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Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume IV, Issue 10, 15 October 1857, Page 1

We are in hopes the natives will turn to good account the prospeets they have this year of obtaining good prices for potatoes, wheat, maize, oats and other farm produce. Industry is the parent of wealth, as well as comfort and real independence, we cannot therefore too strongly urge Upon the natives how mnch more it will be to their advantage to improve and cultivate the soil, than to waste their time in endless discussions and fruitless talks about the ownership of it; these tales will not provide food, or shelter for the winter. There is an old Maori proverb which says "Cultivate food for the whole year, and collect firewood for the winter." And this is another proverb well known to the natives. " Another man's food will stick in your throat, food cultivated by your own hands you may eat and come again, and be satisfied." We know ofmaiiy instances among the natives themselves, where industry has met its just reward, but those natives who are really acquiring wealth and independence, have thrown aside all their old foolish superstitious, about tapu,

witchcraft, and reverence to the false gods of their ancestors instead of the only true God that is acknowledged by all Christian nations. We have hitherto refrained from commenting on a very foolish practice which the natives have been following of late years, that is, the holding of large meetings at which discussions adverse to t!:e sale of land to the Government are made. The natives will not gain anything by such meetings ; they are quite uncalled for, and only answer the purposes of a few designing men, who wish to gain a name by being considered the holders back of the laud. The natives should avoid assenting to the proposals of such men, whose object it may be, not to hold the land, but to sell it and obtain, not only their own fair share of its value, but also the share that belongs to others. We have seen many of these meetings, but none of them have ever been attended with good results; and the promoters of them are often the very first to offer the land for sale; and notunfrequently, unless closely watched, the most greeiy to have all the money to themselves. Rangihaeata saw through this before his death, and regretted that he had not then an opportunity of seeing Mr. McLean, to treat with him for cession of his lands before he died. He did sell all his claims to the Aropaoa country, on the Middle Island shortly before that period. It is quite right that the natives should retain sufficient land for their own wants and requirements; but it is most injurious to themselves to hold large tracts of land, of which they make no use except to squabble and fight about it; whereas, by the sale of it, they could obtain horses, ploughs, carts, and other agricultural implements to improve the lands they retain; and build comfortable healthy houses to live in, like those of the Europeans. A small extent of land well fenced and cultivated, will produce much more, and be more profitable to the owner, than the uoniinal possession of extensive tracts of waste land that produce nothing, year after year, but useless bush and fern, which neither feed man or beast; and, as the earth has been created for the use of man, it is against the laws of Providence that it should be kept Ib a wild st:te of nature, In the present number of the Maori Messenger we insert some letters from the natives of Ahuriri, respecting the quarrel between Hapuku and Te Moananui. It is to be hoped that other tribes will carefully interfering in this quarrel, it is bad

enough that these two chiefs should be quarrelling and leading their followers to death nothing; but much worse for others to interfere in a matter which does not concern them. This then may be considered as a fight of " Rauru who acts like one man." It is one that will soon cease if left to the people themselves. Surely it' is time for the natives to give up fighting, is death not already too prevalent among them? then why put an end to their own lives in such a foolish manner. A great number [of Europeans are leaving Auckland for the Nelson gold diggings ; some natives from Wellington have also gone there.