OHINEMURI.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1908, 2 December 1874, Page 3

OHINEMURI.

(FBO3I OUB OWN CORBESPONDENT.)

November 28. Mk Mackay and the runanga have been arguing the question as to price per acre for the balance of land in. the Moehau and Waikawau blocks most of the day. As they could not agree the question was referred to a general meeting. The runanga wanted to fix the price at 10s per acre, which is far beyond the value of the land they have to sell. Most, if not all, of the good land has already been sold or reserved,- and a great deal of the timber has been cut off the remainder.

At the meeting this afternoon Mr Mackay explained the matter in dispute. Te Moananui said thas formerly they liad been fools, and sold their land for less than it was worth. They had more sense now. He supported the action of the runanga.

Mr Mackay then went in heavy. He said that when they had the cash and goods it was stated that the payment was to be made in land, and it was understood that the price would be in accordance with the established price for land of a similar description. He said that if a man ordered a bag of flour he would object to pay five times 1 the value for it when he went to settle his account at the store. He was surprised that they should attempt to evade paying their just debts.' '/hey would find that he could be : as hard as they could. , -~ . . • ■ To. Moananui said that it was simply this--" You charge so much for your goods, I want so much for my land;" His price was 10s per acre. Mr Mackay then said that he would not arguo the matter. Let them now pay him the sum of £25,900 odd which he had advanced, and tliey could keep their land. Te .Moananui said that he could not take back the land, as.Mrj.Macltay had writings which put it in his pissession. Mr Mackay then Baid that he would claim Ohinemuri on the strength of writings held by him. He did not wish them to pay more than £1 for the pound's worth. Let them simply return the £25,900 odd. '

Mr Mackay and TeMoananui then had. a pretty warm time. TeMoananui said he blamed Mr Mackay for this confusion, which started with the construction of the telegraph. ; Mr Mackay then read the copy of a telegram which had been sent by Te Moananui to. Sir Donald McLean, in which he had stated that the people and not Mr Mackay were to blame, and concluded by asking him (Sir D. McLean) to come to see them. .

Te Moatlanui eventually asked that the' discussion should be adjourned till Monday. After some discussion, in which Hat'a Paka took part, it was arranged that, as the business of settling reserves, &c, had been got through, the runanga should be dissolved, and that another general meeting should be held on Monday. Meantime the natives would discuss the matter amongst themselves.

November 30.

The natives were occupied until noon in considering the' question among themselves. When this had been completed, Te Moananui addressed the assembled natives, and advised them to be united in brotherly love as against the pakeha, their common enemy. Mr Mackay said he wanted the question settled. He merely wished an equivalent for moneys advanced by the Government and himself, and wished them to meet him with as good intentions and pleasant countenances as when they came to him for advances.. Te Moananui replied that what he wanted was 10s per acre, which was a fair price; that some of the flour supplied at .Sjaraia's meeting was bad, and therefore the land should be 10s per acre; that Mr Mackay had given some things as presents, and then charged them against the land. Mr Mackay said that it was a long time after Taraia's meeting to make complaints. He recollected them pointing out three bags which were mouldy ou'side; but as they had been three weeks in the sun, dew, and rain, lie could not allow that. They should have pointed it out at the time, and before he had paid the storekeeper. He (Te Moananui) had no right to complain specially, as of the £2,000 advanced to him two-thirds had been hard cash. That as to his giving anything as presents and then charging it against the land, ho denied it altogether, as his accounts with the storekeepers would show the item " presents" charged to his personal account, He said he had always acted straightforwardly, in daylight, and was prepared to defend all his actions. Not like .him (Moananui), who stood up at a public meeting at Te Taua, declaiming against receiving money and raihana, but at the same time sent his wife, MiliiKeeti, to ask him (Mr Mackay) to meet him at his tent and give £25, which he had done. He (Mr Mackay) would listen to Te Hira, as he was consistent, but Te Moananui had sold all the land outside he could lay his hands on, and was now working a double game to get Ohineniuri into his own hands for his personal benefit.

Te Hira to Tuiri said he would not talk in Te Moananui's stylo. He said, — Let us settle this matter quietly, agree to the 10s per acre, and then go to the Governor to confirm it. -If the debt is not settled,at that, then let us come to an understanding about the balance. Let us go into the question quietly and as men. of experience, not like children. The difficulty was he had no land other than Ohinemuri.

Mr Mackay said lie approved of a man talking like Te Hira, and he would at once consent to the price asked if it was reasonable; as to asking 10s for hill lands, he need not go to the Governor or the Government, as_ ho already had his instructions as to price. He then read a list of blocks of lands purchased by him on the Coromandel peninsula amounting to 116,677 acres, tne average price of which was 2s 4d per acre; the land at Cape Colville and Waikiwau were not better than that; in fact, .some of the blocks mentioned were of better quality than the Waikawau and Moehau blocks. He was prepared to give that price, and no more; that was the fair way to arrive at it. What was the price of the adjacent lands ? The same as in buying a bag of flour, tho price was ruled by that paid at other stores and markets. As to Ohinemuri, Te Hira could keep all the land he was in occupation of, and ho asked for all the land to tlio eastward of the base of the hills. Te Moananui then became abusive, and tried bounce. Mr Mackay told hira ho was only one person, and lie had better settle his own accounts before he presumed to talk for the tribe. That he (Mackay) would take no further notice of what Te Moananui said, but would call on each member of ttw tribq to pay his debts and handover

the land for which he had signed the papers. Te Moananui would not agree to this course. He was the man who gave up lands for the tribe,

Mr Mackay told him to speak for himself. Let each man go in for his own liabilities single handed. He did not care to talk to Te Moananui or Te Hira aily longer, but would ask them whether those worn their views as individuals.

To Moananui: Talk to us, not to the people. I give up my laud outside for them.

Mr Mackay: Oh, of course, you are the only landowner, arid no one is to say anything but you. You need not try bounce, it will not be heeded, If you acted straightforwardly, like Te Hira, I would respect you. I tako my stand here, y will take land outside for the price named, 2s 41. I will then bring the balanec up here. I will have Ohinemuri as well as those outside lands. I claim from two sources'; first from the agreement signed by Taraia Njjnkuti, and others, on the 19th December, 1868, giving up the gold to the. Governor (lie liere read the document and signatures, about 70 in number). The second claim was for the money he had paid for the land, and for which ho held valid receipts; and he would have the laud for the money paid. They hod better come to terms at once.

.Te Wano Te Paura: Quite true., J •gavo the timber first, then 'the gold, and then I sold you the land. What you say is quite true.

: Warana asked Mr Mackay why, after he had appointed .a runanga, he did not agree to the price they asked ? , Mr Mackayßecause it is excessive. I agreed with them about reserves, the area of land owned by other tribes, and' everything else :which was reasonable. ' I am now prepared to make any fair arrangement. You think you can put mo in the mud, aud duck me in l.he river, now you have got all you want out of. me, but I am a man who can hold breath in diving (ho tangata manawaroa), and I shall now_ swim ashore in despite of you, holding on to these fragments of wood to support me. (Holding,up the Parliamentary copy Of the agreement to cede Ohinemuri for gold mining, and several receipts for the money paid for there. He'placed these on the ground, saying, "I lay these on Ohinemuri;" and, putting his foot on them, said, " On these I stand.") ( . . The steamer then came in sight, which interrupted the meeting, and it was agreed to leave the further discussion of tho question until to-morrow.

The following letter was picked up here, and serves to show what is going on

" Crescent Chambers, " Shortland-streefc. " Dear sir,—Yours of the 21st duly to hand. I have consulted Mr —thereon. We have eomo to the couclusion that no good could be done by my coming down to Ohinemuri, as I should be no judge as to whether the place to be pointed out by the native is a likely place for gold or not. _ Mr —, however, is anxious to assist you in the matter in every way lie can, and suggests my meeting you at Shortland, when you could bring the native 6ith you, and we might then perhaps satisfy him as to the money part of the affair. It would have been far better, however, had you brought the native to town. Could not this still be done? He would'then be satisfied as to you being properly backed as far as money goes, and he and you coald go post haste on to Ohinemuri, and wait on (he spot to bo ready in case it opened.— I am, yours truly, — I have also heard from natives that the party who recently distributed the " hold on" circulars has since taken the trouble to explain to I hem that they will be safe in refusing to give up their land in payment o( their debts, as an Act was passed last session of Parliament abolishing imprisonment for debt, Comment is needless.