MAORI DIFFICULTY AT MANAWATU HEADS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 48, 15 February 1881, Page 2

MAORI DIFFICULTY AT MANAWATU HEADS.

i _ j^_ _ THE PILOT STAFF TO BE EJECTED. Some excitement was caused in Foxton on Friday last by tlie sudden arrival of Mr A. Seabury, the chief pilot at the mouth of the Manavrahi iiVer, \Vith information that a number of Rangitikei Maoris had waited upon him that morning and informed him that a fortnight from date they would eject him and his assistant from their houses and pull down the signal station, unless in the meantime some satisfactory arrangement were made with them as to the site. Mr Seabury, upon being so warned, came to Foxton And reported the matter to Mr S. M. Baker, resident Native Officer, who thereupon went down to the mouth of the river to enquire into the IT>««U)r, ana to mm we are indebted for the following information. The natives who claim t&o land lv cjvtesfcton, and have warned Mr Seabiiryj belong to the Ngatiparewahawaha hapo of the Ngatiraukawa tribe, and lite Jn tire Pangitikei^dlstrict, their chief, who is most active in (.tie affair, being Nepia Taratoa. The land in question is held under, native title, not having yet passed through the Native IJands Court, but the present clainiadts are acknowledged by other natives in the district as the owners. In 1855 the owners entered into an agreement with the Government by which bo much of the land as was necessary for the pilot'c house end signal station was leased for the term of teu yfcftf* from January 1, 1856, a certified copy of the lease undei 1 tKd tiafcld of Mr G, . »S. Cooper, Commissioner, signed by Sir (th*n Mr) Donald M'Lean on the part of the Govern - ment, md. by Nepia Taratoa and a number of other native owners, b'efcg shown to Mr Baker in proof of the existence of such a lease. The natives state that since the termination of the above-mentioned lease they have received no payment from the Government for th** use of the site, notwithstanding repeated applications made. Just before the lamented death of Sir Donald M 'Lean he promised to arrange the matter, ! but after his decease nothing was done in it until a few months ago, when Mr A. M 'Donald promised to look into it and settle it, but before he was able to do so he removed to Waikato. Seeing that no action had been taken by the Government, the natives have determined to bring the matter to a head by giving the pilot a fortnight's notice to quit, failing which they state they will eject him from the house and take down the signal staff. They state they do not wish to adopt forcible measures, but unless their demands are oomplied with, they will most certainly do as they have threatened. So far as we can learn, no specific amount has been demanded by the natives, who have simply taken their present action to bring the matter under notice of the Government. They .also ordered the fishermen off the land, and gave them two days to leave, but at the suggestion of Mr Baker the whole matter was left in abeyance until Mr Ward, R.M., had been able to see the natives. Mr Baker has placed Mr Ward in full possession of the facti of the case, and that gentleman with his uiual promp-

titudo telegraphed on Sunday that he would „ viait Foxton in tiriio-^o irieot the natives at ton o'clock on TuesdaV(tbls day. ) At the time of Mr Baker's Visit to the mouth of the river, there were about 100 Rangitikci natives present, including men, _ women, and children. Some were fishing, and others engaged in different occupations.