SIR D. McLEAN, MR. MACKAY, AND TE MOANANUI.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1912, 7 December 1874, Page 3

SIR D. McLEAN, MR. MACKAY, AND TE MOANANUI.

Mb. Maciuy came down on Saturday morning iu the ' Manaia,' and the' Buona Ventura' having been despatched beforehand, took him up to Ohinemuri a few hours after his arrival. What Mr Mackay's objects are in going to Ohinemuri we have not ascertained, but probably he intends to muster as many of the opening party as he can get, to come down to the meeting at Shortland. Te Moananui has written to the people at ohinemuri telling them to come down on Thursday next, to meet Sir Donald McLean. The meeting will take place on Friday next,

Everybody is now busy guessing what is to be done, but nobody can apeak very certainly, for the event depends upon the minds of the leading men at Ohinemuri, and upon the mind of the Mative Ministor, and a more unfathomable group it would be difficult to fiud. It is always difficult for tlie pakeha, pure and simple, to speculate on the action which Maoris will take, and when the problem is further complicated by the addition of a hard-headed Scotchman who has been Maorified, who can be bold enough to say what the upshot will be ? With all the modesty becoming the circumstances, therefore, we shall give our opinion.' We believe that in a short time Ohinemuri will be opened on the same terms as this fihld was—that is, the hills will lie proclaimed in the goldfield while the flat lands will remain in the hands of the Maoris. Just at this moment, however, the natives have become so much excited, uiid. the quarrel between Mr Mackay and To Moananui has become so bitter and personal, that it is not at all likely the country will be opened. The natives will be far more likely to yield to Sir' Donald McLean than to Mr Mackay, and we should not wonder if, after he has addressed them, they make a unanimous promise that if he waits for a month or two they will consent to the country being opened by him on the same terms as this field.

As to these terms, we have already spoken. We don't like thera at all, and the prospect of having to go through all the annoyanoes suffered on this field, and the permanent damage by the whole of tlio miners' rights being paid to the Maoris, is most discouraging. The intention of the Government and of the people was that Ohinemuri should be bought, and it is very vexing that this cannot be done, especially after we have paid a good price tor it. The Government may, however, neutralise mucli of the evil if they wish to do so. If the flat lands are given lo the natives with power to sell them to any European, we shall have confusion, dispute, and litigation. At present, the whole of Ohinemuri is a proclaimed district, and the natives can part with no land except to the Government. Let the Government maintain that restriction, and acquire the flat lauds as soon as possible, preventing the township jobs whieh have so disgusted us all.