The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA" TUESDAY, APRIL 6,1875.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 436, 6 April 1875, Page 2

The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA" TUESDAY, APRIL 6,1875.

3 In our last issue we casually alluded to a. lot of '■- sensational nonsense imparted to a contemporary by - a lunatic. It appears in the shape^fca letter from Te Kuiti, which opens with a compßfc'on between < t!ie ' New York Jfrerald ' and t e * Star.' It is \ wonderful that the sense of the ludicrous of the ' Editor did not prevent the insertion of this paraj graph. A little flaitery, however, goesalong way with 1 weak-minded people, and we should be inclined to * belieWtiiatr tfte flattery caused the insertion of the ~j nonsense whiob- follows, did we not know .that the, *'V facts " w6re communicated to one of the staff in -'Auckland, and by him whipped into what he, no *< doubt, considered a shape calculated to gull a gullahble public. The correspou dent insinuates he 2- .reached Te Kuiti by means of bribes in the shape of a.jrum. He says " Kow I enme here let no man en- < i quire. Sufficient to say that the Maori dearly love* £ rum, and your instructions are to go to Te Kuiti, •a and get a faithful report of the Gn i at Meeting, adi mitting of no gainsay." We happen to know that % this wondeiful correspondent came to us, and after- * wards "went to Auckland, and cried round each t newspaper office " News for s ile ! " We happen to ( know, also, and are prepared to substantiate he fact, ? that the wondeiful " special " never reached beyond Kopua, and was there turned back by Rewi. ' His description of his journey to the King's head «* quarter* stamp the man as a "deviator" of the most i barefaced description. We are not fond of strong 3 lang»age. The blame, however, does not rest with 1 the unfortunate individual — half drunken, and semii insane people are many ; but journalists are few, ;. and on them rests the responsibility of sifting the vs wheat from the chaff. Incapacity, or want of L honesty, to do this proclaims them unfit for their proflfessiou. There are many other little incidents in the *'," special's " letter (?) which prove the whole affair •it a fabrication ; do not care to follow them. The <*, only important <point that the letter treats upon ia tJhe land question. We quote the whole story: — <" (Che actual business, commenced this (Monriav) morning, the principal and most important of all t .being a discussion on the disposal of land by the ,Waikato natives to the New Zealand Native, office. iThese natives after the close of the Waikato war were 2. 'given land by the King to cultivate and live on, : and whatever they produced was for their support ; „ but the land was never thpir own, and they are re- « quired to lemove every third year to a new settlei ment, to prevent their being able to claim the laud : as their own by right of occupation, which they , certainly would do it' such a precautionary measuie was not adopted with them. It was stated at the \ meeting that these natives have been in the habit, for ; some few years back, of receiving from the Native i Office money in some few-instances but moregenerally % what they call rations, mostly about the winter season when they are running s'lort. These rations aye well-known to be fli>ur and sugar, and they giv 1 in t exchange, or rather sign certain dee Is prepared at k the Native Office for a lien on ;the land on which i they, live but do not own. The Native Office is i fhua obtaining b lien on land from natives who do x not own an acre of it, but ore merely living there on . sufferance. To put an end to this unjust proceedingrthe five great chiefs and the King have fixed t this as the mam business of this . annual March , meeting, and it is fully exj>ected that this year's meeting will ba the most troublesome one that has % ever takeu place. This is the chief subject for djscus- . aion, anditis anticipated that the talking ab, out it will ; Idstalwufc a we«k,ase*cbcMef of eveiy separate tribeia ■ilJowed to have his say i» the matter. Thore are [ other subjects, pf minor impoytanoe also to bfl dist ci.ssod, arvl it is expected tbat the March meeting t ;nl\h&b*bi<ri threa waeks, and perhaps a little longer." Tbft natives have not bren .ornj/ellod to mo\e

pU/cuu-sea mud under any ciieuinsiauceb which can, by the injst elastic wind bo interpreted, without the deliberate intention to lie, into a transnction bearing the slightest semblance to the system described. Tne whole affair is a gross* fabricatioi ; and we are ashamed that a newspaper with a considerable circulation, should • eithar deliberately blush for our cloth ; w^s have now learned, and not tor the tirat time, that either gross dlihonesty — or gross stupidity — characterises some of the members who disgrace it. We recommend our contemporary to conßne himsilf to the discussion of sewers, water-works, and the blackguarding of every defenceless victim he can fi id, and to leave matters he cannot uuderstiud to be discussed by other people. '

A serious accident occurred near Cam&riyge on Friday afternoon last. Four men wetae, getting gravel for the completion of the road, when a Jargn quantity of earth gave way and fell upon them. One man named Hovell sustained a seriou* injury, the lower part of his body became pamlized. The other meu fortunately escaped uninjured. The man Hovell was removed by his coinradt s to the house of Mrs Redgrave, who lived near the scene of the accident, where he received every attention and kindness. Dr Beale was sent for, and was speedily in attendance, under his care the patient is progressing favourably. We remind settlers and others that a public meeting, re Williamsons Testimonial Fund, will be held at the Royal Hotel, Hamilton East, this (Tursday) evening, at 7 o'clock. We trust that there will be a good attendance, whatever our opinions may be as to provincialism, it is fitting that services reudeied to the colony should be acknowledged by the people. Mr J. P. Null will sell horses, mils, tfce., at Te Awamutu, this day, at 1.30. Mr Kennedy Hill will sell live stock to-morrow (Wednesday), at Ohaupo. The return of gold from the Coromandel dis trict for the last mouth from six claims amountedto 5720z 15dwt 18gr. It is expected that the yield for the current month will be very much in excess of the last We have received copies of tfo April £Tos. of the "Presbyterian Church News" land 'the "Church Gazettee " — both of which contain a large amount of interesting information on matters relative to religious affairs. * r >- The body of Mr William Hancock, mate of the brig Derwent which has been missing for some days, was found early on Sunday morning on the sand near Shelly Beach. The poor fellow's face and body was very much disfigured, but he was identified by bis clothes. The folio wing is a copy of the programme of the Autumn Meeting of the Racing C.ub which is to be held on the 24th and 25th May. On the first day the races are : —Trial Stakes of 30 soys, and sweep of 2sovs; Hurdle Race of 30 soys, with sweep of 10 soys ; Birthday Handicap of 60 soys, with sweep of 5 soys, and Hurry Scurry of 10 soys. On the i second day there are the Champagne Stakes of 100 soys, with sweep of 10 soys ; Steeplechase of 50 soys, with a sweep of 3 soys ; Autumn Handicap of 50 soys, and sweep of 3 soys ; Selling Race of 30 sors, with swep of 3 soys, and Consolation Race of 20 so^ h. The day for nomination for the Birthday and Autumn Handicaps is Friday, the 30th April, while g-nieral entries, acceptances $nd sweepstakes are due on Friday, the 15 th May. /„ It will be seen that a' member of the firm of Messrs T. and S. Morrin is abour to proceed to E.i«land, and is prepared to execute commissions for the purc'm-e of agricultural machinery, tfec. This ajibrds a Hrst-clasa opportunity which should not be allowed to .slip by settlers who may secure an ■advantage of personally instructing a homn buyer.