MR M'BETH AND THE KINGITES.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1362, 15 February 1884, Page 2

MR M'BETH AND THE KINGITES.

Auckland, January 31. | Mr J. R. M'Beth of Wellington', whose correspondence with the Abori- j gines Protection Society and negotiations with the Kingites have lately brought hin: before the public, sends the Herald the following copies of letters and statements by himself. He says : — " The following are correct copies of letters of Tawhaio and Rewi to the Minister of Native Affairs, unanimously approved of by a meeting at Whatiwhatinoo, composed of the whole ofthe Natives in the Alexandra district, many of Rewi's people, and a large number of chiefs from Mawia and other places : — • Whatiwhatihoe, January 26,1884. To the Minister for Native Affairs. Friend, — This is my word to you about the railway land and survey. You grant Maoris local self-government and control of their own lands, and we grant you a railway, and also throw upon the greater portion of our lauds upon the leasing system. But if you do not consent to this no land will be opened, and we will not allow the railway to be made. Kingi Tawhaio. Whatiwhatihoe, January 12, 1884. To the Hon. Minister of Native Affairs. Sir, — In consequence of an application made by some of us Maoris for the survey of the boundary of King country having been misrepresented, I, Rewi Maniapoto, withdraw my signature therefrom. I wish also to state that, so far as I am aware, ho application has been made by theMaorisfor surveys j of inter-tribal boundaries, and it is not intended that the King country shall be put through the Native Land Court, as stated by the newspapers. I wish j further to inform you that, with the consent of the Maoris, no land will be thrown open for settlement or a railway made until we obtain local selfgevernment and control of our own lands ; and I know the Native population to be of this way of thinking. You want a railway, and we want local self-government. You grant us the one and we will grant you the other. If my name is attached to an application to the Court I wislf it struck out. Rewi Maniapoto. Mr M'Beth adds : " With reference to statements made by newspapers, I may say that I went to Waikato at the request of Rewi, who wrote to me on the subject, and that if any ' agents for speculators are concerned in the present Native agitation I am not aware of it. Native affairs are getting into a much more serious state than is believed. At Whatiwhatihoe I learned that Tawhaio and some of the leading chiefs had exterted their authority to prevent the shooting of surveyors at Kawhia, and indeed that the chiefs had met in council on the subject. Viewing the ; matter in a European light, and setting aside the question of justice or injustice to the Maoris, it is clear to me that the policy of the Government is a mistaken one. The Native Minister will never succeed in opening the King country by obtaining tin* signatures of a few Maoris who are not owners ofthe laud, so long as thegreu

body of the Maori race is opposed to him. The only way to settle the Nativedifficulty is to accept the terms offered by Tawhaio and Rewi, as Maori representatives, in their letter to the Aborigines Protection Society. If that were ' done I believe that the difficulty woraldS be settled without cost at once and forever but so long as Government persists in its present unjust, unreasoning: and costly course, those who sym- : pathiae with the Maoris will persist in an endeavour to bring the wholeNative question before the British Parliament, with the object of ascertaining whether the power of dealing with the Native race vested in the Colonial Government by Great Britain is or is not subject to the Treaty of Waitangi." Rewi sends the following telegram to the Herald :— " What I said toTawhaio is correct ; but I feared both the Queen and the Government. Nevertheless I will continue to be loyal to the Queen.