Untitled

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 309, 3 April 1878, Page 2

On Saturday last Waitotara natives assembled at Carlyle to receive money as a sort of compensation for former claims on Momahald land, wliicli Major Brown bad long ago promised them. The amount,

less £4OO deducted for obstructing survey-, was paid over and duly signed for. The natives not having settled as to how the money should be divided amongst themselves, entrusted the whole of the amount to Mr W. Williams, Native Interpreter, with instructions to place it in the bank for safe keeping until it should be required by them. The reported deduction for stoppage of survey was soon made known to natives on the Waimate Plains by natives who had attended the meeting, whoa it was finally agreed to accept the money. Special messeuges were sent from the tribes on the Plains to Waitotara to enquire as to the truth of the report. By the time the messengers arrived the money had actually been paid over. Further opposition and obstruction of survey, it was pointed out would only have lessened the amount to be received, of which fact the natives appear to have been pretty well alive. Besides which it was argued by the Waitotara natives that if Government had prosecuted them, and they had been imprisoned, the whole lot of the money would have gone from them. Major Brown’s action, in thus deducting for obstruction of survey, will not be without its effect on other natives similarly situated; From past experience natives on this coast know that that gentleman says only what he means, and as Mr Sheehan stated that Major Brown represented the Government, and seems inclined to back him up, it may be concluded that the Plains difficulty will vanish, and that another year will see some portion of it occupied by Europeans,