ALEXANDRA.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 751, 24 April 1877, Page 2

ALEXANDRA.

April 2, 1877. IHB N/TIVB MEETING- AT tfA~ FLEA, THE RAILWAY QUESTION. -Upwabi?3 of oqa hundred, of the lqwer : Waikatq natives, with the Revs. H'eta, . Barton, Nioi Kukutai and other chiefs arrived here on Wednesday last, and accompanied by Major Te Wbeqro proceeded up the river as f'?r s Piakia's settlement, where *ixiy remained the night) and ne*t mqrning prq? ceeded on to, JJaipiha, their destination, where _ about the same number of t Kiogi,tes were awaiting, them. Neither fawkiao nor Manuhiri had come meek them, whiclj they had expeeted, but wished the party to go on to JEbpaa. The usual speeches on su/h occasions were made on both sides, and the rem tinder of the day Bpent in feast* ing the new comars and pitching their tentson the river b™k. There being no appearance of Tawhiaq the morning, agqod dqal of talk ensued as to their further proceedings, and' finally a letter was sent up to head-quarters announcing their arrival and disinclination to proceed anv farther inland, as they wished at onc-3 to pomtnence settlement on the land appor. oaed to them, T>js a,nd talking qvec busing qok the whole of Frj Jay, and qn Saturday morning all* hands, after breakfast, proceeded to mark out the site of their future settlement, whioh is, as I believe I have already informed you, on the ea»t side of the Waipa and above Kaipiha and about four miles from Alexandra. TawhiaQ has now arrived at from Eawhia to see them, Jt iq the meeting wifl takaplaoa to-day. f There is great talk just now amongst the natives regarding the extension of the Waikato Railway, and to a man (now they see the are. dqler,al|ned tq. proceed with itjj tbev wish the line to 6om« v}a Alexandra. When the late Sir Donald McLaan was at Kaipiha they ad* dressed a letter to him with fifty signatures, asking that the termjqu? b.p. Ales? amtya, tjut habeas jot receded' no answer thereto. Lately tney havti had Beveral meetings on the subject" amount them, selves, and at last determined to hold a meating in Alexandra, hqpjng thfl E i urqpe»n.s would ssm\ thein. It wu" dUcu*s«ii at Kajpiui oh Friday, when there ware about 30Q natives present and all unanimous on the subject. Saturday was the day appointed, but Tawhiao being expected from JCawhia, numbers did no come who otherwise would havs bee present. ' meeting was h«ld in the Bubliq tfall at 3 o'clock, when some seventy of them asiembled with our settlers. The natives were desirous that th» Europeans present should lake part wftk them and,

conimenoa the!.!praceeclu>Rß,:Ms »U those effect and #g eA ™J* H 1 - • y while I'^ive^eip^oif^^&y'^mion aboutlne railway,.<which ifebeing. made to Te Awamutu. ..- The desire of my heaxt.iß that tbe;ra}lwsy b^ght;tpjtWsj place, Alexandra'.- /We Maoris have SU? talked it; over ojaj;selv_es ?^»ipay now* wo have * come /down; to'-ibft ,p*k°ha. town to, here. If will only be wasting-money to make the railway Awamutu. -It w a far more difficult roadVto.' ooake from. Ohaupo to Te Awamutu than, to bring it here, where-there |is T « letyeligopd all the way, not all, jwamps and Wlb as it? -i B ' al td*#^knter A bring their g*oods,tb fbr aate,-},. none ever go ttrTeAwam-utui. if railw&y; ; goes -there, *alljour.geods JwiU?W bought hy:; m\W>™&. prices than ever, and what we buy • mil be m\l say they,will have 7 to AR oa/tagptromt Te Awamutu .Jlelp uS then, you-"European*, 4 Help, ub to, gee this benefit. ..Why dp/yott let;it|6 away ; fforifyou i' ape your eyes always shut;**. if asleep? u# ; witli;a : petition to; the :that. T railway-here;' { '- . l i ! Tamihana (Ngalimaniopoto),T, and tne rest of my people have given our support for the railway ,tPvcome here long *go.< We gave Sir D^HtM^^ 1 J mean ts^meW^^f^P§E?^ r » fifty men si|fife J d^n|ir'^mes r Jo 4 &. f P/$ *e" Hvedf Ka'd ~1 want our 'goods to-go direct from- ouf canoes A.u« bla .Wk tHff*llflM«M«&**

things are. 'SometjmjSL we cannot boU our goods hpre^.^e.stojekepDMai will not buy them, or we^afe to"WW *|»t S«JL lif* ib■'*&«.* If* we'ba^lhflito&W*yf we could t^e*ibfi an* sell plenty of people'tbbny,fhem,.._ Thenars, not/,my jyn Hljpnjhts pnly, ibut T tt|, thoughts %t' all tfif 'Maoris at KorM We haya ai; ,t^ke4- it ( ? .wouia like the railway -ttf come nert direct. Wouldn't you all« vthafl? WhoVfor the railwa&.to.come to. AlexandraJ-iold-up; their hands. £\ this,, simultaneous!;* - every native sprang up, with his hangX np, with crie\Toll'* Arikghanara, and three tremendous cheerj. Pikfa,- then got observed he felt pditrL : ' The 1 Pak'ehaV- presen.t were; not heipiDg.' sßhy= their hand's?' DTBri'tthey want.the ra£|_ way to Alexandra, Jit wm ,thep ex• as it vjas it* was thought to interfere. "" ' ■.,. w*i sTe->*Eftn^(olrlet J M- Ng^iriKho);*and' hitherto one of thecinost sptubborn in his opposition to the the keeper of W Orahiri,] was'the ! -Be cordially dorsed nil that had- been Baid by the : previous tfspeakerete He*had come ddwn; from his-settlement' that dtfy,«on ! to help to:gefc theorailway to; Alexandra. What was theuse,i»e ( askedi of making *■& railway* to a" plao§ where ino ■■ drie wanted : it. :The :Maoiis-'never had'busineßßatf Te AwatnuUx. If thepak'ebas must have railway^-let them.make it here,-so that* they could benefit 'by it. Bring the railway to Alexandra; bring itheVe! Am. I not : fight:

all. hol.d_.up your, hands. (Hands up, withwith more cheers.) . ' The Rev Wm Barton, said hje t ,did nptj, infeu'ct tb'lspeak' at-fifst,' as "He was not' a haubau, buthe thought they were doiag quite right '>in. holding 'the. meeting, as they woujd save the Government money by making-.tbVraihUy' here. -It was the best line, with no difficult place in it, and it would pay,—because there were plenty of things the Maoris could eend by it. ,It would caqsdmore'tradej ahddd good to them, as they would be better acquainted ijnth'the'^pakeh*s,." Tne rail way should come here| and nowhere else.. It is the best.toadi t6ith'e< Punittj'i AW'I not correct? Yes I Sold up your hands,. . :.':v.-< Carried, as usual. Ho. others getting up to speak, " # ' \ • Pikia said, 1 suppose our meeting is now over, we.;are all ol'thtfti.ame mind, to have the railway here. Now, yon Europeans, do your part. You have a meeting, and bring the railway here. .We Maoris will send a lettler to;. Dr asking We will all sjgfl jtj ahtt you Europeans' SQopfd doljii) too, I ; want to go from my* canoe* ihtty the railway, to" Auckland' ''direct.' That to atf J have tosajr;' "•';•* ';" ! . /'"' ''. .' \V/ This concluded the bußitfeas, and |hi natives 'About jjeveiti'y names are subscribed to Dr > Follen's/:" fetter'

already, I-am told, ; It is effect:— • """ '■'■" - : '- ; ■"■"'. ■>'■-''.'■ ■' -i ■■ •-. s • '*«.♦ '?' *■ ; ,' '" I" 21str Ajiril, 187" ' * " " Salutations to you, this is a pi|yer of «■-- oours, a number of us^hd H haveiißßepib.le(l together at; Ale^n'dta^. in: re/gasd c tp the railway,;; v ir tjie ia,, cpnstruqtad: from "Oliaupo;jfco! ; wjU he; a good road, "and "will no£~ cost any thinglike so much'money, as it. would to make it numbers of .Maoris v in flip neigbboiftrhnoa ot^ would*give ; em'pldynient to 'the • railway. Hence we write'to' y6v'as'the Native Minister, to ask.you to assist us, by asking the Minister .of Railways \s]et \ha railway come ;* sent by ua ?hp "nave' 'sjgnedi pur'fnjimeß, hereto.'' hypetition is, I believe, being extensi*. veiy signed at Kopua,..to!jday. Our townsfolk's are looking quite jubilant to-day. L saWjfc«f o of pur citizens with clean paper cbllarsbtftbis morning who seldom indulge in such luxuries,, hein- a little puzzled \ aj; 6ne.e tp make enquiries, ' when) it pame ; pvit the commanding of. the district, Col. waff": to make this place .head quarters. *.- '•• : '■'/*' • Our concert in'aicl of! the btil3i # bg.fund takes place on Thursday, next, which it ib

hoped it will be largely '"'. '*. j The river is low'pf than*{V has been at any time 'daring'the summer, and'busirieSa has been uriußiially jdbll season ! .ef 'the' year/ as : the "natives' : np couittry . 7 ar¥ 'una"b'le .to get their canoes down with their produce. Our Edad Board are. gbin£ oh with imßrovempnts/and reformlugand gravelling the road from Maugapiko bridge right through the township; ' conceiving which, a good joke "happened the otfee? day. In the process of reforming, a, plough arid two horeesi were usedl>y the contrac r , iox, A Maori named Bcti, a servant ofMajor Mair's, ggn'eraUy"looked upon as. a "knowing card" on Mb way to the post-office met the ; team along tearing up the roßfUrhe. stopped an.d gazed at tbe sight 'in' evident astonishfcient. Observing *'J. D" standing by ,be went over to him and confidentially remarked, " well, I know business is dull just how, not much" doing in Alexandra, but I never though to see.it so bftd, that the Road Board have to plough ap ■tl\e streptsto plaut with potatoes !" Not bad for a Maori.—Own Cp^bespondbnt.