LOWER WHAREAMA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 328, 29 November 1879, Page 2

LOWER WHAREAMA.

(from our own correspondent) Nov. 26,1879. During the last week the rain has been almost incessant, from Saturday evening until Monday'uiorniiijj it was particularly heavy, causing a flood in the Whareama River almost as high as any experienced here in the winter.

Shearing has been thrown back very much, in consequence of the rain, and so late will it be before finished that a good deal of wool will get damaged with burr.

A meeting of the Tinui-Whareama Cricket Club was held at Tinui on Saturday hist, The captain of the Shearers, i*ileven attended, and arrangements made to play the forthcoming match on Friday, December 12th, in Messrs Mauusell Bros. 1 paddock.

In your Tinui correspondent's letter I notice it is mentioned that "the local Library is in a good position re funds." It would supply a want if some of- this surplus cusli were devoted towards providing son.e English papers and periodicals, say the Field, Nineteenth Century, or any others of good standing Many people see few papers but the local ones, and are consequently very much in the dark as to the leading events that take place in Europe and elsewhere. A good agricultural paper would be of great use nere, and would, I am sure, be read by most subscribers to the Library. Works of fiction are all very well, but when there is little else to read tliey are apt to become monotonous. I understand that Messrs Kenrick & Co,, have applied for a license for premises at Whakataki. Doubtless the Licensing Commissioners will duly weigh the necessity of having a fourth public house in this district. There is a great deal in the papers just now about so and so being the " burning question just now." The property tax will be the most likely one to " warm" us here. While mentioning this subject I may ask en passant are native property holders to be taxed the same as Europeans'! It is high time they were, at any rate, for with the exception of a little paid indirectly on sugar, blankets, &c., they are quite free from all rates and taxes. Are they not protected by our laws, use our roads, allowed representation in Parliament, and their property enhanced hy Public Works expenditure 1 People will say it is impossible to collect a direct tax from them, just the same as we can not apprehend them and bring them to justice when they liave committed crimes. It must indeed be an imbecile Government that we live under, when a handful of semi-barbarous natives do as they like in a British colony, Motives of prudence, I suppose, stop our wise rulers from interfering with these law breaking, law defying natives. It is high time this farce was played out, and every native criminal brought to justice, and every individual native landawner, or representative of a tribe taxed for the privilege and substantial benefit accruing to them from living under our rule and protection. What would happen to these natives anywhere, else but in New Zealand ! They would be brought, to justice, if necessary at the point of the bayonet, England does not play the fool with the Ameer of Afghanistan or Cetewayo in Zululand. Then why should the Maori King in New Zealand reign supreme and allow his subjects to do toa superior race what seemeth to them good 1 Happy Tawhaiao, and powerful the real ruler of 40,000 darkies, and 400,000 whites the latter paying your dusky subjects thousands of pounds per annum, while all you have to do is to shoot at a surveyor to show us that you are what you are,the being who kindly allows us to live here, but who at any time may lake utu by maiming us or killing us outright. Ido not wish to preach a-crusade against our brother, the Maori, but now that every European will be heavily taxed I think with many others, that the native race should pay their full quota of the public burdens, .