THE PARIHAKA TROUBLES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 6, 21 September 1880, Page 3

THE PARIHAKA TROUBLES.

» (From the Wellington Chronicle of Thursday.) The head anil centre of all the difficulty is Te Wind. Without his con sent there can be no finality. Lverybody feels this. 'The Prophet must be dealt with in one way or another. Government do noc appear to be able to do this ; and are reluctant to strip off his mantle by treating him the same as they have treated so many of his followers. It is said that Te Whiti is dissatisfied with the reserves re commended by the Commission ; that he feels the exultation of success in having compelled the Government to come to his terms ; and that, like Oliver Tviist, he still wants more; but no specific reason can be given in support of such an idea. It is a very difficult matter to give any satisfactory reason tor the proceedings of a person such sis Te Whiti. liis influence is not the i-esult of any sudden craze amongst the natives, but has been of steady giowth foi the last 13 or 14 years, sometimes waning, sometimes becoming stronger amongst the native race, but always a source of embarrassment to the Government of the day. He is as great a difficulty now as he was ten years ago, when he would not allow the telegraph line to be run along the coast ; and he will continue to be so until Government dfal with him in some effectual manner. He is the firebrand, ami while he is allowed to remain unmolested at Parihaku the flame of disaffection will not burn oat. We have over and over again recommended that this blazing brand be extinguished by seizure and impiisonment j but Govei-nment fear to bum their fingers. They perpetrate nny amount of illegality in one way, and yet Are over scrupulous in another. They have already tried everything they can think of : they have humored and coaxed the natives in vain ; then imprisoued them ; then promised such large conclusions as disgusted the sojtleia. Hut to no purpose. f Jhe only other plan left to try is to seize the arch-mischief maker and see what effect that will have. Since the last batch of 59 brought up at New Plymouth there has been a lull in the way of taking prisoners. It is true the fencing policy is kept up, but the natives run away to avoid arrsst ; and we can only assume that Te Whiti is waiting to see what the result will be under the deterrent legislation of last 6essioD. In any case there is one feature in Te Whiti'6 policy that is at least open to eus picion. It is well known that he has around him at Parihaka proselytes almost from the Nonh Cape to Uuapuke in the South, ai.d from nearly tvpry native settlement in both islands ; and it is a fact that latterly when the work of arresting was in full swing, Te Whiti always sent a contingent from remote tribes to be arrested, and in some quarters ihe idea is enter; ained that by bo doing he is dpsirous of embroiling the whole of the tribes of New Zealand in his cause of quarrel with the Government. This may or may not bf so ; but it gives the affair a fceriou aspect, and calls for a more promp" and fpoedy mode of proceduie ihan i f being pursued. Wo cannot go op beggaring the country for the sakn of humoring a so called prophet? Thi- trjubJe must be Bittled very, quickly, or r.o man can say v hat the result may be. It seems to us that we can»ot get awey from the words of the West L'on&t Commission in their first report : — "We cannot escape, if we would, the necessity of deciding the question of Parihaka at the same time as the question of the plains ; and unless they are decided

logether ihe Government may keep up a great force here for year?, and yet be unable to place bottlers in quiet upon tho land." Government should ponder on this.