THE NATIVE MINISTER AT ALEXANDRA.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 729, 17 February 1877, Page 3

THE NATIVE MINISTER AT ALEXANDRA.

INTERVIEW ' <(FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) First day. Upon the arrival yesterday of, the: Native Ministers, Rewi said, he supposed it was for bim, as tbe person who had invited DrjPollen, toopen,the discussion, which he would by welcoming him as the successor to their friend. McLean. I have heard you had said you are prepared to -carry out the work he ha? commenced ; therefore I am here too meet and welcome .you in order that we may <know each other, and disouss matters that interest both you and I. I have a grievance to 3>ring before you which refers to a clan•destine sale of 'certain land by persons who bad up, right to sell it. Idp no think 3u6|^Jw>deeding '' correot". I havt tno oompljunteSto make with reference . « r any lands .iHat*iwere- included in the con-" ifisoation boundary. I only refer to 'those pieces that have been sold bylper«ons outside that boundary. Dr Pollen, .informed Rewi that the Government had discontinued purihaeing fresh blooks of lond, and ; that 'they would only conclude negotiations already comimenced, after which they .would cease ifor the present. That with refeirence to what : Rewi said respecting • his land which had been sold, by stealth he would recommend bim, if such we e ireally the case, to bring the mattet info ihe law court, i which wis' the proper ■place to obtain redress for, grievances of this nature. Acts of violence, or talkiog over them, would not -settle such cases. It he (Rewij) felt disposed to take advantage of the English law court, it was open to him, and the.^Governmeofci wonld'give ajl the assistance that it could in redressing his wrongs-. He',(Dr Pollen); said this iin order tto show him that this was the proper way to do- thiae things. 7 The law .-was open to sll, and could give him a title which no^ one, could dispute. ;> :The • •Government Ihad no desire, but to promote ipeace, i whioh was the best for both races. Me would like to hear R^wi's desires on theso matters, -yppenlyj and then they vcould unders'tand each other and assist •each other in making arrangements which would b mefit both, races,, which could not •be done unless both 1 met., as friends. - Rewi replied : Ido not>eee mywayto. ,go to Court, at present. J If matters were .satisfactorily settled, it w< uld be an .easy matter. I wish peace to be maintained, end am prepared to assist you as I was. <to assist bur friend Sir Donald McLeau,twho is ow gone. - u ,7 Te N_akau : Why did 7. not the Go<vernmeut agree to allow Waitara to be , taken to -court before the war.? If this ihad been permitted, what you now say about appealing tocjurt, Would .b eei.sy. '■ ■ Dr Pollen replied that the Courts were open to all, if they choose to appeal to" ith-m. The law was above them, above tfche Queen or any .other . person.; Tborb was an o'd proverb which says. "no oua is so blind as those who wont see." Lost ;jou misunderstand ; I say that Waikato •cant be given back.; I am a new man *ind am wiling to bury the past in order •that we may commence afresh. .- ; ,1 call •upon you to do the same. If you consent, ve will soon settle satisfactorily. H am prepared to treat you fairly. After this, some of the Ngatrakaua pre•sent spoke about the land which Rewi .alleged had beefy sold -wrongfully.-, asking: thim who it was that brought the. subject -.forward, j -.-,._.... 5; ■_,:[.}, <-^ .-:)!:-.;>ii Rewi answered, ''I did. • ' A conversation eft ued amongst them•Belv^s, and Rewi aeked permision to ad. jour'ri'' slhe disousoipn. until, ■ . io-mprrowj ; Which was agreed to, and the day's 'pro-'' .ceedingl terminated*. '• -<- * ... '• 7 „^ last night. At 10 o'clock this' morning Dr Pollen proceedfcxl; to Te > Wt-ob! 's& hra'.ie,' Rewi. <comme_oed speaking oti the land qties-. tiou generally, abd male a. pointed, ;allusiou io the Nialako block, the ■ dealings with which leoharac'erised as a' very wrong and im,. toper 'proceeding Dr Pollen said this matter was now in 'the hands of Ihe Government, who were <takiug steps to osnoeV the Crown grant Rewi then said be bad another request >to make about the lands at Tokoroa, -belonging to himself and others of the 2Jgatl aukaur.: Theie.had been given up -by him to Potatan, and tbe queen natives, who had left them to settle at otaki /were now returning to them, and attempting t»^ell.;thrm to the Govern^ anout. He" wished this to be stopped. Dr Pollen said he had no opw< r to strain natives who had considered them.selves to be the la wful owners of lauds from selling them, and suggested that jthe best plan was to refer. these questions to the Native Land Court whioh would decide fairly between all the cJairoantp. ', Rewi asked that* tbe Native Minister -would not haften the aotioa of the Court If anyone had anything to say about this land let him .(Rewi) arrange it outside. Ho was able to do that, He leared that hasty action on either his part or that of the Government might cause" misunderstanding and prevent a peaceful settlement Of offuirs. ■"'■•■ "' ; '•;'.'' "'"' . 7 .•'■".'■• Dr Pollen said : I wish all Europeans and natives to' be protected in theirjust , rights and in the 1 lawful' 'occupation of their lands. He deprecated the natives wasting their landed estate's by selling them for large 'sains of money which they squandered ' in drink or other fooishness, and derived no ; 'permanent jbenefit from *he -ale." I wish, eaif thV Native Minister, to give every man _ fair obance of _>rote"ting his oivh _u tercsts, and if I can do anything to forward your views an any land question I will do aw All : are Mable to make mis : takes through ignorance^ as we are mortal. If I do wrong in anything, let me know and I will endeavour to remedy it. I, cannot, however, admit the rights of lawful owners being interfered with. I again suggest the Native Land Court as the best machinery to deal with the question. -.'■■'', <■'.'> ' To him Rewi : I propose that as Fopn as I have finirhed my wheat Y* yjßt that we arrange the Ngatirakawu and questions finally. I em Ngaterakawa on one side and Ngatimaniapoto on the other. I have a great interest in the matter. We, had better go to Taupo, and have a'meeting of all parties interested there. You can hear my side of the case and theire also, and come to a proper understanding. r '~ This, will be better than the Court, and I have before

proposed this course to Sir Donald McLean, who coincided with this view of • mine^ '- ; ' ■ ' '■'■."•:.: ; --;~- j -. '*^:-.'^r'-'.'-" - '.*--*c"- J :":..:, :?:.:. ■'.:' Dr Pollen, in reply, said: The settle- . ment of this mattercannof standover very lon^. The Ngaterakawa; whether rightly i or wrongly uree me to arrange this, mat-, fer, either bycompletidg the purchase of the land for Government, or by allowing _>ni to negotiate with private Europeans, subject to the repayment of the monies^ adva:iced by Govermeiit oh acbdnnt. This must be decided with as little delay as possible* .7/ ' •• -• ' Rewi: I will hold the meeting at ;Taupo immediately;. I . finish my wheat harvesting. >7 Dr Pollen si, agree to attend the meeting, and will dbmybesi t*> bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion. Rewi : : That is atra 1 _ed. ' W l r meet at Taupo. Mr Mackay r asked ! the boundaries of the land claimed by Rewi. * Rewi ekplaihed them, 'and mentioned a place oalled Te Tau, near Taupo, among Others. : -,; ■=•■"• Mr Mackay ; I think Oronui and Te Tau have been dealt' with for the Government. Rewi : Oronui has been purchased, and Te Tau leased. Mr Davis* was the Agent, and 1 found the resident natives had received £80 on account of rents. I took 1 that money 'from them, and 'intimated iu writing, to a licensed interpreter,, that he had better not come back 1 to Te Tau, or it would be ugly for his head, especially as he had been instrumental in fostering the election of Potatu as king. - ; (i\reat laughter.) I only mentioned this incidentally. There was nothing in the th/eat about his head. I only wanted to frighten, and make' him : desist from pulling down the King's •* Mana," whioh fie had aided, in . building ug. T now come. . ffO -another question.-' : I am' vexed at natives from the King Country^ coining into the Euro; ean townships, and' stealing goods from the stores; These. people should be punished; ■ I sugf, e t that wheu you capture-any of them, they should be locked up, and a messenger sent to •me',. in order that their : parents, 6r friends, should at once make -money restitutions for the goods 'stolen;' (The law is .to give four times the value of an article stolen.) I would prefer punishing them : like that, ' than sending them .to gaol, which "does them no good. . If Mojor Mair capturdd* any thief, or if any known thief o ' Ngatimaniapoto eseapedyifihe would let" rne know, I would have him captured ?and sent, baok. j Just before X came ;to meet Dr Pollen, I had been discussingwith Tawhiao and others as to the best manner of dealing wi,b.- these delinquents, aud now I suggest thiß method of .punishing them; 7 .7 „.*.,-. ! "Dr Pollen— lnj cases pflaroenPy^/Eurppean's B~re ' itttpi'isoned when convicted. ' With Maoris the law is different;, and, alloy'? the' alternative of lieayy 'fine, , and in- 'default, imprisonment. - -Major' 'Mair telle mo, a« Reside at Magistrate, that robberies have- been numerous 'and that" lie had found, it rneeo-sary to resort to imprisonment,* as -a punishmeht; {in-order to check these crimes. The.culprits will, I fisar,lbe likely .to, continue their courses if 1 hey can get parents. Qr relatives to. pay. , ; fines.- for them." .'.'"""". . ''7 . ..', Rewi laughed, and said he thonght It: Was* probable too. He wishad to stop theses thefts, .and that enforcing heiivyflues w uld do so. Rewi then ad- '■ vanced an^ shook hands, with the Native Minister in a most cordial mauuer, and ! . said 1 his pi esont business .was : conoludod, ; ? buir he would meet him again B <\ Taupo. r proceedings throughout were" inter preted by M»jor Mair. This day's meet- . ing cannot "be looked'' ion otherwise than \ ' as -being highly satisfactory., Rewi be^ haved in a<^mo_t' 'respectful manner ■throughout, and from his earnest and straight forward utterances, gained the' good opinion of all who were' present." Te Ngakautook no part m the proeeedRewi and party left aboufc'two' o'elock;'' Tho Native Minister left t hortly after for Hamilton. Mr Mackay remained about jßpine land purchase busines-. It is said he has rendered considerable assistance to ihe Government. .'--,- - ; ? "-'-' ■ '■:'■ i" ; '-.*'■■ ' - f-J- .' ; -■ f '