ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 443, 12 July 1879, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

£We are at all times realty to give expression to every shade of opinion, but in no case do we hold ourselves responsible for the sentiments of oar correspondents.J {To the Editor of the Patea Mail.) Sir, —The present action of the Maoris appears to take the public by surprise, and the question is asked—what will be the result of the present action of the Government? In my opinion that is very rarely answered. The Supreme Court will dismiss the natives with a caution. The settlers must be very blind not to see that the natives are only doing what E Tapa and others did about three years ago to Mr Dickie’s laud, and Ngahina and others to Mr Nicholson’s land, with this difference—substituting ploughing for felling bush,” and what did the Government or Supreme Court do in those cases ? Why, E Tapa and ids confederates were arraigned at the Supremo Court at Wanganui for malicious injury to property. The result being, they were dismissed and told not to do it again ; and the other case never went to trial, as the indictment was quashed. The present Government evidently remember those cases, and are only wasting public money in committing these natives for trial, as they must know that the cases will be thrown out, and the resist will be that the country will be in 3 worse state as regards the native difficulty than it is at present. Why don’t the settlers do something that will force the Government to take some other line of action. The natives will have to be thrashed before the settlors arc safe on this coast, and the sooner it is done the better.— I am. «te., PRO BONO PUBLICO. Waverley, 7th July, 1879.