The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5400, 18 July 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1878.

In no part of the colony, has greater difficulty' been met with in obtaining land—whether by the Government or by individuals —than in the Thames District; and, probably because of the opposition, in no place have the attempts to extinguish native title and acquire land been so pertinacious. The existence of a gold field carrying a large population, in a district so mountainous and broken as to be’ unfit for agricultural purposes, created a demand for available land in the immediate neighborhood which has riot been satisfied, and could not be satisfied, because of the inability of the Government to purchase on the one hand, and of the indisposition of the natives generally to admit European settlers on the other. The Upper Thames was the stronghold of the rebellious natives; and there, protected by inaccessible swamps, the most violent and worst of the King’s people established themselves, and remained an obstruction to" the progress of settlement, and a constant source of danger and of fear to all the surrounding districts. By patience and -perseverance the isolation of these men was gradually, overcome, and since the time when the late Tarapipipi tb Kopara entered into friendly relations with the Government, the attitude of the people has been gradually changing for the better. Land Courts, after many unsuccessful attempts, have been held at Ohinemuri, and tho making of, the road into the heart of the district, which was a consequence and a condition of the sale of the famous Piako Block, has taken away its character of a rebel fastness, jind done more towards the settlement of the native difficulty than the rabid opponents of that operation are as yet prepared to admit. The fact, however, remains. Amongst the lands in the Thames District which have been brought under the operation of the Native Lands Court is the famous Aroha Block. The first decision of the Court in reference to this land was reversed upon a re-hearing. Certain sections of the people having the common designation of Marutuahu were declared, after a long and patient investigation, to be the rightful owners. Under this designation of Marutuahu are included the consiberable tribes of Ngatimaru, Ngatitametera, Ngatipaoa, and Ngatiwhanunga. Our readers may remember that the establishment of a special settlement on this block was projected by Mr. Broomhall, as the representative of a number of English capitalists, and that provision was made directly by law to enable the Auckland Waste Lands Board to arrange with Mr. Broomhall the terms of sale and settlement. Simultaneously the Government land purchase agent, Mr. Mackay, was making strenuous exertions to acquire the land and to extinguish the native title ; this he had nearly accomplished, the great majority of the owners having agreed to the sale. A small party, however, of Ngatiraaru, headed apparently by a native named Kahauna, who had located themselves on the land, offered-such a pertinacious and effective opposition that it was evident there was a power and force behind them which made itself felt without being seen. A very considerable sum of money has already been paid by tho Government on account of this block, and engagements under the direct authority of the Colonial Legislature having been entered into with regard to it,’both parties desire to complete their engagements. The charge of completing the purchase for the Crown has been entrusted to Mr. Preece, one of the. most trusted land purchase agents in the colony, Mr. Mackay having resigned his employment. ' An, attempt has recently been made,- before the Native Land Court now sitting at the Thames, to bring this troublesome question to a set ; tlement. We take .from the “ Thames 11 Advertiser ” of the 9th instant the following report of the proceedings before the Coart, in reference to this case : the mom.lands: unexpected opposition-. The Aroha case was next called on. Mr. J. IV. Preece said he appeared for the Cr wn. who were the claimants in this case, and the tribes of tho Thames the counter-claimants. Mr. Preece said he understood that the four principal divisions of the Manituahu confederation, namely, the-Ngatimara, Ngatltamatera, Ngatipoa. and the Ngatiwhanunga, were prepared to come forward and state to the Court that they had ceded their interest to the Crown, but that tho Ngalirahiri, the Ngatitumutnmu, and the Ngstlkopiriman sections of the Ngatimarn tribe had opposed the claims of the tribes named, and stated that they were the solo owners of the block. The Court eaid it had a simple duty to find out who were the persons comprising the Marutuahu confederation, as th * decision of tho Court had already been given In their favor at a former hearing. The Court will hove to investigate if they had sold to the Crown, and to assist them in arriving at a decision evidence will be adduced by Mr. Preece, I tho agent for the Government in the matter. At tills ■ stage of the proceedings W, H. Taipari (an officer of the Government (and the Hon, HoaniNahe (a member of tho Executive) intimated that they appeared for tho dissentient natives, tho sub-acction of the Ngatlmaru named above. This seemed to place tho matter tn an unexpected light, and to take the Government land purchase agent by surprise. Hohepa Kapene stood up to oppose the Hon, Uoani Nahe appearing there as the advocate of these tribes, on the ground that he was a member of tho Government.. The Hon. HoaniNahe, in reply to the Court, said he’wished to do so, and the Court had no power to interfere In tho matter.

Our Thames contemporaries are indignant, and use very strong language in regard to the action of Sir George Grey’s native colleague in the Cabinet,' the .Hon. Hoani Nahe, and of _ Mr. Taipari, a Government officer, in opposing tho decision of the Courts, and endeavoring to defeat the Government’s claim.

We, yesterday, • indicated in our reference to the native meeting at Putiki the probability'that the Crown’s titles to land would be the next object of attack by the Repudiation Party, and it is riot without sharing the “surprise” of the Government agent, Mr. Preece, that we find, a movement against the claim of the Grown to the Aroha Block emanating from the Cabinet itself, and sustained by the native agent at the Thames, an officer in the pay of the colony. The action may nevertheless be right, and be defensible on its merits ; or, if Mr., Nahe and Mr. Taipari are acting on their.own responsibility, we are, perhaps, being favored with an example of that decentralization of administration from which the AttorneyGeneral expects so much economy in public expenditure in the future.