HOW NATIVE PETITIONS AND GRIEVANCES HAVE THEIR ORIGIN.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2043, 11 August 1885, Page 3

HOW NATIVE PETITIONS AND GRIEVANCES HAVE THEIR ORIGIN.

A <'onuwn\i)P\T, who claims to bo a close iilwiui <>f Native Land Com ts and their workings, has sent us a long comuiumcatioii beanng on ccit.iin matter winch have been coming be foic the public of late in the shape of native petition^ gnevancex, ieinon-.ti.ince-, etc. He says .— In the Native Land Coin t, Cambndge, yesteiday morning, Hapet.i Waaka and other natives called the attention of the comt to the fact thifcn ceitun Euiopean was endeavouring b\ u\ciy mean-, m his powei to thiow distiedit both on the comt and it-, pioceeding> in connection with natives and their land-. They objected to this man appearing in eoint, a-, his lntpifeience was not likely to eithei facilitate the bu-ino-s of the comt, or to secuie any advantage for tho^e whom he piofes-ed to lepiesent. It will be lemembeied that a, Kuiopean w.ip\cluded hy the natives fiom the comt sitting at Kotoiui some tune ago. Let tois ha\e lecently bnon appearing in the Auckland Ifeiald pm putting to tepresent the feelings of the natives in 1 expect to the land comt. One of these lettei.s stated that the principal ownci-in the Kingcountiy objected to bung their lands for adjudication befoie this tribunal, and also vaguely hinted that the w liter had m.itmed a scheme for the bettei disposal of the busi ness which was now dealt with by the land cimit. The, scheme refeircd to has not yet been undo public, but in the meantime I can authorttati\elv state that the principal ownei.s in the lviii n ' countiy alluded to as beiii£ desnous to do away witli the land couit aie now in Cunbiidge, and utterly deny having «.igned the putitions lofencd to, and aieon the contiaiv veiy an\i(ius to In mg .1 1 uge block in the King country before the land couit for adjndic.ition. I amfuithevin a position to state that it is the intention of tlicn.itive owneis to iinmediitely send stnmg lepu^cnt itions to the House, and the 'Jou'inment conceinmtr the ipatter of tliy,e l> >gns petitions which tliey aie snppo>pd to h.xvc '•igned. Kangituatea and some thuty otliois have .ilieadv lcpudiated any connection ever witli the m ivenirut in question. Moreover, the w liter s.iv, so-ne of those chiefs who did si^'n c "ltun ppt.ti >ns most emphatically stite tint the contents of •<aid petition were entuely nn-icpH'sonted to them by the pjtsun v. ho induced them to -ign. In conclusion, if the Government and those in power at Wellington know the som co fnmi whence most of tlie-e im.iginii y grevance.s eiu.ui ite, they would be inoie chaiy in cnt'Mt lining tliem 1 coii'tuend thes<p icmnks to the piosent N.itne Nlini.stcr, who it would s ( cm is ever le.uly to give a willing eai to any anil oveiy growl oi gnev nice th it com.-s along, whate\ei its object m ongin may be.