Mr. Fraser Not Sure About Maori Crime Figures

Chronicle (Levin), 21 June 1949, Page 7

Mr. Fraser Not Sure About Maori Crime Figures

HASTINGS, June 20. While it was important that anything he could do to check erime among the Maoris, would be done, he would have to look into statistics relating to the position and ascertain just h'ow mueh it represented a temporary *abberation and how mueh was planned crim,e, said the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, when replving to a Maori Angliean- Synod deputation headed by the Rt. Rev.'F. A. Bennett, Bishop of Aotearoa, request ing action to eombat the apparent in cfdenee of crime among the Maoris and general iowering of moral standards. The question of crime among the Maoris was serious, said Mr Fraser, and if not attended to immediately, it might lead to great evil$. But if it weri exaggerated in certain quarters, it could do a great deal of harm to thiMaori race as a whole. However, there was a great difference between spoutaneous crime and planned crime and it would not do to condemn it ali equally before a complete investigation of the various types and degrees of crime was made. "That I will have to do before regarding the remarks of the ilhief Justice regarding statistics relating to Maori crime, as seriously as they appear on the surf ace. However. one thing is clear. I do not want 25 pei cent of the people in our gaols to be Maoris. I would naturally like to seathe incidence of crime general ly redue ed but it is worth remembering thal the Maoris have only had 100 years of civilisation compared with severn1 hundreds of years the Europeans have had, and under the eireumstances, thev lave done very well. " Another factor, continued Mr» Fraser, was that reports from certain chihl welfare offieers indicated that delin. quenev among Maori children was on the wane and the magnificent aehievements of members of the Maori race in the arts and professions, was a bright spot in the picture. Under the Maori Social Eeonomic AdvancementAct 1945, Mr Fraser said, wardens appointed by tribal committees, had certain authority and would have the backing of the police and hotel managements in their efforts to keep down drinking among Maoris in hotels. The tribal committees should examine more closelv the Act and ascertain their po wers under it. While he was essentially for equal-

ity of rights in most things for men and Avomen in certain matters, sueti equality might lead to evil and he was referring to women in hotels, said Mr Fraser. This was not cOnfined to the Maoris but he felt there must be a dis-' tinction between men and women drinking. Women had greater functions in life than drinking, sueh as raising families, and he emphasised that if ever drinking by women developed into a serious evil, steps would be taken to stop it. Mr Fraser concluded by expressing indignation that in certain quarters it was being asserted that becaues the Maoris reeeived equal social security benefits as Europeans, this was contributing to the demoralisation of the Ma ori race. This was-so mueh rubbish, he said. Tt was untrue and an insult to the Maori people. Social seeuritv had been a great benefit to Europeans aml Maoris alike and though some person* of both races. were abusing the social security provisions, this was being stop ped. In this conneetion he felt the tribal committees could act in there was ever any evidence 4o show that the child benefits were not being used for the benefits of the children. To divert those moneys from their objective, was nothing short of robbery and it was the most despicable thing he could think of. Some of the Maori race had fallen by the wavside but it was the duty of thi- Government and others to help them. With the cooperation of the churches, tribal committees and Maori people themselves, he was sure the Maori race would march onwards and upwards.