SURVEY OF THE KING COUNTRY. THE NATIVE OBSTRUCTION

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1798, 15 January 1884, Page 2

SURVEY OF THE KING COUNTRY. THE NATIVE OBSTRUCTION

Ouh Te Awamutu correspondent writes : — Very little importance is attached to the pulling down of the trig station on Kakepuka. Those who know the native character bebt say it is only their way of asserting their claim on the land and that all opposition will cease after this. Pohe who pulled it down fiist, assisted Mr Cussen to reerect it. Now a native named Toko is waiting to pull it down again when reerected, and says he will continue to do so, but I think there is a great deal of bunkum in the threat. Our Alexandra correspondent writing yesterday, says : — There has been some little commotion amongst the natives here lately, the advent of the surveyors having stirred up a lot of those who object to a sin vey of their lands being made. As you will have heard, the trig station at Kakepuka is again cut down. A small party* loft Whatiwhatihoe on Monday last for th.i purpose, but had a night's discussion with the Kopua natives, the result of which was the fall of the pole at 10 o'clock the next morning. Toko, a Ngatinianiopoto, was the leader from here, accompanied by Kamaku, but I heard it was a young woman who actually cut it down. I hope 1 may be wiong, but I fancy there will be trouble in carrying out the survey of the native lands as proposed, that is surveying the boundaries of the lands in the King Country. Many of them cannot understand the reason of this. They say "Let each hapu who thinks proper have their land surveyed if they like, but leave ours, who object, alone." They say also, "What 1 ight has any chief who does not possess any land within 50 or GO miles of them to give the Government consent to survey it." 1 am afraid it will end in trouble, as many are getting very much evaspeiatert. Application has been made to Whatiwhatihoe for 100 nathes to go and clear out all the burveyoi s, but the request was refused. I hear also that the tiig stations, as fast as they are erected by Mr Cussen, will be cut down, a party following for that purpose. As there are so many applications in from various natives to have their lands surveyed, I cannot see why the Government cannot proceed with those surveys seriatim ; once started there would be very little difficulty, the natives are an imitative people and the objectois would follow as a matter of course ; but if the present course is insisted on and the surveyors forced on the natives theie is great danger that the Todd tiagedy will have a repetition, and another surveyor be sacrificed. Mr Cussen and Ins party were at rlauhauru a few days since. John Hetit, of Otoioanga has taken a contract to pack a large quantity of provisions for the Government surveyors to Tuhua. I saw a small gold specimen said to have been found theie by a native a few days ago. Tawhiao is daily expected to return from Kawhia to Whatiwhatihoe. Later. The Trig Station cut down on Monday last is not, up to the present, re-erected although the natives had promised Mr Wilkinson the Government Agent that it should be done.