Tologa Bay.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 926, 16 March 1881, Page 5

Tologa Bay.

THAT MYSTERY ABOUT TAUWHAREPARAE. [From a Correspondent]. An investigation was held here on the 22nd February, by Mr. Preece, R.M., with regard to a block of land called Tauwhareparae, containing 60,000 acres, it having passed the Native Land Court hers in April, 1879, before Judge Symonds. After it passed the Court, it appears that Mr. Gill employed a half-caste named Jury, to negotiate with the Natives on behalf of the Government, with a view of purchasing the block, the Natives being eager to sell. A bargain was concluded at 3s 6d per acre, when equally divided would come to £7O per share for each seller. To this equal partition the head chiefs would not agree. They said they ought to receive more money than their slaves. A meeting of the chiefs was held at the Sea View Hotel, Uawa. to deliberate about the division of the money. The meeting consisted of Jury, Henry Potae, and others, when it was decided that the principal chief, Tamati Kite Rangi, should receive £5OO, and the other smaller chiefs £2OO and £lOO, according to their rank— Jury acting on behalf of the Government. Matters were settled at that, and all parties were agreeable. Jury stayed amongst those Natives holding communication with Captain Porter, and Mr. Gill, until he could get the money to pay them for the land. In the meantime Mr. Jury got goods and money from Mullooly, a storekeeper here, to keep the Natives togetner until the Government money arrived. Some of them got £3O, some £4O, and the majority received £5O apiece. All seemed quite satisfied, as they thought the surplus was going to be handed over to their chiefs. Instead of this being done, Mr. Jury took the balance, and, as it came out in the investigation, handed £5OO of it to Mr. Gill, the principal Land Purchase Commissioner. Those chiefs have been asking from time to time for their money, and holding meetings as to how they could recover, as Mr. Gill could not be seen, and Captain Porter referred the Natives to Jury, who paid them and got the money, So things went on, and no satisfaction could be got. Finally, the principal chief, Tamati Kite Rangi, petitioned Parliament, and the result was that there should be an investigation of the whole affair. But, most unfortunately for the Natives, when the enquiry was held on the 22nd Feb., there was only the old chief and a simple fellow here as witnesses. The others were attending the Land Court at Gisborne ; so that Mr. Preece heard what Mr. Jury, Captain Porter, and old Tamati Kite Rangi had to say. Capt. Porter denied that Jury had anything to do with the Government at that time, either by special commission or otherwise ; but put m his appointment as Lands Purchase Commissioner in July, 1879, one month after. He also acknowledged the receipt of the £5OO from Mr. John Alfred Jury on behalf of Ma. Gill, saying that he borrowed it from Mr. Jury, as the Government was short of funds at the time.