ALEXANDRA. [FROM A VERY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1536, 9 May 1882, Page 2

ALEXANDRA. [FROM A VERY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT .]

Rain ! Rain ! Rain ! Saturday's deluge has made many visitors nearly sick of so much delay. Some of the more progressive natn c chiefs arc about to attempt reform in the future meetings. A committee of management has been elected to . determine what business to bring before the meeting, and when meetings are to take place, in fact, an impromptu Ministry. The leforms are of the following substance : — All meetings to be presided over by a chairman o« speaker ; minutes of all meetings to be kept, and read after each day's sitting ; to be submitted to the king for his approval, 'after which, on the following day to be read and conformed by the meeting, and signed by the clnirman or speaker ; provision to be made for future meetings ; a permanent meeting house ami sufficient buildings to be erected, and to be called King Town, to be on a line of main or trunk line of Railway ; all, that land from Punui River to Taranaki to be called King Country. Mr Ben of Taupiri, is about to lay before the meeting the great and urgent necessity of educating the rising generation of natives. He is quite alive to the fact that without education the natives cannot hold that commanding position in the councils of the county their natural ability and landed wealth entitles them to. Bo urgent is Mr Ben — -^ on the question of education that all else is of secondary impoi*tance Three things Mr Ben is determined to advocate for the future welfare of the .native race. The first is education of the young throughout the length and breadth' of the native country ; the second is temperance in the men, as without temperance and sobriety the most talented,, most wealthy, or brave cannot command the respect they should do; and, the third is the' chastity - r and purity of the native women, as uo "nation, ever became great without the help of woman. It is quiet evident Mr Ben is above the average Maori, and a man of thought and a considerable amount of education. It is to be. .hoped Mr Ben • 's advocacy of education will bear good fruit, and if it is determined to let the light of education into ,the native mind the Government will meet them in . a liberal spirit. Increased- native, representation is another* card to be .played at this meeting. Four is the number it is proposed to advocate— one for the East Coast, ouefor'NoVili of Anotilaiirl, 'one for North of Auckland, one for Central North Island, and'one^tfr 7 WarigaH'ui ; but Ji think,.the talk of alLtalk is the land, tribal rights, individual rights, selling or leasing. This will be well ventilated. Co-operation appears to have taken hold of the native mind, some .of t,he leading and most educated natives being inclined to test ifc in a limited degree^ the natives to .finds the land,, to hav.e a^scrip-for each] acre ; if the land is worth; 10s per.a^re each indiviSual,native 'to' have £ 10s scrip for each aci r e,he'dwns. '•" The capital is to be advanced in equal proportion, pa.y if a block" of 'lamh 'of' lo,ooo acres' fras set l dsides. for this .purpose^ the /natives, lioldf 10/OjOO JjOs sc rJP, P a i < irMP.?^ l A9 a P^^!, e^' - pay £5000 for the. like number, the, capital «so n obtained -to. .stqeklarid 'cuttivate'^the ; land j a cent^alisjte tdjbe set aside for : ja iownsbip;, the na'ijvep, to supply all labour yjpe^cent •fle^r|)lihatt^.^lihit- t p^ai| : -;to| .the ifixxifljtipnX^- f^^uu&ianjdeft^ tbitf iftluf

promoters can succeed in carrying out the foregoing, they will confer a lasting boon on the native race. Profits likely to be obtained : Produce in crops and cattle, increased value of land sale of town sections, royalty on timber, stone, coal, or other minerals, and, not the least, the education and increased comfort of the natives. Dividends to be declared yearly at per scrip like other companies. I hear that a well-known gentleman has been com municateiT with by some influential natives to put this matter in a workable" sliape7~THT will* appear" quite evident to the^outsidc world that though there, has been'no meeting- th£re is a very large undercurrent of discussion-jpn. aU things affecting the- native-welfawp*^:^.