Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5180, 29 October 1877, Page 2

We called attention not long since to one of the many burning questions in agitation in Hawke’s Bay, the Te Ante reserve for school endowment. The Repudiation party have taken up this business after their usual fashion and made it, not a question of public interest, but a question of persons, or rather of a single person, the Rev. ; Samuel Williams, against whom the whole local host of hatred has been arrayed. Mr. Williams apgeara to rank next to Mr. Ormond amongst the enemies of the great chief of that party. A cause of this distinction was once wo believe publicly stated in a local paper, and as the editor was neither called upon to apologise and subscribe money to an hos - pital, nor prosecuted for libel, we take it that silence was considered to be discreet. If this were the true cause of the enmity which pursues him, it was highly creditable to Mr. Williams. Whether it was tho true and only cause or not, judging by analogy with other known cases, it would be a sufficient cause. We need not, however, trouble ourselves with speculation, as we have the fact apparently that a vendetta has been declared against Mr. Williams, and that thofeud is being prosecuted in the usual way by that reputable institution the “Wananga” and its staff. On one side in this quarrel are the Bishop of Wellington, tho Hon. Mr. Stokes, Mr. Bannatyne, and Mr. George Hunter, as trustees, and tho Rev. Mr. Williams as lessee of tho Te Auto estate; and on tho other wo have tho Hon. Henry Robert Russell and his friends of the “ Wananga.” We can make no com-

pariaon between the respective parties, as there are no points of resemblance ; we desire to contrast them simply. The facts are these. Some twenty-five years since certain natives on the one hand, and the Government on the other, set apart a portion of land at Te Ante as an endowment for a school. One of the conditions on bolh sides was that the Rev. Samuel Williams should take charge of the new institution. This he did. The land was in a state of nature, and the annual value of the whole to rent at the time was £ls. Mr. Williams for twenty-five years has given his services gratuitously as the manager at Te Ante. He has,, after overcoming many difficulties, established his school with all the necessary appurtenances, has enclosed the laud, has found the necessary capital himself, and so improved the estate, that with the sheep upon it is now valued, speculatively of course, at £35,000, and as being worth in rent from £IOOO to £2500 a year. Mr. Williams has paid £SOO a year rent for the land, and in addition, for some years, as shown by the accounts, has contributed from his own means largely every year in money to the maintenance of the establishment at Te Aute. His lease will expire in February next, and it was reported in Napier that a renewal of the lease had been granted to Mr. Williams at double the existing rental. It turns out that the question of the renewal of the lease had never been considered by the trustees as a body, and that the report arose out of some inquiries made by Mr. Stokes, one of the trustees, before his departure for England, as to the present value of the To Aute estate. The “Wananga” had resolved that Mr. Williams should not get a renewal of the lease, and, amongst other means to that end, a petition was got up, purporting to be signed by_ Te Hapuku and 203 other aboriginal natives, and presented to the Legislative Council by the Hon. Mr. Russell. The following is the report of the Public Petitions Committee:— Yourco nmittee having re-considered their report on the petition of Te Hapuku and 203 natives of the district of Ahuriri, which was referred back to them by UlO Council on the 13th September, and having taken further evidence in connection therewith, have the honor to report as follows 1. That some of the signatures attached to the petition were signed under-a misconception of its purport, whilst other signatures were given by natives in the hope of getting their land returned to them, discharged from tiie trust. 2. That, as regards the management of the Te Aute Estate up to the present time, your committee are of opinion that Mr. S. Williams' occupation of. the property has largely contributed to the great increase in its value. He has at his own risk advanced large snms of money for the purpose of improving the estate, whilst upon the expiration of his lease in February next, he has no claim for compensation. There is therefore no reason to suppose that the trustees have acted otherwise than wisely in the choice of a tenant. 3. That, as regards the management of the estate on the expiration of Mr. S. Williams’ lease, your committee do not consider they are in a position to recommend that any particular course should he adopted by the trustees. There seem to be very different opinions entertained as to the value of the estate, and as to the best way to deal with it in the future. Your committee, however, think that, so long as the trustees have unfettered control over it, they and they alone are responsible for its management, and it would be unwise in any way to attempt to control their action, or to relievo them of any portion of their responsibility. At the same time your committee desire to call attention to, and to urge the Government to act upon, the recommendations contained in the report of tire select of the Legislative Council appointed in 1875, “To inquire into and report upon the past administration and present position of the Te Aute College estate in Hawke's Bay, and the Wairengahika farm in Poverty Bay." (Appendix to Journals of Legislative Council, 1875, No. 4). They are of opinion that the time has arrived when " All Educational Trusts arising from donations by the Maoris, or from the Crown to any denomination, should be connected with some one of the departments of Government.” 4. That as regards the management of the school, your committee are of opinion that the trustees have done all in their power to provide for the education of Maori children. In past years many circumstances have combined to prevent them from successfully carrying out this part of their trust. The want of funds, the apathy of the natives, the disturbances which occurred a few years since, have all had their effect; but about the year 1871 money was obtained on loan, buildings were erected, a good schoolmaster engaged, and at the present time there are as many scholars as the accommodation will admit of. The complaint that these scholars belong to tribes living at a distance, and not connected with the original donors of the Maori portion of lands in the hands of the trustees, is of no weight, as it appears that whilst, on the one hand, admission to the school has neverbeen refused to any member related to those original donors, on the other hand, whatever may have been the intention of the grant from the Maoris, the grant from the Crown was evidently not restricted to the use and behoof of any particular tribe or hapu of natives. Again, the statement that. In past years, the attempt to make tire children in attendance at the school do a certain amount of outdoor work has had the effect of driving them from school, does not seem to bo warranted by the evidence brought before the committee. The increased rent which will no doubt be derived from the estate after the expiration of the present lease will enable the trustees to carry on the school tar more efficiently than they have hitherto been able to do; and as in the ease of the management of the land, so also in the management of the school, your committee do not under existing circumstances think It is advisable to attempt to control the action or to limit the responsibility of the trustees by making any other recommendations than those contained in the report alluded to above. W. D. H. B aii.li e, Chairman. I dissent from this report for reasons which I shall give when the Council is called upon to adopt the report. T. Fraseb, M.L.O. The minutes of evidence presented with the report showed the way in which this petition was got up, .and, we think, justify fully the expression used in regard to it by Bishop Hadfield, viz., “that it was a very disgraceful one.” After many shifts and attempts at evasion on the part of those whose machinations werOiOxposed, the Legislative Council on Friday last adopted the report of the committee without a division. No attempt will probably be made in the future to use the Council as an instrument for executing the vengeance of the Hawke’s Bay vendetta. It is the wrong place.