THE MAORI DISTURBERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 159, 5 July 1879, Page 4

THE MAORI DISTURBERS.

Mr W. Courtney har addressed the following letter W theTaraoaki Herald willr reference to the relative .poiUionr of Mr Livioff^tboe and hitoself towarcla the natire ploasbmen :— fa«t night's i»ae if r Halko giTea Mr Livingitoae credit for I* Mtioi re tfctt natives and me discredil for' niirie. I wift anbw you (bat they we iwb quite different caaea. In mine it wa4 the flrat »ot of the oatives, the land being nine milea from my boaee. Had I been rash and taken the law in my own hands, and brought down the oatirea on the large namb*t ofaefeieeleM aettlers between my farnT and Parihakj, ©very thinking: maa wooU ha?e blaned me. In my case 4* hi?e »ettfer» like Vavasour Blfothbrt and Bayley, who have oa^W tXMti^f tim£W fe .£4OO n head, awi

then agaio we ha VO fifty small farmer* edging onUbd oasb, whetethey might besurprised at any moment, and lose ttieit children, which are worth far i more to them than the high priced | catije, and I would have been the cause of all this. Now, in Mr LVe case, be saw what was the upßhot of the I Tapuae affair, and he wisely called the •ettlera together, and 1 they having bad oar experience acted as they, felt safe in doing* In my case I called oil the Government, who I felt had got me into the trouble, to get me oat of it. .Thdy said they would do so, and I, through my solicitor, offered thd ' Go- ■ vercment term's, and if tney' ditt not accept them L woald take the Jaw* into my own hands. For my own paift — not; from cowardice, bat from a feeling of light and wrong— l think it quite enough fae>aVseltler jto lose rnaarly or I perbapa his all, without giving in his I life; However, should there be any trouble. Mr fl". will not find me in the rear rank. We are fairly taxed, and the! Government should be able fo pay to what they have brought on by pandering to. these natives. At the foo lenclosemy first telegram to the Government, and on wnioh.il wonld ! have acted had I not been shown the danger I placed my f el low-set tiers in, as fchown above. — I am, &0., I "W. Covnrmt.' ' TBLEOBAU. ''Gentlemen, — There are a lot of natives, with four ploughs, breaking up my, freehold land at Tapuae. If the Government do not. remove them I^wijl shijot their buHoofci,' and the natives if thiy interfere. \ • ; | " W. COURTMET. f To Sir Qttrge Grey and the- Hon. \ J.iShcehan,; Wellington^ BBPLT. " I am sincerely grieved to hear that yojo propose <o shoot horses and natives. T<»u #ill' sot far more wisely by leaving (he case to be dealt with by the ordinary? pperatioa of the law* - which tbpqghf sometimes; alow, is certain; Although your right ta the; land toay be indisputable,, the shooting of Thorpes or men woald be a very grave offence* "GkGIIKT. ■•• To Mr; W. Courtney, New 1 PlyV mouth/"