ACTION BY A MAORI PERFORM ING TROUPE FOR WAGES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 345, 23 February 1889, Page 3

ACTION BY A MAORI PERFORM ING TROUPE FOR WAGES.

A cask which presented some singular features wa3 heard at the Diet net Court Melbourne. The Maori Haka troupe, which has given exhibitions of native dances and costumes ac the Exhibition, sued Horace Dehnain, the manager, for £41, being the amount of two weeks' wages. It appeai-ed that the troupe, which included 18 performers, was engaged in New Zealand by Mr Richard Reeves, an ex-member of the Houte of Assembly, to make a tour of the colonies and give performances. After arriving in Melbourne, and giving some performances, Mr Reeves t&ld them that he could not pay their wages any longer, and he would hand them over to Mr Delmain. This was agreed to, and an agreement was signed binding Delmain to pay to R. C. Browne, the interpreter, and Kuru, the chief, the sum of £X 0 10s weekly. The troupe went to Adelaide, where their wages were duly paid, and afterwards returned to Melbourne. They were lodged in an empty house in Swanson -street, where food was supplied to them by the defendant, bub no wages. Two weeks having passed without payment, the interpreter consulted Mr Daly, solicitor, and a summons was issued. Upon that the food supplies were stopped, and the troupe were'stated to be in destitute circumstances. They wished to take advansage of their return tickets to go back to New Zealand, but were told they would be arrested for breach of agreement if they attempted to do so. The Bench made an order for the amount claimed, with coste.