communicates personally with the white population." The road from Christchurch to the West Coast is closed for coach traffic m consequence of damage done by the late severe floods, and mails have to be packed from the Saddle to the Taipo, a distance of twenty miles. We take the following from the Daily Southern Cross:—The deputation appointed at the public meeting on Tuesday to lay before bis Honor the Superintendent the resolution come to, met his Honor at the Engineer-in-Chief's Office, yesterday. There was present—his Honor the Superintendent ; Br Nicholson, Provincial Se>.l tary ; Messrs C. F. Mitchell read the ; solution come to by the meeting as folow3 ._« That, in the event of the Government not being able to open Ohinemuri at once, or to find employment for thoso in want of it at current wages, we, the minora of this field, respectfully request his Honor to take such steps as may seem best in order to provide passages for t lie unemployed to the other Colonies." Mr Mitchell added : We have only to mention that, although there were several other resolutions proposed, the meeting rejected everything else, and fell back upon this one. There wms some amount of distemper displayed on account of an offer un derstood to have been mr.de of 2s a-duy. as payment for work, about which there seems to be some mistake. It is not so much whether it is in the power of the Government at present to find employment for men actually unemployed—whom we take to amount to something like 300. I do not think there are a greater number at the present moment who, if employment offered, would go and take it at anything like the ordinary rate of wages. Men have been looking at Ohinemuri, and on that point we do not feel disposed to press your Honor, knowing and believing thai everything possible has been done. We would just ask if anything else can be done -—whether you cVem it possible in.-your capacity as Superintendent anything else can be done to open Ohinemuri ? Some conversation here took plueu respecting the number out of employment. —Mr Cusack said that he was perfectly satisfied that there were nearly 1,000 men out of employment, and Mr Connor also concurred in this estimate. Mr Cusack further said the men were destitute because they were dependent upon one another, and at a public meeting might give expression to their opinions rather severely.—His Honor: As to Ohinemuri, I can say nothing. I made a representation to the General Government—to Mr M'Lean—on the subject, and I have received no reply to that yet. My own impression is that Ohinemuri will not be open for some months to come. Its opening depends entirely upon the action of the General Government. I cannot, I dare not, interfere with them, because under them only can any action be lawfully taken. Then as to providing passages to other colonies, I say at once that I will not do it. There is plenty of employment in this province—abundance of employment for all unemployed. ] know that at this moment there are large quantities of farm produce—of potatoesrotting in the ground because of the want of men to dig them up. Farmers are glad ,< to get hands, but they are not to be had v : at remunerative wages. I have known in stances in which men refused 5s per day, and also have refused 15s a week and their food. Now, if men choose to be unemployed under these circumstances, it is their own fault. If these men are willing to take work at reasonable wages, there is a great deal of work. It is nonsense for men to attempt to determine by any forced means the rate of wages, which must adapt itself to the demand. If there is a superabundance of labor, wages must come down, and if a deficiency wages must rise. No men can fix a rate of wages for themselves. On this field a great deal of work can be had for 5s a day, and no man can starve, or be in destitution, even if he has a family, with such wages.—Mr Mitchell said he had had to let a contract lately, and he got it taken for one-third the estimate of the mining surveyor.—Mr Cusack said that the men could not get work for 6s.—His Honor: Yery possibly ; because in working certain claims, and in the country that will not pay.—After some, further conversation, (he interview ter-! minated.