THE DECAY OF THE MAORI RACE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1766, 14 February 1888, Page 2

THE DECAY OF THE MAORI RACE

under the appropriate heading of " Wearing Awa' " the Auokland "Ball" thus descants :— For some occult reason it is the practice to overestimate tha numbers of the Native population of New Zaalvnd. The sob j .tot hu baan. under discussion many times during- tfcft last few years, and though it has been perfeotly o'ear that the Maoris are rapldlv dhftppea I ig, publis *ed statistics ■? ill teU us, as they told u<* 2-1 years ago; that the ! Natives number 40,000. It hat always been assumed that tbe extensive ooontry lying between Taupo and the West Coast i* densely panpled, bat nothing o»n well be more errcieous. Where thousands were supposed to live they may be coaared' m hundreds, ad scores of kaingas whioh were places of importance a decade or so ago are now deserted and desolate. It Is | possible, indeed, to travel far a whole dmf through the famous King Country without catching a gbm^se of a dusky faoe. Ltkt the Red Indian the Ma >ri is going, and hts disappearance oannot be long delayed. This is very sad but it is true.