DEATH TO THE DOGS!!

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume IV, Issue 4, 30 May 1857, Page 2

DEATH TO THE DOGS!!

I do not mean death to all dogs; for there are dogs that guard our houses and our sheep; and in some countries there are dogs that drag their masters over the frozen snow; ixvA there arc dogs that go out in winter to

search for travellers lost in the snow; and there are dogs that lead blind men along the road. A faithful dog is one of the best friends, of man. But the dogs which I say ought to be killed, are those Maori curs, which go out as soon as it is dark to steal everything that they can find; all day long ihcy lie sleeping by the fire, as if they were good quiet home-keeping dogs; but the sun is scarcely set, before they prick up their ears and go about prowling everywhere. When I have hung up a basket of food to the ridge pole of the tent, these thievish dogs have jumped up again and again till they have gnawed a hole in the bottom of the basket, and let the food Hill out; The most clever of them will steal the food from under your pillow. All the time I have travelled in New Zealand, I never lost any thing, but by Maori dogs. No man thief ever troubled me. But I often keep a great stick by my side as I lie in my tent, lo.keep out the dogs. If this was only an annoyance to myself, I should no more complain of it than I do of the fleas or the sand-flies. But when I know that these thievish dogs are always making ill-will between the pakeha and the maori, then I say "death to Ike dogs"; because the two races ought to be united as one nation in brotherly love. And when I see that these thievish dogs are making the maori poor, while the pakeha is growing rich, then I say again, " death to the dogs," because I wish to see the maori equal to the pakeha in every respect. There is a man from Taupo, who asks me,

How do my dogs make me poor? I can't bring my potatoes or wheat to Auckland, as llie tribes of the Thames and Waikato can. A!I I can do is to set n;y dogs to catch a pig, and then I drive it to Auckland ; and sell it; and bring back a blanket and a shirt. Yes, and that is all that you get for two months spent upon the road, with your pig pulling one way and you another; all your summer Is lost in driving your pig to Auckland, and all that you get at last is a blanket and a shirt. Now, T am not laughing at maori customs; because, if I wanted clothes, and could only get them by driving pigs, I should drive a pig myself. But if J could get more clothes and belter clothes in any other way, then I should give up pig-driving. Now, this is the way to get more clothes, and better clothes; it is to kill the pigs and dogs and to keep sheep. The dogs must be killed before the sheep can be kept, for thievish doss, accustomed to hunt pigs, and wood-hens, and kiwis, will never spare the sheep. When a dog has once lasted a sheep's blood, it will never rest till it has drank it again. Men of Roiorua, men of Taupo, men of the inland country, listen to me. Let the Thames and Waikato do as they please; for ihcy live by the side of the pakeha; and read the Karere Maori; and, as they see prices go up or down, ihry plant or leave oil planting; and sell or leave off seJ'iti"Wncn the lownjs ngawari all the canoes com- paaaling and sailing in. When the town is pafceke, Mechanic's Bav is deserted .isut you up-country men, trade with P n «-1

land. England is the country, where wool j always bears a good price; and the more ; wool you send, the more England will buy, j because hi that cold climate, twenty millions of people are always crying oul for warm ! coals and trousers. " " I How are we to got sheep? That is a fair question. Catch all jour pigs. Let this be! the last act of yo: r dogs. And then sell the| pigs and kill the dogs." Buy sheep with ihej money. A good sheep costs about a pound ! or 25 shillings. Appoint two or three of! your best young men to lake care of the i iiockofcach tribe; and pay them as Labanj paid Jacob, with a share of the increase. Get a few good trained dogs from the English sheep owners. Buy a few bags of Eng-' lish grass-seed to scatter over your old cul j livaiions. The grass will spread, and instead of dock and sorrel, you will have fine pasture every where.. Now the old cultivations are wasted by being overgrown with rank weeds. Keep two or three places for seed every year; aud sow the grass all over the country. Rill your dogs. Sow English grass. Feed sheep, and you will soon have good clothes in plenty. The chief disease of sheep is the scab ; I dare say some of your hot springs will cure this; if not, grow tobacco for\oursclves; boil it, and make large troughs to wash the sheep twice a year in the tobacco-water. This is as good for scab in the sheep, as blue stone for smut in wheat. Now, how are you to get the wool to Auckland, to be put on board the ships to go to England. Make good cart roads to all the rivers, to Thames and Waikato. You have seen the good of the English roads, and you are very glad to use them. Make the same kind of roads in the country, that you may not be like an awa puni, which cannot find its way out to the sea. When you have made your roads, a cart will carry wool to the value of one hundred pounds.' This is the difference— One cart carrying one ton of potatoes—--2 or 5 pounds. One cart carrying one ton of wheat—--10 or 12 pounds. One cart carrying one ton of gum—--10 pounds. One cart carrying cue ton of wool 100 pounds. If you will not make roads, but like to carry burdens on your backs; this is the ditTerence— One kete of potatoes of 60 pounds 2 shillings.

One bushel of wheat of GO ponnds—s shillings. One bundle of wool of 60 pounds—3 pounds. If you like to make ihe horses carry ihe wool, then ihis will be the difference One horse-load of potatoes of. 120 pounds— ! 3 or 4 shillings. j One horse-load of wheat of 1-20 pounds— ! 10-&hil rings. One horse-load of wool of 120 pounds 6 pounds* The usual price of wool at Auckland is one shilling a pound; five pounds for the hundred weight, one hundred pounds for the ton. Sometimes it is a little-more, some limes a little less, according to the prices in England. If you- send* plenty of wool; the | price will be higher, because large ships will! come every year to take it to -England. The j wool which you send to England, will come! back ii>the form of blankets and coats. | One word-more about the wool. Let it; be clean, hi the beginning of summer wash j all the sheep in a nice clear river; rub the wool well with the hands to gel out all the grease. Perhaps the washing spring near Ohinemum may be found good for washing sheep. When the sheep are dry, shear them carefully: not culling great gashes in the skin, as careless shearers do. A good shearer will shear oO or 60 sheep in a day. Then pack the wool in bags; each fleece rolled up in a ball before it is put into the bag. Write the owner's name on the bag; and if the same name is always seen every year on bags of ihe best and cleanest wool, the merchants in London will give a higher price, when they see the name. A good name is a treasure to a man. My maori friends, my word is true. Wool made Port Jackson groat. Wool is now riching Wellington, Nelson, Port Cooper, i Akaroa, Oiaivou, all the places as far as Stewart's Island. Shall the Northern parts of New Zealand be left behind by ihe Southern ; with nothing to show but fern, pigruns, and dogs. This lelter about wool, is not written only that you may get money; but also that your way*of life may be belter. Where in the whole Bible is there a good word for feeders of pigs? Of all unclean animals the pig is j the most unclean. The Gergesenes, who re- i fused Christ and his Gospel, were feeders o(\ pigs. The devils entered into the herd of'

s\yin e « The prodigal son was sent into the fields to feed swine. Your pig-dogs have none of the qualities of good dogs; they are neither brave nor faithful. You yourselves <io not treat your dogs as we do ours, for you make them thieves by starving them. P«g-keeping and pig-hunting makes dogs and men bad. But all the Bible, from beginning to end, is full of ihe praise of sheep and shepherds. The Great Example of all is called both a Shepherd and a Lamb. A shepherd is the pattern of faithfulness; a sheep is the pattern of meekness. many of the best men spoken of in the Bible were shepherds —Abel, Abraham, Lot, Joseph, Jacob, J)avid. The first revelation of the Gospel "was made to the shepherds of Bethlehem. Therefore I say to you all, give up the feeding of pigs, and begin the feeding of sheep.