Te Kopara 30
[3] Te Kopara, Number 30, Gisborne, 15 April, 1916.
‘Iti te Kopara, kai takirikiri ana i runga i te Kahikatea.’
Although the Bellbird is small, he plucks at the Kahikatea. [cf Nga Pepeha 908]
A MEMORIAL SERVICE.
The Death of Mr Volkner.
At the beginning of last March, a service was held in Opotiki to remember the Rev Carl Silvius Volkner who worked there for five years and who, on 2nd March, 1865, was martyred for the faith. The main service was at 11 a.m. when the Communion was celebrated with Archdeacon MacMurray from Auckland as celebrant. The text of his sermon was taken from the Gospel according to Luke 21.16-19, ‘They will put some of you to death….. By your endurance you will gain your souls.’
When the sun was setting the people assembled at the place close to the river bank where Volkner was killed. A willow tree had grown there upon which Volkner had been hanged and a depression can still be seen where that willow was burned. When the prayers there were concluded the people moved to the church, which is named for Stephen the Martyr, where the body of Volkner the Martyr is buried. Archdeacon MacMurray’s text was the permanent inscription on the stone in the church, ‘He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.’ [Matthew 10.39] On that stone is a symbol of mourning and a chalice for wine and a paten for bread to show the kind of death Mr Volkner underwent.
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The Rev R J Campbell has been ordained by the Bishop of Birmingham and continues to work there. [The Rev R J Campbell is 49 years of age and was highly regarded when he was minister of the Congregational Church at the City Temple in London since 1903. Problems arose with the Congregationalists as a result of some of his publications. Last year he gave up his work as a minister and left that church and joined the Church of England.]
Four thousand bullets made at the time of the conflict with Maori have been handed over to the Government by Ngaitai of Torere, Bay of Plenty. At the time of the fighting it was excavated for the manufacture of bullets. Those bullets have been buried in the soil for many years.
[4]
WAR NEWS,
A French vessel, the Provence, has been sunk in the Mediterranean. It was carrying troops to Thessalonika. There were 1800 men on board. The survivors were picked up by some of the English and French ships: 296 were landed on Malta and 400 on Melos, while 1104 were drowned. The ship sank in the middle of this large sea. The survivors say that there was no sign of submarines or other torpedo ships before or after the sinking.
The number of ships sunk by the Germans without warning, and which were without armaments, during 1915 was: English 40, Neutral Nations – 14.
France and Germany.
This is an intense battle. Latest news is that 300,000 Germans and 12,000 French have fallen at Verdun. The Germans are committing all their strength to capturing this French town, but the French are equally determined that they will not take it. The Germans have deployed 3000 large guns against that town in their effort to defeat the French; 12 of those are 16 inch guns which fire shells weighing one ton. In the first two weeks of this battle five million shells were fired by Germany; at one stage they fired 100,000 shells in 10 hours. Germany’s hope before this was that they would defeat France here. That has not happened and they now know that France will not be defeated, however Germany continues the conflict. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria (Dr Radoslavoff) has said that the outcome of Verdun will determine whether Bulgaria will remain loyal to, or become an enemy of, Germany. Bulgaria is determined that if Germany does not succeed in this battle with France it will end its support for it.
Russia and Turkey.
The first Allied victory this year was the overthrow and the seizure of Erzeroum by Russia; this is one of the main Turkish towns in Asia. There were 100,000 soldiers and 374 (sic) large guns; there were 374 large guns outside and 200 inside. Turkey did not believe Russia was strong enough to take it and when Russia did take it they had no time to remove the guns and other things from the great buildings. Indeed, from the first nine towns to be overthrown the Russians seized 20 large guns and soon afterwards they had taken 25 large guns from some of the towns. At Fort Taaft, 39 officers and 1400 men were captured.
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One division of the Russian army took 240 large guns. Of the large guns of Erzeroum, 150 were 8 inch Krupp guns.
Erzeroum is one of the main Turkish towns in Asia, a meeting place of roads from the west and from the south, and Russia also has access to it. It is surrounded by military barracks and fortifications. It contains some 50,000 inhabitants. That town stands at the eastern end of a plain and is surrounded by bare mountains stretching as far as the River Euphrates. Outside the town the terrain is hilly, and very close by there is a hill on which a fort has been built at 6,250 feet above sea level; the hill is nearly 10,000 feet high. In 1201 the town was taken by the Seljuks. And in 1517 it was seized by Turkey. In July 1829 it was taken by Russia but it was returned in September after peace was made in Adrianople. Russia attacked it unsuccessfully again in 1877, but captured it in 1878, however, under the provisions of the Treaty of Berlin it was returned again to Turkey.
With the fall of Erzeroum the whole of Armenia is now under Russia. Turkey is broken and is being pursued by Russia and many towns have been captured. The Turks have retreated some 80 miles since the capture of Erzeroum and are now close to Baghdad where there is a Turkish division. In one Turkish town taken by Russia, 21 officers and 3,200 soldiers were taken prisoner.
The Turkish town on the south-east coast of the Black Sea is Trebizond. It is now surrounded by Russia with warships at sea and men on land. A Turkish town 60 miles west of Erzeroum, Maquehatan, has bee taken by Russia and five large guns and other things captured.
Italy and Austria.
Italy continues to engage strongly with Austria. When the Austrian army of 50,000 went to assist Germany, the Italian army blocked it at Innsbruck. The total losses suffered by Austria since the beginning of the war until Februar 1916 are: Killed, 540,300; wounded, 2,111,000; prisoners, 648,000. Nearly 1,500,000 wounded have recovered and have rejoined the fighting. Austria has conscripted 4,000,000 soldiers from those up to the age of 55. This is the extent of Austria’s resources.
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The production of gold ten-shilling pieces has ceased now but those gold ten-shilling pieces in circulation continue to be valid currency.
[6]
FIGHTING AGAINST PORTUGAL.
Germany has announced that it is at war with Portugal. Germany has many reasons for wanting to fight with Portugal and these are some of the main reasons. From the beginning of the war Portugal has rejected the ideas of the neutral countries and has helped her enemies. Four times it has permitted English armies to enter the borders of its territory of Mozambique in East Africa. It has not agreed to provide coal for German ships but it has agreed to do so for English shipping. It has sold gunpowder to the Allies. German ships that were in Portuguese waters at the time of the fighting were all seized. The Portuguese Government appears to be enslaved to the English. The main reason why Germany is fighting the Portuguese is the seizure of its ships and those of Austria in Portuguese waters.
The Minister for External Affairs explained that the Austrian and German ships were seized lest they should seek to escape secretly, and because the ships were required for work. The total tonnage of German and Austria shipping impounded in Portuguese waters is 270,000 tons. In the single port of Tagus there are 36 ships, some of more than 8000 tons, that have been kept there since the war started.
The treaty in effect between England and Portugal is as follows. Neither of them will help another nation which is fighting against the other, and they will not assist their enemies, only strangers going about their business. And if war should break out and if they are confronted by the enemy they agree to help one another if desired and to work together to protect their Colonies. But there is a different provision should Spain or France attack Portugal.
Portugal has a large land army but has few warships at sea, and they are old.
Twelve nations of Europe are involved in the war; the Japanese make thirteen. The smaller nations that have not taken sides yet number eight: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, Spain, Greece and Rumania. But some are close to joining the fighting.
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Turkey is suffering a severe famine. The American Red Cross has sent and initial contribution of £2000 to Constantinople for the acquisition of food for starving Turks. Over a million Turks from Adrianople and [?Hamurana] alone are without food. Many hundreds are dying in a single day.
[7]
GREECE AND ROUMANIA.
Strong indications are that Greece and Roumania will join the Allies. Greece has told Bulgaria that if it crosses their border then it will fight.
It is the same with Roumania. Recently Germany condemned Roumania for selling 80,000 waggons of grain to the English. The Roumania arranged to sell 100,000 waggons of grain to Germany to settle the dispute. Out of consideration for its soldiers, Roumania has now retained 50,000 ot the wagons it had sold to Germany. Germany said that they should unite their troops on the Austrian border but Roumania would not listen.
A treaty has been concluded between Roumania and Russia in which Russia agrees to help Roumania in all conflicts in return for part of the territory of Bessarabia.
The German newspapers are now agreed that Roumania has truly joined the Allies.
Bulgarian guns have been fired at Roumania and Roumania has responded but there is as yet no verifiable word of fighting.
GERMANY AND A PEACE SETTLEMENT.
American sent an envoy, Colonel House, to Germany and the following is an account of his mission presented to President Wilson with Germany’s proposals if peace is to be made.
That German’s colonies be returned.
That neither side have to pay reparations.
That the integrity of Poland be guaranteed.
That the boundaries of Montenegro, Serbia, and Albania with Austria, Bulgaria, and Greece be defined.
That Russia determines the future of Persia.
That Germany return French and Belgian lands.
That England should not take or be given possession of land or have any authority over Turkey.
[8]
A SUBMARINE.
Two Dutch ships have been sunk in the North Sea in a short time, and one French ship was almost sunk at about the same time. One was the Lubantia of 13,000 tons. All on board, including some Americans, were saved. It sank three hours after the explosion. The Germans say that they did not sink it. Another of the ships was the Palembang, 6674 tons; it was torpedoed and sank but all on board were saved. The ship that was almost sunk was the Patria, 11,885 tons. It was a French ship with 900 passengers, including 21 Americans. The Captain and an American saw where the submarine emerged from the water and launched the torpedo. The Captain ordered full speed ahead and the torpedo slipped harmlessly by 20 feet astern.
The Dutch are considering what happened to the two ships that were sunk and they say that the English were not responsible for no neutral vessel has been sunk by the English since the war started. And they are saying that the neutral countries and America should be united in taking note of this German action.
America has asked its Representative in Europe to enquire into the sinking of the Lubantia and the firing of a torpedo at Patria which nearly sank it.
Paris, March, 1916.
The French ship, the Renaudin, a destroyer, has been sunk by an enemy submarine in the Adriatic. The captain and 40 of the crew are lost, 36 have survived. This ship was completed in 1912, it was 750 tons and had a speed of 31 miles per hour.
OTHER NEWS
Maori are beginning to arrive at the Camp at Auckland as reinforcements for the Fourth Contingent.
There are still communications going on between the Minister for War and General Godley about the disposition of the Maori Contingent and it seems that it will be amalgamated with others.
The price of flour in Dunedin has gone down to £12.10s a ton.
In the speeches of leading men of Auckland to the Minister of War there was talk about how to deal with bachelors who were not on benefit [?kaore he awhina] and who do not wish to go to the war. This type of man will not be chosen no matter what kind of work he does and a non-custodial sentence is not appropriate. One man said that men who marry at this time should not be able to claim that they are married but should be regarded as being still bachelors; they are just hiding behind their petticoats if that marry at this time.
[9]
THE ARREST OF RUA.
On the evening of Sunday, 2nd April, Rua was arrested. The party of 60 police came from Auckland, Waikato, Rotorua and Gisborne. On the Saturday evening they stayed in the bush eight miles from Maungapohatu. Constable Grant of Te Whaiti was their guide. At 7.30 on the Saturday morning their party set out and at 11.30 they were climbing the ridge of a hill and looking out over a valley to Rua’s pa. From there they saw a white flag flying above a hillock and they thought that this was a good sign and that Rua was prepared to give himself up to the law. They descended into the valley and climbed up towards Rua’s pa When they looked they saw that the white flag had been taken down. Their head, Commissioner Cullen, thought about this and ordered his party to load their rifles. When they climbed up to Rua’s pa they saw another flag flying with these words on it, ‘One law for the peoples. Rua Maungapohatu.’ The police drew nearer and came upon Rua standing with his two sons and some of his disciples. Seeing the police, Rua called out, ‘Here I am. Arrest me!’ Then Rua and the others ran along the road as if they were running for their guns. They were pursued by four police and he was seized by Wi Nira [John Neill] of Rotorua who was carrying in his hand a small hatchet which he used for cutting firewood for them. He and Rua wrestled. Wi Nira dropped the hatchet. The two of them then fell six feet down a steep bank with Nira landing on top of Rua even though Rua was moving quickly to and fro. While they were struggling, Whatu, Rua’s son, stood up holding in his hand the hatchet that Nira had dropped. He was bringing the hatchet down on Nira’s head when he was grabbed by Sergeant O’Hara and tied up. Rua and two others who had guns were also tied up. Rua’s son, Toko, and some others escaped.
There was an elder called Awa Horomana who stood up with his weapon and struck the hand of one of the police who, having been struck, dropped his rifle. The rifle was fetched by the elder who started to shoot at those who were holding Rua. Not being familiar with the gun he was moving about when he was struck down with a baton. Then Rua was ‘frog-marched’ by six policemen to where some of the prisoners were.
At this time there was intense fighting with the Maori shooting their guns from all the places in the forest where they were hiding. Toko was seen stealthily moving and stopping at the house of Rua. He took from there his gun and started to shoot at the police outside the [?perana] fence. A young man called Maipa followed Toko’s example and fired at the police. He had a revolver and a rifle.
[10]
Three policemen were wounded here. Toko was seen moving stealthily across the farmland. There was shooting and he fell. He crept behind Rua’s house; here he was shot again and was killed. Maipa died in the same place.
The police were having problems at this point fighting 20 or 30 Maori who were firing upon them from various places – from within the scrub, and from the side of the road into the pa. One of the Maori, Herepo, was injured. The police had taken Rua’s stronghold. They had nine prisoners, Rua’s son being one of them. When all was peaceful the police retreated. They went about their business very quickly; were Rua to escape these troubles would be prolonged. Two of Rua’s people were killed – Toko Rua and Maipa Waaka. Herepo suffered a gunshot would and A Horomana was wounded with a baton. Four policemen were wounded. It was clear that all Rua’s Maori had guns.
MORE NEWS.
When Rua was taken and sentenced to three months in prison his hair was cut short and he uttered his proverb:
‘Kua rite ahau ki a Hamuhona,
i te roroatanga oku makawe e mau ana toku kaha,
inaianei ia kua popoto a kua memeha ano toku kaha.’
i te roroatanga oku makawe e mau ana toku kaha,
inaianei ia kua popoto a kua memeha ano toku kaha.’
‘I am like Samson in that
while my hair was long I retained my strength,
but now that it is short my strength has vanished.’
When the police drew near to the altar and ordered him to come out, Rua said: ‘I shall fight on for ever and ever. Go back. We are going to fire our guns now.’
Four companies of police surrounded Rua and his people who were cutting wood for their house; there were 25 (sic) men in each company. When Rua’s thirty sentries saw them they ran and said that there were ‘policemen.’ Each man ran fetch his gun. Rua’s gun was a [?naira - ?nail].
When Rua was arrested he said to his captors, ‘Shoot me. I am finished before my time.’ Two policement took Rua to Opotiki, and about twenty other prisoners will probably be taken to be tried in Auckland.
At the time of the confrontation Rua’s people numbered 500 including women and children. Some went into the meeting house which was not touched and some ran to hide in the bush. Five of the police were severely wounded and some are in a satisfactory state. Nineteen of Rua’s people were wounded.
The occupants of a French emplacement near Forges moved from that place to a different one; the Germans were unaware of their going. On a fixed day the Germans pounded the emplacement with their big guns and then charged it. When they got there, there was not a Frenchman to be seen. Then the French fired upon it with their guns and not one German survived.
[11]
In Doctor Pomare’s speech in Auckland before the departure of the Pakeha soldiers and the Third Maori Contingent, he said: ‘There are four peoples going to the war. You Pakeha, be as angry as the devil, but let it be with a Christian spirit. You Niueans, Eke taha! Be brave! You Rarotongans, Mata te pekapeka. Face up to conflict! You Maori, remember Gate Pa and Orakau and the words of Rewi, “Let us fight on for ever and ever!”’
LETTERS RECEIVED.
Greetings, Bird, the ornamental bird of the Maori. I am very grateful for your accounts of the war and other stories of the world, though the war stories are the main stories at this time. Be strong as you carry these articles to the places in Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu. Because Christ has pointed out before that when these things happen the end will come. Bird, I know that the end of the world is near. Best wishes, Bird. It would be better if there were two issues a month for your subscribers.
[Those who support our bird, greetings. We are very happy to receive your thanks and your encouragement to increase the number of visits our bird makes to you. Many of you have asked that we send out Te Kopara twice a month. That would be possible if it received more food. At this time, although it costs five shillings to produce it once a month, most of its supporters forget about it for a couple of years, and yet our bird keeps flying. Were this clear to people then we could consider two editions a month. We’ll explain this in another place. – Editor.]
A NOTICE.
We have received requests from many of the subscribers to increase the number of editions of Te Kopara to two a month. We have discussed the matter. Now we must first put this to you. It is a possibility if all the subscribers to our Kopara agree that there should be two editions a month, and that the subscription be ten shillings (10/-) a year, and that that subscription be paid in advance of receiving Te Kopara. Therefore, you people who help in this project, send in your ideas now so that we can know your thoughts and begin the new pattern for our Kopara.
From your friend,
Herbert Williams.
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THE ROLL OF HONOUR OF THE MAORI CONTINGENT.
Members of the Maori Contingent who will soon arrive home: William Angel, Matakohe; Ngarama Kamamiera, Mangonui; Matene Mita, Tangoro, Hawkes Bay; Manu Paora, Okere, Rotorua; Take Whetu Para, Kaikohe; Kipa Rotoatara, Wairoa, HB; Wiremu Rupi, Waikaremoana; 2nd Lieut McGregor, Milton; Corp Saunders, Pivates Wikiore, Haenga, Hera, Harawera, Peretito, Hetaraka, Te Kuri, Kānga, A Karauti, Hekiera, Kupara, Keneti, Nikorima, Pakana, Tapauri, Paraone, Te Kerekaihau, Pitama, C H Popata, Miha Puru, R Simeon, J Teikoha, Teme, Tukaki, G C Wellman.
In Hospital in Cairo: Haimona Busby, Hiki Tautuhi, Makiwi Merriman, Rewiri Kirimana – recovering well.
The Dead: Privates Kaimanu, Te Ngaio Wharaheke.
A NOTICE
To those wanting a Prayer Book or Hymn Book. I now have plenty of books. The prices are:
Large, soft cover 2/6
Large, red cover 3/-
Large, hard cover 4/-
Large, superior cover 5/6
Small, soft cover 1/-
Small, red cover 1/6
Small, hard cover 2/6
Small, superior cover 3/6
Prayer Book with Hymns, soft cover 1/6
Prayer Book with Hymns, red cover 1/-
Prayer Book with Hymns, hard cover 3/-
Prayer Book with Hymns, superior cover 4/-
Prayer Book, New Testament and Hymns, red cover, 3/6
Prayer Book, New Testament and Hymns, superior cover, 5/6
Hymns 6d
Words for the Prayerful Heart 3d
I will pay the postage to send the books to you
H W Williams,
Naurea, Gisborne
People wanting a Bible or a New Testament should apply to the Bible Depository Sunday School Union, Auckland.
Bible, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 1/-.
New Testament with explanatory headings. 2/6, 3/-, 4/6. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.
Small New Testament with the Psalms. 2/-, 2/6, 3/-, 3/6, 4/-. Enclose a postage stamp for 3d.
Printed and published by H W Williams at Te Rau Printing Works, Berry Street, Gisborne, New Zealand.
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