GENERAL NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 247, 24 November 1909, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS

The Hot Lakes Chronicle stales tin;. the Ohincniutu i'a was in a ferment ul excitement recently owing to the uauve residents of the village taking part in a "taua." This ancient custom is a punishment inilictcd on offenders and Wen relatives for some wrong done, and n the oiden times it was a very gencru form of punishment. The principle of u "taua" is the confiscation of articles In the tribe to which tho offender belongs, the hitter's nearest relatives also being affected. On this occasion the party otfending, it is alleged, developed a great affection for another man's wife, and was made the victim of a "taua." A troupe of natives, numbering nearly u hundred, marched into the pa and indulged in hakas and war dances, after which a confiscation of it'll kinds of articles, including greenstone, mats, clothing, guns, and live stock was systematically carried out. A large auuiber of visitors were attracted to the pa, and were greatly interested and amused at the demonstration. Whilst replies to questions were under consideration in the House on Thursday, Mr. Meld (Otaki) referred to a question put by Mr. Massey as toi whether it was a fact (as stated by a correspondent in the Dominion of 12!,1i S'oveinher) that a recently-appointed Justice nt the Peace was some time ago fined til) and costs for threatening l:> shoot a ranger, in reply the .Minislei of Justice had stated that the Govern nient hail no information on the .uriijei- . Mr. FieM pointed out that the justice in question was some seventeen or eighteen years ago, when quite a young man, charged with having shot a hare without a license, out of season. H was true that some altercation took place between the man and the ranger. He would like to -make it clear that the man was fined for illegal shooting, and not for having threatened to shoot the ranger or anything of tho kind. In the'district where lie lived the justice was a leading resident and was in every way fitted to hold the commission of the peace.