NATIVE WANTS IN KAWHIA. Public Meeting.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1912, 7 October 1884, Page 3

NATIVE WANTS IN KAWHIA. Public Meeting.

With the object of bunging some of their mine immediate requiieinonts under tip notice of tho Government, a meeting of the Kawhi? Maous w.is hold in Hone Wetoios residence on the 20th in«t. A few of the leading European lesidents weie also pro sent. . At the request of tho natives, Mi \\ imam Duncan, J.P., was voted to the chair. In explaining the business of the meeting, which lie did in the Maon language, he laid paiticular stt ess upon the necessity of each and all of them using their best endeavours to have a native school established in the distuct. The Government had ahoady o\piesscd then willingness to do their shiio. in the maltei, it the Maoiis Mould piovide the site. Since he hid aimed in Kawlna he had ovpeiioneed the balisfaction of being told that a site had aheady, with then (the -Maoris) concmiciice, been surveyed, hut .is theie now appealed to be a little opposition ofFeiod by some paities to making such a gift, he tiustfd that if those paities weie pic-ent, they would, befoio tho meeting sopaiatcd, have given oxer such a suicidal comse of conduct, and bo found on the side of those stiugglmg foi the establishment of an institution whoie the using geneiation may secuie a little education, and receive lesson-, m good bleeding and moiahty, instead of tiying to tlnow cold watei on an intention ■\\ Inch mu-t end m making then childien better and nioie useful men and women than tliev otherwise would be. Hone Wetoie was pleased to hear the chnn man .speak us lie had done. He had alvvav,* v. oiked haul to get a school, and was happy to say that any opposition which had at one time been oftcied to the pioposal was fa&t disappearing. He was sine no difficulty would now bo likely to piesent it-elf with legaul to tlie giantmg .if the site. He had v»toiday, dining the visit of the steamei Hinemoa seen some of the nieinbeis, nioie especially -Mi Locke, and he was sme fiom the woids they all utteied that they could 1 el y on their co-opeiation. Major Tuke, wlio fioni the \eiy first of the agitation, has be'Mi most zealous m his endcavonis to foiw.ud the movement, in formed the meeting that he was delighted to have been things take such a practical tniu as they had to-day, and he was cm tain the Jesuit would in the end pio\e giatif\ ing to all. He had not foi gotten to en dilate amongst the M.H U \ who were lately, with us the ad\ of staitmg a native school, and they had one and all pionnsed to do then best foi them. John Powell (Telia) might say that of cow se those paitiesnow making a giant of the school site could not foiesee what change in owneislnp .1 decision of a land couit would make, but fioni those wlio woio deemed to be the pi cent owneis no opposition need be anticipated Pekia, at tins stage of the meeting, said he would be candid and say that .is one of those who might be called an oppositionist, he could not, after what had been said, occupy that attitude any, longn, and would now pioiuise them that, as 0111 of the owneis of the land spoken of, he would do his best to assist tlio movement, and would now move, '"That the chauman send a lepoit of this di en sum to the Native Minister, and at the same time piav of him to take steps to have a native school established in Kaw In i ' This was seconded by Hone Weteie, IS T ati\e Assessoi, ,mkl c lined unanimously. Hone Weteie would now take tin libeitv of testing the feeling of the natne chiefs pie-ent «'ith legaid to having .1 Land Couit held in K.iwlua, s O that s.nne of the land tumbles, nluch v, eu> so often agitating then minds, ,uid tlieiebvfosteun^ a jealous attitude amoi.gsl tlie.ni, might be dehnitelv decided. Mis opinion, hou.-vei, was that the Government -hould recognise tho light of a committee 1 of native chiefs tii-a-t investigating .iiid settling land claims, and if it so happened tint tin y could not come to a decision, that the case might then be submitted to \ land couit to give judgment upon. He held m his hand a long lettei, which had been vuittcn by Walianui to Hone to Hone and himself, and lie would lead them the clause winch related to this paiticular busmen. The woids weie :— " Be stiong to cany out the wishes of all Maoiis vvitli lotraid t" Hie jiiannei of setthnir Imd disputes. A new Government has pist been (oiined 1 have only lately been permitted to h ive a say on f,lu> siibiect Fighting, as ye neneially do about land (In isi< us, only help , to bi nig on a, lind couit This we should stiug^le against. Ui. til the land claims aie dually .settled, I condemn the s^tem of letting find leasing. Only tho c who have any uiaiid ovei the land should apply foi a land court, and I h.ive asked the Government not to take ;my notice of outsidciN. To the best of my Lehef the (loveiniuent have aheady taken note of this objection. They, howevei, say that they cannot do away altogethn with the system of Land Couitx, Li.fc have promised to allow us to decide some 1 md cases amoiighfc om selves, and if we fail to do so they wu«t. In the meantime do not let oi lease any land, Government sa\» thatjftei tlie session is oifi tliey will go into pditiculais and see vvliat uu« l)e done t« plea-A- the Maoi is. From w hat he ci.uld see, the pic J v;)it Gin eminent would make good laws John Cow ell would be in f uoui of tiving fcdgot the Native ConnuitLk to fust investigate their claims. Soonoi <>i' 1 it n > the whole muttei w.nild hive to be f.one into, and he sh<.ul(] tliinlc the soi.nei the bettm. Theiuusdictt.il) of the Native Committee had, he believed, i.eru incieased u> t">o He did noi, hovevei, i««- h')V theie shoald be auy limit to their iiuisdii.'Lidi). foi he contend >rl that they weie fat liena u n ! |p p| " tl "t to settle laud claims tlian Km ope m juiU;i .-, Uiulei tlic |j).>se'it s^teni the d ur- weie decided o.i the oviden >• pn-dueed befoie the eoiut, mc\ utv.uiably the claimant with the most a.sinanu awl least honour made the most headu.iv. K>j',n> a coniuuttee vimnj)i ised of Maou chiefs it w.aiW b" useSess mr them to advance any stoiy iti-out tbeu .»ucestois oi tubal connections tliat was not collect, as the indges, fioni then pei«onal kii(><iled«e, could not thus be imposed upon. They should also allow no Uvveis to appear befoie Hie committee. He would move "That the n:.ti'.<> chiefs now wesent take steps to see what can v, done to have the land claims of the Kavvliia tnbos settled a>. .soon :is possible" Tins was seconded bv Hone- Weteie and earned. The Chan man though/" fheie was still one mnttei to w Inch they should yie a little attention. They weie aw aie that .i d^ilof sickne-c* ii.id Iron pievaleut amongst tli«m this season, w h'eh might have been battled nioie suceessfiiJJy against, piovided they c mid have pi<<cum-<l Djedieil .nd Wh mi a jnevio-is (foveinnient v> vs n) powei he had necciwj a pionnso of t7") ]'"i ami II!) to T»-jids thcx.iluy of a doctoi foi tlie ikiLUlm in the Pi,igi.>u and Votea distnets, and ]n-ihai)s it tlie> v,"ie to apply ioi a doctoi they might pi item h ,t like encouiagen.ent. 3Luoi Tuke s.ud tlMt oMing to tlie eonLniuiKl illness of the A. C. rt<<et<^ they had teen wjfcliout one for some time, mul J;<j would U propaied to lend tlio miaous all the assistance lie could to obtain one. Pekia, wa& vet v pleased that the Pakehas liad spoken of this ..tjbjecl. The want of Kiujdical assistance was a giwt Joss to the Maoiis, nnd he was sine when he if,ovod " That tlie Chan man, and Major Tuke writu to Urn Government on the subject," that no one would object. Cained unanimously. The Chairman wastl.Aijlfed for presiding and the meeting teHuif f 4ed.— (Own £soiie*t) ondent).