NATIVE AFFAIRS AT OPUNAKE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4370, 23 March 1875, Page 3

NATIVE AFFAIRS AT OPUNAKE.

(From the Taranaki News, March 18.) His Honor the Superintendent has handed tom the following letter 'from Captain P._G% Wilson, who' commands at Opvmake, which will be perused, with, .great ictere,st and satisfaction by our readers, giving us it does such a gratifying account of the state of native feeling in that quarter;— Opunake, M arch 12, ,1875.. Sin, —X am directed by the Hon., Native ami Defence Minister to report the native difficulty that rendered it necessary to send constabulary here. It was in consequence of an attempt made by W. King’s people (a hapu of the Taranaki tribe) to reocoupy a portion of the confiscated land—that portion recently purchased by Mr. W-. Bayly, of New Plymouth, from the late Opunake Flax Company. • Those people were alway t, opposed to the occupation of OpUnake, and establishment of flaxworks, but were overruled by their chief, and majority of natives in the district. .. So long, however, as they were receiving,a rental from the flax companies, they were deriving ■a direct benefit that for a time kept , them rquiet. The sudden, closing of the flax .mills, jand about the samb t ‘ time the road work in ■ this district being completed, the natives bad not their accustomed income or'mcaus of eamingmbngr).;' g ■..•,.., s .]■ ;

Tins was severely felt ! at the, time, bat the majority turned their attention to cultivating morei extensively as a means of earning money.' These people of William King’s,-as soon asd they ceased to derive a direct benefit from the occupation of vOpunake, ‘ began-- to ' become # troublesomej-and,'aided by the Ngarikrpeople,' ■ have for some time given a good; deal of trouble, claiming sheep and cattle straying oh -their land, and only giving them up’on 1 payment of most exorbitant charges, v ; * ' ! - * Some’six’weeks ago' -William King’s people stated their determination' to resume occupation - of their former claims id the dpuhakq block (that portion formerly occupied by the"’ 'Opuuake Klax> 1 Company),i and• ?abbut three .weeks later they took possession. When ordered off they-; replied that the Hand theirs, and we conld only take' possession when they were dead. ;As these 'obstinate fanatics would not-listen to/reason;;or ~ argument; /if became necessary ‘to u s se force. 'The other* Native claimants in the same bio 9k _ f stated their willingness to 'assist' in putting these -people off if the Government would send constabulary here. It was decided to do sd,on the 2nd a dietachmeht"of 5 landed, and, mth the 'native police, marched' down and took possession of ‘ the two W. King’s people occiipied. '\'As instructions were peremptory to act with ‘caution,' it was thought advisable to use the’hative police to eject the Hauhaus. - struggle, was effected. During 1 the night they took possession of a building further As the struggle of the day before' had excited both native police and Hauhaus, a similar stmggle could only have ended resort to, aims As., it was evident they inust give way unless ‘ported, it was decided to/giye them a few r days toiascertain what support .they-had. ; . J : Mr, Parris, who had been.' .here for a few days, had to leave for the 1 South on the sth, leaving instructions .with ,ine to ( pyepared for any emergency, at 1 the same time r to act with caution. , ,On The 7th : that they did not wish to resort'"to aims,>\it 'wished the matter ! decided by arbitration. ; ..L replied that there could be no arbitration, asj the laud was ourp,,and we ; gave,them time to leave. That no fighting could follow where .a great many men were on., one side, and very few on the qthei‘ 1: Ngamari, their leader, told a friendly native that ..night, that, they could not fight on the question. He saw;{ if they persisted, it could only end in thcirl ] hands and feet being tied and their being sent to prison; On the 10th they - gave pup possession entirely, and went to their places, Ngariki and Niikuteapiapr sending word That they wbukK be guided by Te Whiti and Tohu, at the Pariaka meeting. • . ' • Te Whiti, on receipt of a telegram last evening from ‘the Native ‘Minister, called a . meeting of his own people, at which both himself and Tohu condemned the conduct of W. King's people, ' They 'both said that the Native and Defehce''MimsteV'Svaa right in

sending his soldiers to Opunake, as hq had not sent them to ihakb wav hut to protect boundaries and preserve,'peace.-s ,Jias 3 been a quiet trial,of, strength ,tp 4 effect jans object without going ' tp*.war. ,It naa.Remonstrated to tlie Hanhaua that their, time .for offering armed opposition to the Government, has long gone past., When I told, these people some months ago, that in the evpnt.. of their provoking ‘ hostilities two-thirds of ( their own people ■ would the sense to go, against 'them, they,' • the idea.. They now see that thosq ;they, thought would support them .have gone' against them the Governrnsnt./i There is another pnqstv remarkable change in ! the natives' on this coasts Some four years ago it waa% difficult toget their; consent to : nine native police being enlisted in the district, and for some‘considerable‘time they objected to constabulary being employed as messengers through the' district,' Th© sudden introduction of a detachment would have excited the whole of- thefrh. Now we find- some requesting -to have .(kprstabularyeent -here; and none- -'Even W. King’s people sent them a j>resent of 'potatoes, to show that they had no f towards them/as'they consider the constabulary had, a- perfect right to put them 'off. whole , animosity; seems directed against'the 'other.native claimants to Opunake, who,’ instead of joining them, or remaining neutral, joined vis to dis'-* posses them. The whole question ■will be fully 1 discussed, at Papa-1ea,..0n £he : 17th. , .Judgingfrom what passed here last night, the nativesj consider that W. ; King’s yvill ( away silenced, or, as they term it, edme from the meeting killed. —I have, .&c,V; v J '■ > P. Or. WU.SON,; , . ! ■ : 'cipt'iir.z.M;' " His Honor the'Superintendent/ 11 * 1 - 1 " r l ■ New Plymouth. | J t -, s o .H