The Standard AND PEOPLE'S ADVOCATE. (PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.) SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1875.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 322, 6 November 1875, Page 2

The Standard AND PEOPLE'S ADVOCATE. (PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY.)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1875.

“ We shall sell to no man justice or right: We shall deny to no man justice or right: We shall defer to no man justice or right."

Poverty Bay is becoming notorious for native ruffianism of the most revolting character. There are in the district, at the present time, several unmitigated villains of the Maori race, who do not seem to scruple at anything, be it ever so contrary to the laws established for the maintenance of peace and order, and for the protection of life and property. Highway robberies, murderous assaults, and semi-cannibalistic attacks are, by no means, rare occurrences amongst us, and unless the most stringent measures are peremptorily adopted for the suppression of these outrages, they will continue to be perpetrated with impunity. Those ruffians appear to delight in every species of sconndrelism and wickedness, thereby abusing that leniency which has been too often shewn them. To restrain those fellows from further indulgence in their evil propensities, must be the stern work of the law ; for it is quite apparent that milder measures will prove unavailable. Those who have .lately distinguished themselves as flagrant violators of the law, are abandoned characters who are totally indifferent as to what mischief they may commit, and being so they are unworthy of enjoying the privileges of liberty. They are a pest to the district, and the sooner they are relegated to Mount Eden the better for themselves and others. The well conducted portion of the native population detest them, and would be glad to see them removed to where they could not break through those restraints which it is necessary to impose upon incorrigibles for the benefit of society.

In thus briefly commenting upon Maori ruffianism we have not overdrawn the picture by resorting to exaggeration. The proceedings of our Resident Magistrate’s Court, within the past ten or twelve months, as well as the public verdict, will more than corroborate wbat we have stated. Scarcely a month passes without cases manifesting the most fiendish brutality on the part of natives, being brought before the Bench—the details of some of which are truly heart rending. The latest caseof this kind—-Priestly v.Whaketete —was adjudicated upon on Tuesday last —a report of which appeared in our issue of Wednesday. This case has been since much talked of, as one calling for special attention from the authorities, and we certainly do not feel surprised at this. The

assault upon Mr. and Mrs. Priestly was both unprovoked and brutal, one, and we have known a much less heinous crime visited with punishment to the extent of eighteen months or two years, hard labor on the roads, 'he inadequacy of the punishment inflicted upon Whaketete, in our opinion, tends more to encourage him in a future course of villiany than to restrain him. AVuaketete is an old offender, & his an teeedents are so we! 1 known that he is generally regarded as one of the greatest ruffians in this quarter. About six years ago he tomahawked a native named Eau, and sometime afterwards he seriously maltreated another Maori named Rutini Koroua, gouging out his eye, and inflicting other injuries upon him. Mr. Priestly declared iu court that he fully apprehended Whaketete would yet dohim grievous bodily harm, if he were not subjected to such restraints as would deter him from wreaking his vengeance upon him; and this”assertion is borne out by Mr. Thatcher and others who know well what a dangerous fellow Whaketete is. Mr. Priestly is now in greater dread of his assailant than ever he was, and we can well believe this. The ire of the wretched man has been intensely kindled against him for simply seeking redress at the hands of the law for a most unjustifiable assault, and as his revengeful propensities seem to know no bounds, it is not likely that, as he has been only fined for his last offence, he will hesitate to repeat it, when liecan getau opportunity. Mr. Priestly should have made application to the court to have AVhaketete bound over to keep the peace towards him ; but it is very questionable whether that would be sufficient to protect him. The opinion of those who best know this rascal is that be is unfit to be at large.

W e notice that the Road Board, at its last meeting, passed the following resolution :—“ That the road metal now being placed on the Gladstone Road, and originally intended for channelling, should be broken up and spread on the road.” AVe do not think this will be an improvement, inasmuch as that the stone is of a very soft and friable nature, and when broken into metal it vi ill, through the action of traffic, soon become assimilated with the soily-saudy substance of which the road is already formed. If the road is to be at all improved it must be first pitched, for metalling with suitable material, without pitching, is useless. Besides, the expense of carting the stone, breaking it up, and spreading it upon the thoroughfare, will be enormous—not less, we believe, than ten shillings per square yard. Now, we contend that so great an expenditure upon a work that will not benefit us much, amounts to a waste of the Road Board funds. We have always protested against the appropriation of our local revenue to the construction of our trunk roads, on the ground that this work ought to ba undertaken by the Government; and the Gladstone Road being a trunk line, the Board ought not to be called upon to do anything more than keep it in repair. The Government know this well, and had pressure been brought to bear upon them in the matter they would be compelled to vote money for our main roads, as they do for similar roads iu other parts of the Colony. It is not yet too late to obtain redress for this grievance, and the Board should never rest until they do so. It is quite enough for us to maintain our bye-roads without having to lay out our rates upon roads which the Governor iu Council has locked up from local control.

We perceive that the people of Ormond intend to hold a public meeting there on the 10th instant to take into consideration certain matters in connection with the Road Board, and we hope that the propriety of the Government being at once appealed to for the purpose of their undertaking the maintenance of the Gladstone, and other trunk roads in the district, will form a part of the business of that meeting. The Ormondites deserve credit for calling this meeting, and we trust that such an expression of opinion will be given thereat as will tend to improve what is defective in our Road Board administration.