WINNING MOKAU.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 80, 25 September 1911, Page 3

WINNING MOKAU.

TJIE WCItK OF JOSHUA iONES. proxj'iEi'rxo in* tiik seventies. SOME EARLY EPISODES. A long awl complicate*! course of litigation has made tin; name "Mokau" familiar to the public oar, lint there are probably many .people who 'know little of the manm'.T in whicli the Mokau country was originally opened to European settlers by Mr .Joshua Jones. It is, nevertheless), an achievement that may fairly claim an honorable place in the annals of

New Zealand colonisation. 'The account which follows is the result of a brief conversation with Mr .Joshua Jones, better known, perhaps, as "Mokau" Jones, and an occasional reference to oll'icial i documents, writes the Wellington Dominion. Before Mr Jones entered the Mokau country, it Was regarded by thoughtful men as a possible storm-centre in future troublc-s with the Natives. The nigged character of mucii of the Mokau territory made it in some degree a natural stronghold. It was peopled by a numerous and warlike tribe, and it lay within easy striking distance of European settlements. The result of Mr Jone's pioneer endeavors was to open the country to settlement, and to pave the' way for a much better understanding with the Natives than had previously existed, thus removing a serious menace which had threatened his fellow-colonist?. ' ENTER THE PIONEER.

Mr Jones eame from Port Darwin to New Zealand in 187 C. In Australia lie had been general taanager to a number of mining companies, and he might havfe continued his career in thai, continent but for the fact that the health of his wife and children suffered in the torrid climate. The ship that brought him ovei was the old Arawatta, which has long done .service as a coal hulk in Wellington harbor. It had been his intention to proceed from New Zealand to America but after a frief stay in Wellington he journeyed to Twanaki, and. liking the look of the country, determined to settle in that province. He took up a thousand acres of bush land from the Provincial Government. His selection was .near the [site of the present town of Inglcwood, | but at that time it lay seven miles in * advance of the belt of settlement. -It was here that Mr Jones first heard of the Mokau Block, which has since become so intimately associated with his name, as it was not long-before his pioneering instincts made, him determine to pay it a visit. The enterprise wa.s looked upon as somewhat foolhardy, for, although thej wars of the 'sixties' had already become ■ matter of past history, there was room for speculation as to the spirit in which the Native inhabitants of the Mokau region would receive alien-intruders. Before finally determining to visit the block, Afr Jones telegraphed to Sir George drey, who was then at Adelaule, asking his advice. Sir Ceorge replied counselling him to lie very careful about going into Mokau, as he was not acquainted with the temper of the Natives there, at that time, ami urged Mr .Tones on no account to take any families there.

It does not appear that these consider- J ations greatly troubled Mr Jones. Ac- i companicd by «. partner named M'Millan ' he rode to White Cliffs, where there was j a camp of constabulary. Here the pioneers left their horses and had a rough and toilsome climb up a 400-foot cliff, which they surmounted with the assistance of a rope that had been suspended by the local Maoris. From this point two d:iys were spent in travelling.sixteen miles of rugged virgin country, and, on the second night, Mr Jones and his companion slept ait the Maori pa at Mohakatino. The journey was made in July, lS7ii. The head chief. Wetere, and his people received the visitors very kindly, being, no doubt, Mr. Jones suggests, actuated by a desire to cement, peace with the (lovernment. ITe describes Wetere as (he most powerful chief of his time in the whole King Country. His grandson. Tommy King, is alive at the present day. and l.Ypene Eketone, whose name has been mentioned of late in conned ion with the Mokau enquiry, married one of Wetere's grand-daughters.

A WARRIOR - CHIEF. WVlrro was known to fame as a warrior. as liis father had been before him, hut )ie -had also 'been more or less coneerned in some, dark deeds'at the time of I hi' war. He was credited wilh having been a member of the party which committed the White' dill's massacre (in lSli'.t), wlien eight white people, including a woman and several litle children, were murdered by the Maoris. Physically, Wei ere was a line looking man, and lie had great itillcciH;' and power over his people of tin: Maniopolo tribe. It is set down to the credit, of this Maori polentate that lie tried to save the life of the Rev. .John'Whiteley, one of the victims of the White CI ill's massacre. The story goes that Wetere was down by the shore when the missionary rode, on higher ground, inland, towards the party at whose hands he met his death. The chief called to his followers that Mr. Whiteley was their father, .and asked I hem to turn him back unharmed, but the lust for blood had awakened in the savage warriors, and the gallant missionary paid for his zeal with his life. There were a lot of armed men assembled in a. big house in the pa when Mr. .Tones and his partner arrived, but, so far from any hostility being displayed, the visitors were treated with the greatest hospitality. A wliare was placed at their disposal, anil Mr. .Tones remarks that the natives seemed glad that the white men had come. Apparently they had had enough of lighting..and wanted peace. Their enterprise thus prosperously inaugurated, the pioneers, as Air. •Tones puts it. "knocked about for a few days, and then went, back.''

The man who eventually opened Mokiiu did not allow 111;■ grass to grow under liis feet. lie Trent up to Auckland. and to Kawau. to visit Sir Oorrjo 6rey. then Superintendent of Auckland, and sought his advice as tn entering Mokau as a settler, "I (lien formed a relalionship with Sir George firey," Mr. .Tones relates, "which lusted till ilie day ot his funeral, and I attended his funeral in London." Sir Orey told him that the que:,(ion as t« whether ho should settle at Mokau was one (hat depended upon Mr. .Tones himself, but tlnU the people of \>w Zealand and liim.-elf in particular would he very-glad to see Mokau opened, for he considered that, it was the key (o the whole Kinir dillienily. Sir Donald McLean and .Sir Harry Atkinson held similar views. A BOON' TO XKW .ZEALAND. ■Mr. .louc.s has in his possession a cop? of a letter written to (he Public Petitions ('oniniit I ee in IHS.'j, in which Air. I'. A. < 'a slates {!t;it in lS7fi, when .he was Superintendent of Taranaki. he told Mr. Jones (hat'the openin? of the Mi►knn in any peaceful way would be one of the jrreatcst boons that could be conferred on Xew /inland. and that, lie would lie delighted to hear of it, beiiir,< done. Air. .hues had told him' tlnd lie thousfhl. he saw his way to :\ttaininii this intieh-dc-ired object when he (Mr. C'a had further remarked: "If tou do you will be deserving of the consideration and thanks of all who really desire the well-beiii'* and happiness of the natives and the prosperity of (his part of the country." Sir

j Harry Atkinson. while agreeing th.it the/ ? enterprise was desirable, declined t ogiye' r any assistance to Mr. .Jones, m: the • j ground that if war should break mil • again he would blame himself and tliel colony would blame him also. I It was not a position calculated In in- I i, courage a weak-man, but Mr. Jones was not weak, and determined to push on | with his enterprise. In his own words. I he felt, it. safe, to charter a steamer to go to Mokau. To do this he and his partner had to deposit a bank-bond cov- > ering the value of the steamer. The : vessel was chartered at Waitara. Shi: r hurt made one previouß trip to the Mo'kau river without misadventure, but her owners bad been advised not to risk | another trip, and they demanded a full . indemnity against her loss before they ; would undertake the charter. I A STOIIY OF BALLARAT. . At this stage in his fortunes 'Mr. Jones t had a stroke of luck, and reaped tin? fruit of a good-natured action he had performed years previously and forgotten. Before he lefi Waitara he met in that town a-Maori named Epiha, a. large owner in the .Mokau Block. This man was one of a party of four whom .Mr. Jones had assisted years 'before, 011 the Ballarat goldtields. The Maori quartet •'were in sore straits when the acquaintance opened. They had gone to the field intent on sinking a "golden, hole/' hut luul met with ill-fortune and been reduced to road-mending work iu order to earn enough to keep soul and body together. They were very desponrlent. and Tccenly desired to get tack to their native land. Mr. Jonts, as he puts it. "went up the gully with a. hat,'' ami heading the list himself with a small nugget, raised a sufficient number of similar subscriptions to send the .Maoris happily home to New Zealand. Epiha remembered his benefactor with gratitude. Tie accompanied the pioneers on their journey, and rendered valuable assistance' in subsequent negotiations. Arriving at the Mokau bar, the visitors were greeted by a Maori, who waved a white flag from a bluff overlooking the river. The chief, Wetere, was hi'msMl on the beach with a flag, anj assisted to .pilot the steamer in. ; A MAORI NAVIGATOR. It turned out that Wetere prided him- | self upon his nautical skill. When questioned by Mr. Jones as to.how be hat! acquired his knowledge of matters per taining to navigation, he tmld a storv that will bear repeating. Before tin war broke out Sir Donald McLean presented Wetere with a schooner, tin Paraninihi. In this vessel the chief wiH cruising with four Maori companions off Xorth (Jape, when a gale sprang up which blew the little vessel out to sea Her crew ultimately, by some mysferi ou means; managed to make Sydney liar bor. The story goes that the 'Maori chief iras made much of in the JTett South Wales capital, and feted .for .1 week. Then his schooner was tower to the Heads and he was despatched m his homeward voyage rejoicing. H< steered by compass until lie sighted Pa pi Egmont. anil the rest of the trip wai easy. The conclusion of the story isad. When the war broke out. 'am Wetere led his warriors into the Held Sir Donald McLean confiscated tin schooner, which was then lying at; Wai tara. Wetere was grieved at his loss and roundly described Sir Donald Me Lean as "a ' big thief!" ' Whatever- may be said of his skill a, a navigator, Wetere was undoubtedly 1 good pilot, for he safely steered .tbj steamer in which Mr. Jones and lie party had arrived up the Mokau riw for 28 miles, as far, Mr. Jones uov. thinks, as a steamer is ever likely U penetrate on the Mokau. The travellers found much to admire in the river seen cry. The water-way is about a cliaii wide. 28 miles from the month, and .tli'i banks are clothed'in magnificent folia.crc Wetere showed his visitors a couple ol coal seams on the river-banks, but a-kei! tlieni not to talk of what they had seen either to his people or to the pakehas. He dill not. want people to i'ome ami take lis country. Nevertheless, haviiig established friendly relations with the chief and his tribe, Mr. Jones sueeciMlctl. after negotiations, which need not be I detailed here, in obtaining a footing in the district for himself and other settlers who followed. The pioneering of Mokau may appear at. this distance of time to. have been a simple affair, but many similar enterprises, faced by no greater initial difficulties, have been car ried through only at great cost of hi man life, suffering and privation.

IMPORTANT SERVICES. Di.lL Mr. Jones' cuterprise had an intimate relation with the national affairs 01" New Zealand was again exemplified soon after Sir George Grey became Premier in 1-877. At a conference which he Jind with Mr. .Tones, Sir George Grey said, "(let U etere in to .meet me, and I he whole 'Kinj: difficulty' is settled.'Mr. Jones accordingly went up to Mokan intent on inducing \Vetere to meet Sir fieorp- Grey at New Plyniouth.. The chief allowed himself to Ik; persuaded, and set out accompanied by 400. of his tribesmen. lie left his band at Waitara. and, accompanied l>y ,Mr. Jones and three native companions, rode oil at speed to New Plyniouth, where he iirnved at midnight. Sir (ieorgc Grey was roused from sleep and an informal conference took place, at which the basis of a friendly understnndiii" was laid Mr. Jones relates that Sir George Grev and the one-time fighting chief indulged m a littlo friendly chaff. Wotore told how. on o„e occasion, during the war, lie manoeuvred to capture an officer in the belief that he was "Mori Grev." He ,cnr. his prisoner, lmt it was the wiw mid lie dismissed him as not worth powder and shot to a warrior who hart been out after bigger game. "I'd have luiag Mori (!rey on a sour apple tree if 1 had got him that time," declared Wetcrc. will) a twinkle in his eve. Sir Geo Grey, according to Mr. Jom'-s, contented himscli wifli il„. retort: "Two can play at ill at game." Next day the friendly understanding was formally concluded a't a public meeting. In (lie same vear (IhiS) tile chief Ilewi c;tme down to meet Sir George Grey at Wai'tara, ami peace, at any rate-in the Taranaki end of tlie King Country, was assured. A great meeting held .-.t Kopiwin the following year proved, at the outset, less successful. Tawhaio. "the King," and Sir t.eorge (irey failed to come to terms, but U etere and Rcwi, it, turn, stood up and ''asserted their maim." This was t antnmount to breaking aivay from "the King." and was regarded as a stron« ussumuce of continued pence. TICKMIXATJXG A FEUD. Mr. Jones remarks that, the meetings of Sir George Grey, with AVctere in February. IK7S. and with Kewi, at \Vaitaia, in dime. 18-78. may lie regarded as among the most important events in the history ol New Zealand. These meetings.marked tile termination of a long-standing feud between the races, and created a peace between the Kingites and the Government that has not since been broken, I and never will lie. The Armed Constabulary surrounding the King Country as a. protection; at various outposts', to Kuropeau settlers and I lie whole community, became gradually disbanded, a ltd the internal Defence Department, which was costing the colony several hundred thousands a year, was abolished. The country saved millions of money by this peace making, and settlers were enabled to live in peace and eonli'dcnce. Surveys, roads, settlements, railways and telegraphs rapidly became established in that vast area, of some 14- million acres comprising the King Country, where the

white man had not been previously permitted tn trend. I'efore I lie pence, in fui't. several Knropuans were nluit by the natives for attempting to crn.-s the boumhiry line. In foiiehnion it may be mentioned tlmt Mr. .innes bin in hi- possession a letter dated April lit), IH7H. from the Hon. John Nheeluin, then Xative .Minister, recognising that -.Mr. .limes' lease liail been granted as a concession iu re-i cognition of the many important services rendered by him and his partner n opening up the Mokan river for settlenent, and inducing the natives to allow md encourage European settlers I unongst them. Assistance which the iovernment could lawfully render, -Mr. >heelmn added, would (be given in re peet of survey and investigation of itle.