A New "Native Difficulty."

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 102, 16 May 1885, Page 3

A New "Native Difficulty."

AtiAix, for about the twentieth time, tho information comes from Now Plymouth that "disquieting rumours are still rife as to the threatening demeanour of some of the natives at rarihaka." The frequency of these "disquieting rumours," and the ridiculous nature ot the cause of the apprehension of the guileless residents of Taranaki, are making people in other parts of the colony believe that there is a mercenary and unworthy motive for those periodical fits of terrible consternation into which our bullock-punching neighbours to the southward are thrown. It transpires that the cauee of the present "disquieting rumours " is that the natives have purchased 3,000 cups and saucers and 1,000 plates. Surely the people of Taranaki do not fear that the " bloodthirsty savages " intend going to war with willow pattern cups for projectiles, and dinner-plates for shields? Delf as a weapon may be ut*ed in domestic differences, or in a battle at short range over a back fence between two old women, but surely not in actual warfare. We are glad to learn that tho people of Taranaki have failed to convince Mr Ballance that the natives intend to murder the settlers with soup tureens and vegetable dishes. Had Mr Ballance been induced to believe that there waB any danger, what a good time the countless storekeepers round Mount Egmont would have had supplying 500 or 600 Constabulary men sent down for their "defence." We trust that these gen-tlemen-whose sensibilities we have no desire to hurt — will find another method of increasing the commercial prosperity of the " garden of New Zealand " than spreading wild alarms regarding the probable outbreak of a " war with China."

Saluting the flag - the penalty of treading on orange peel on the foothpath. Among the Epquimaux you can buy a sealskin eacque for two iron hoops and a tenpenny nail. The popular wedding tour of the future will be towards the North eotat