WESTPORT WARDEN'S COURT.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1192, 10 July 1874, Page 2

WESTPORT WARDEN'S COURT.

(Before J. Giles, Esq., Warden.) Tuesday, July 7. Application from John Landyfor registration of half an acre, as residence area, on the left hand side of Addison's Road, near Westport, IV miles from Carne's Accommodation House. No appearance. MAJOR KEMP. The Tiroaru Herald thus refers to Major Kemp's wife beating propensities : —Major Kemp has been beating his wife nearly fo death, and then trying to destroy himself. Fevv, perhaps, who read that tragic piece of intelligence among our telegrams, knew who Major Kemp was, or saw any necessity ior specially announcing this particular instance of such a common occurrence as wife-beating and attempted suicide. Major Kemp, of the New Zealand Militia, Kep'a te Rangihiwinui of Putiki, is a Wanganui chief of considerable rank, who figured largely in the wars on the West Coast, as a brave soldier and a faithful ally of the Europeans. Of all the younger natives who have attained a prominent position, Kemp is most entitled to bo called a gentleman. Ropata, the East Coast hero, who behaved so we'd in the reduction in tho reduction in 1869 of Ngntipa, Te Kooti's mountain fortress, and en many other trying occasions, is a very rough diamond indeed, violent, blustering, vain to a degree, coarse in his

taste and manners, and truckling to . men in power, to an ultra Maori extent i even, he seems to combine all the amiable weaknesses of his interesting ! race, with not a few of those shades of character which belie the whito face of the pakeha. But Kemp is a man of quite another type. Ho never sought or asked for the honors which were given him, while those which ho inherited he bears with signal modesty and uracc. Among a tribe of "bigmouth!!," boastful Wanganuis, he was ever distinguished by his retiring demeanour, and above all was never found begging from the Government for mone\ r , arms, or other favours, as most of the best of the natives are not ashamed to so beg. In appearance straight-featured, with heavy moustache and whiskers, and a shaven chin, Kemp resembles rather a swarthy European than a full-blood Maori, while his manner and his idea of politeness and self-respect would do credit to a Legislative Councillor. It has often been noticed by observant strangers that the greatest Maori chiefs—or an Sir George Bowen always called them—chieftains—with all their supposed fortitude and native pride, were utterly incapable of refusing sixpence or a plug of tobacco, no matter by whom it might be offered ; indeed, it might be noted as a favorable feature if they waited very long for the offer to be made. But no one would ever think of classing Kemp with men like those. He was always very Maori in his inclinations, though J greatly preferring to live with his people at Putiki to loafing about the European settlements, and lie yielded sadly to the love of drink, a failing which has at last brought him to grief. Yv r e are told that he attributes his brutality towards his wife to bad grotr, but wo cannot help recalling Mr Fox's trenchant observation on a subject akin to this. In speaking against the necessity of an adulteration clause in the Licensing Act, he said : -It is not through the eoeeulus indicus, or the grains of paradise, that men go home drunk and beat their wives ; the alcohol without any adulteration is sufficient of itself to do so."