NATIVE OBSTRUCTION ON THE RAGLAN-KAWHIA ROAD.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1814, 21 February 1884, Page 2

NATIVE OBSTRUCTION ON THE RAGLAN-KAWHIA ROAD.

Our Aotea correspondent writes : — Few of those persons who are not intimately associated with the Maoris, and have thus an opportunity of making them&ehes conversant with their political and social ideas, can rightly estimate the evil which such men a& Mr Mcßeth, the agent or not, as the case may be, of the Aborigines Protection Society, can work amongst them. The defection of Rewi may be cited as an instance, and several chiefs in Kawhia and here, who had agreed to submit to the suivey and opening up of their land", have expressed their determination to withhold their sanction until they know the result of Tawhiao's visit to England with Mr Mcßeth. An attempt was made by a party of natives last week, to stop the work on the Raglan and Kawhia road. The firmness of the agent (Mr W. Duncan), and the men under him, pioved an effectual check to Kopura and his gang of obstructionists. This annoyance may be counted as one of the fruits of Mr 'Mcßeth's interference. Mcßeth's name is at present fieely made use of amongit them as the person by whoso agency they are to loam how to withstand European agression. If he can teach them this he will indeed be worthy of their giatitude and praise. They h xve got to loam, however, whether the influence which Mr Mcßeth affirms he has at his command to use for their benefit, is strong or genuine enough to make the sequel to their present exertions as agieeable as they anticipate.