THE LAWYERS AND THE MAORIS.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1684, 21 April 1883, Page 2

THE L AWYERS AND THE MAORIS.

"notwithstanding all that has been said >and .w.nttcinof the treatment „ which 1 tho-j natives parsing lancf through the dourt at pi r'betit sitting at Cambiidge have received, it would. scety from the following speech of • one 'of the most influential chiefs, paiticulaily in regaid to owneisliip of land, that this treatment has not been of such a wrongful nature ,as,aj aoocl many r 'fijom. the trumpets of unsatisfied and disappointed agents, - weie led to believe. Ati evident proof of this is to be found in the following :'— After the settlement of the eases before the court in which he was ;n,terest,ed, and l')jlvij|g'''s'c-Vfcled with" ftls lattyera,' Mai hi te Ngara harangued a crowd of natives in, the street adjacfent to the Public Hall on Wednesday evening last, in order to address them oill the matter of lawyeis and their fees, so far as lie himself and bis lawyer (Mr Sheehan) were concerned. He said a great deal had been said respecting the exorbitant nature of the charges made by lawyers doing business for, the natives in the Land Court, and' the 'amount of general roguery 'that was b^VSf, perpetrated upon the natives throughout the hearing of their cases by those who had them in hand. Instead of being 1 >a' i victiln -i to ■either' l exorbitant ' charges or roguery he (Maihi), whd had ]WBt beenrhaVin^.mslahd^idjuflicated on, had no ground to make such charges or" assertions as these'; 'indeed; 'on the contrary; 'he' had/ re&soh' to rejoice at the' result of his' experience. • During the time thehearing ofhis case was "Underway partifea came to him and 1 ' cautioned him against ' . ehtru&ting ■ bis 1 ' case to a lawyer, He was told that lie might be, .the winner of the case, biut 'tliat Mr Sheehan, who 'was conducting" his oase, would be the winner of the money. He had 1 been itold that both he and tiia tribe would be wronged- and 'deprived. of 'everything,, which^ , properly .speaking, tjthey. ought' to J}aye, { gHipe,d,, jHe had ju^jbom' pleted his settfemeht'wifch Mr Sheehan, and had f found that instead of^, beihg (inarmed' .'unreasonable and e^or^bitant charges, ,he"had found the, fees .which he had "had, to pay, we.re both fair and mQderat'e,' in 'fact only' a ( third'of what he 'rh'ftd / expected he cb'afgef], ' I'lirift'er 'stUl, he oon^diiifed' 'h?s ns#-si& ' had wronged himself ixi •charging hihi' 1 so"" little. Not only had- he gained h)8 base* Before the^ court, but he had { got his price for his' land, and ha.d TaU-i money in his own packet, and^io^^V? c popket of his lawyer, J^e-V|j^t^d t nat s flch statements jvs those'-'which he had indicated had ffl^med fQiirraicjrg and^ t had found Pavoupifi<tne minds of the natives. I• ' / ' }('-■> i a ,' \' ;i ; sr=F/. |

The diffjeremje f) between sawed a?uf secular mt[slc v isi}ot?6<fgi eat ag it aeejni it first-sighk JTo.n get the latter, hy the" ',;^}K t¥e fbn^jr th^'f^oir."' '* Werk you ever in an, pngagpnie'flt, ?" J inquired an innocent rustic of a militia,-,,! nan.i .(Vl^fM^/Z/r^e^/J^ son ioj{ r saara^h.eft^n^ft.^d^p Rights "But she