THE WAIMATE AFFAIR.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1060, 10 April 1879, Page 2

THE WAIMATE AFFAIR.

INTERVIEW BETWEEN" TE WHITI AND MR MA.OKA.V. WELLINGTON, Tuesday. TE WHITI. Te Whiti is a man about 50. He is of medium height, ascetic m appearance, with clean cut, almost European features. His voice is sonorous when he addresses an assemblage from the rising ground, an enclosure what forms a sort of dais, and where on important occasions he invites visitors of distinction to sit with him. When speaking he stands erect, bare-headed, and his voica is- powerful and clear, and can be heard all through the village, now thrilling with passion anon replete with scorn, and plaintive m its entreaty. He revels m mystery, and for copionsnes ol language and imagery, for gracefulness of action, modulation of voice, for selfpossession and command of his audience, Te Whiti certainly ranks high as au orator. To the usual

metaphor adopted by the natives m. i speaking, To Whiti adds all that can be gleaned from Scripture, so that his utterances have a supernatural construction put on them by the* auditory. His memory, m private conversation with visitors, shows that he is well informed on both ancient) and modern history. In visiting Te Whiti, it will be seen that Mr Mackay had ho ordinary man . to deal with. Therefore, itbehoved him to be cautio s as to what he said or did. THE DISCUSSION, Mr Macky and Captain Blake, on reaching the village, found about four hundred natives there. Te Whiti and some chiefs were sitting on the high ground referred to above. Both were welcomed by the natives m a very friendly manner. Mr Macky saluted the chief, and, having heard that Te Whiti was fond of metaphor, commenced to address him m metaphorical language. He said he was sorry to find- that Te Whiti's house was on fire-— that he ha« A launched his canoe m stormy water, and that the stern had parted from the forepart. Here, Te Whifci re quested Mr Maekay to leave the Maoris and sit with him on the platform. Te Whiti asked Mr Mackay if he was a Government officer. Mr Mackay said he was not a Government officer, but had come up to see him, so as to talk the matter over respecting the surveyors being turned off the Waimate Plains. Te Whiti said the Government, wanted to tear the blanket from off his back and leave him with none. Mr Mackay said he was mistaken m that, the Government merely wanted him 'to lay his blanket on the ground that both might sic on it. Te Whiti said, but Government would cut it m two, and taking away half would then require the whole. Mr Mackay said all Government wante was. to occupy the blanket with the Maoris. Te Whiti said that Mr Mackay had a pair of t-ousers on. He might as well ask ft«r one of tlu> legs as to ask him to let Government have ons of his blankets. Mr Mackay replied that it. was not so ; if Te Whiti had one of his legs m his trousers he would be disgraced, because he woaid be called a onelegged, man by his people. He had another pair of trousers m his house, and it would be better that he souhl have theoi, that they both might walk about comfortably. Tiiere was another difficulty about their haviug only one pai«" of trousers between them. Supposing- one wanted to go one way and the other another, they would not be able to do so without destroying the' garment. It was not so with the blanket. Te Whiti said : "If a hen is sitting on ber eggs, and a man attempts to rob her of them, she will peck at his hand, and you surely don't blame the hen for protecting her offsprsng. The eggs are our land, and we naturally uphold our rights to it." Mr Mackay : " This is very well, but tho Governor claims the laud. He says the eggs are his property. If the hen continues to peck at the man's hand he may become vexed, pick up a stick, and knock the hen on the head, then there will be no further difficulty about the' ownership of ecrgs. You and the Governor had better let the hen hatch the brood, and then apportion the chickens.' Te Whiti made no answer to this, but was silent for a short time. He then told Mr Mackay to drop his metaphorical way of talking, and to say plainly what he wanted. A long discussion then took place, m which. Te Wbiti asserted that the reason the surveyors had been turned off the plains, was because the Government had promised the native cultivations should not be touched, and that reserves should be set apart for their use. Mr Mackay said tbe Government intended that that should be done. Te Whiti replied he did not believe anything of the kind, or the Government would not have ordered the surveyors to cut their cultivations m the way they had done. Even Titokowaru's garden, he said, the surveyors had been through, and had put pegs m close to the door of his house. Mr Mackay tried to explain that the survey of the plains did not mean that the Government intended to sell it, but that it was nece siry to mark the lands off so that each person should know whao portion of it belongs to him. Ta Whiti said ho could not credit that. They had not consulted him m any way abou'. the land or survey, and he felt, that Government were going to leave them destitute. H« ad led that the' late Sir Donald McLean and Mr Parris had made certain promises that had not been carried out; th t faith had been broken with them iv every way; therefore the.Mtoris could only come to the conclusion that Government iutended to sell the whole of the land, wihout any portion of it being set aside for th»> natives. The Maoris did not wish to fight, but they were not goin ? to be robbed off their land.— Mr Mickay argued that the land belonged to the Government. It had been fought for and taken from them. Ifc had been confiscated, and now belonged fo Government, but the Government; had no iutention to leave the Maori destitute, but reserves should be given them. — Te Whiti replied, if that was so, vvhy had not the Government occupied it from the time of conquest till now 1 Instead of that, the Maoris had occupied it unmolested. They had constantly held it and cultivated it, and it was theirs to all intents aucl purposes. After a considerable amount of argument to the same effect, the discussiou was •

postponed rill Mr Mackay has had an opportunity of ascertaining whether or not there w.as any misapprehension on tho part of the Maoris as to the promises Te Whiti said hud been made.

A despatch of some importance was received from Taupo yesterday, shewing the condition of affairs there. At Tokano it appears that Topia Turoa'.s proposals to, the native meet, ing were the opening of tbe country toward Wanganui by road and

telegraph wires, laying aside a block of land for a township at the south end of Lake Taupo, calling for surveys of and adjudicating their land claims, permitting the. lease,, and m some cases the sale of lands. This programme, we are told, was received by the Kiogites party wi h surprise and some indignation, but Topia, having explained that h". did not expect to carry through all the performance at present and that he was willing to let a committee decide his proposals, they gradually coole I down, and eventually gave their consent to the most important item m lhe scheme. Viz., the survey of the tribal boundaries, m order to have eacu hapu'rt claim brought before the Court. When this is done, all the other matters will follow. At the meeting assurances of steadfast loyalty to law aud order were given by both parties. This despatch is considered highly satisfactory.

WELLINGTON", Tuesday. The following tenders have been received at the Public Works Offije for Shortland contract of WaikatoThames Railway : — Accepte i : J. J. O'Brien, Thames, £8393. Declined : Thompson, Heart, and Co., Shortland, £8425; Robert S.ni h, Grabamstown, £10,948; P F.-r---guson and Co., Aucklaud, £11,800; ft. Ferall, Auckland, 4-11.972 ;v Will a v Brit&n, Auckland, i J 12.'412 ; James D.iri'ow, Auckland, £12,730 ; John Brett, Auckland, £12,835 ; H. •A. Adams, Auckland, £12,959.

The Governor will leave here iv the bii'iemoa on the 15th instant for the Bluff, and thence will pio*.eel overland through Southland, Otago, and Canterbury, spending abou three weeks on fhe tour. The Hin - tHoa has not yet resume I from o|)Uinke, but is expected to-night, and will leave again to-morrow A-it.i Mi* Sheehan.

Te Whiti has intra *ted to sever ii persons that a satisfactory understanding w<U b", >v?iv (1 at, and tn> ■sent two of nis nearest revives who arrived m town last ui^hc to assn--the Nitive Minister tha' lie (IVvVhiti) h td no unfrieu lly intentions Te Whiti is said to have berni much alarmed by a rumor that the Goverument intend to send 600 men to seize him, and transport him to the Chatham Islands or some other place of exile. Si.- Sheehan leaves by the Hinemoa for New Plymouth to-morrow evening to arrange various matters relating to the dispute. < His absence, is not expected to last longer than three or four clays. PATE A., Tuesday. Natives who know Captain B>'ake, and who claim to be Parihaka people kuow the large private interest he has m Parihaka laud. The recensideration of the confiscation question will practically mean the handing over to himself and Te Whiti of an immense area.