Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

An Epitome of Official Documents Relative to Native Affairs and Land Purchases in the North Island of New Zealand

Manukau.—In re Contract for building the Onehunga Store. Native Secretary's Office, Auckland, 18th December, 1852

Manukau.—In re Contract for building the Onehunga Store. Native Secretary's Office, Auckland, 18th December, 1852.

Reverend Sir,—

In reply to your letter of the 25th ultimo, I have to inform you that the contract for building the store at Onehunga was entered into by Te Waru and Mr. Davis without any reference to me. Mr. E. Davis informed me, some months back, that he had entered into an agreement to build a store at Onehunga for twenty tons of flour, which at the price in the Auckland market at that time (£10 to £12 page 20per ton) seemed reasonable enough; and I referred an application, which he made on the 16th January last, for permission to erect the store on the Native reserve at Onehunga, to the trustees of the Native reserve, who approved of a small space being laid out for the purpose. Since then the state of affairs has materially altered. Gold has been discovered in vast quantities at Port Phillip; and the price of flour has risen in that market to £40 per ton; and gold has recently been discovered near Auckland, and the price of flour may be expected to rule double, perhaps treble the price it did when Te Waru made the agreement. I foresee, therefore, that there will be no end of difficulty and discontent in the whole matter. I do not believe the store has progressed further than having the foundation laid and the timber prepared.

I should apprehend, if the store is erected at the sole expense of the Raugiawhia Natives, that they will have the sole right of occupying and using it, of course without their having any claim to permanent possession of the land it is built on; and I do not see how Government could take any share in the concern by erecting a loft over the store—a proceeding which I think might tend to cause disputes at a future time. The trustees of the reserve, however, are the persons who have the sole control over the disposal of the ground, and there is ample room to build a hostelry for general purposes, irrespective of the portion set aside for Te Waru's store.

The sum of £50 has been authorized by the Lieutenant-Governor to be lent to Ngatitipa and the other Natives, and is now ready to be paid over to them. The Natives left Auckland before due authority was obtained for the payment. The sum of £35 was lent to Whakapo some time back, which he promised to repay at an early date; it is however due a long time, and there are no signs of its repayment, although I understand he has a large quantity of wheat on hand. If you chance to see him I should feel much obliged if you would request him to repay the amount at an early date, as his conduct prevents deserving Natives from receiving favourable consideration.