CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 931, 2 April 1881, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

[IPe do not. hold ourselves responsible for opinions expressed bp our correspondents], THE TAU WHAREPARAE MYSTERY. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Tn a paragraph of Saturday’s paper. March 191 h, Mr. McLean states your Tologa Bay correspondent made an untruthful account of the transaction, and he, Mr. McLean refers to “ facts ” His facts bristle with falsehoods. Simply, he knows nothing whatever about the transaction. He says in .Tune 1880, Mr. Grill was buying lands from the Natives for the Government. So he might be, but noHhis Tauwhareparaeßlock, referred to by vonr correspondent, as that was negotiated for by Mr. Jury, in May 1879. It is a known fact that Mr. McLean is a fast man. but in this case he is about 13 months behind his time, of course he knows all about it, and sticks to his “ facts.” He savs Mr. Jury was a sort of agent for the Maoris, and that he urged Mr. Gill to take £5OO from him (Mr. Jurv), to go on with the purchase. He also savs that Mr. Gill did not know how’ Mr. Jury became possessed of so large an amount of money. How innocent ■Mr. Gill was at that time I He is one of the shrewdest of Government officials ; and, having Mr. Jurv in his employ for months, of course he did not know how’ Mr. Jurv’s financial affairs were, or where he could have got money to lend to the Government! Yet he must have known that Captain Porter had intrusted him (Jurv), with £3114, on or about the 14th Mav. 1879. This is a notorious fact, and publicly acknowledged by Cantain Porter before Cantain Preece on the 22nd February last. Captain Porter said that Mr. Jury lent Mr. Gill £5OO, but said nothing of Mr. Gill returning it to Mr. Jury. He may have however, for all your correspondent knows. Captain Porter also stated that he knew’ nothing of Mr. Jury, and only knew him by sight, 'previous

to giving him thia £3114, which is large amount of Government money for an official to give to a stranger, to let him do as he thought proper with.' It is very singular that your correspondent could not see any one of those 50 or 60 Natives sign one voucher. He saw them get their money, from £3O to £6O each, but they signed nothing for it, and they all seemed perfectly satisfied at what they got. In your correspondent's opinion, it was more than a great number of them were entitled to, as it is a well-known fact that the greater part of them were admitted for love, not that they had a right. Your correspondent hears that the old chief Tanae Ki Terangi is going to place a caveat with the Trust Commission, against the passing of the deed of Tauwhareparae, as he did not receive his due consideration as arranged for. Captain Porter himself stated that he did not consider £5O or £7O was sufficient consideration for old Tommy as he was the principal chief and owner of that block, —I am &c., Your Tologa Bay Corhespondent. [We must say that while we desire to faciliate our correspondent’s wishes, whatever they may be, we cannot exactly see w at he is driving at.— -Ed. P.B.S.J