THE MAORI.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 66, 11 December 1907, Page 6

THE MAORI.

The occasional homilies with which Sir liobert Stout diversifies his investigations of the Maori land problem inspire us with the hope that in a future report he will deal more than superficially with the prospect of the racial resurrection that optimistic people predict for the Maori. To be really valuable, any discussion of such a prospect must be based upon statistics, and must, above all things, be free from 'the insincerity and conventional generalities that have made most past discussions of the question entirely uselpss. _If anybody possesses the qualifications necessary for tlie production _qf such a thesis, it is the Chief Justice, According- to a message from Gisborne, which we print to-day, he has been warning the Waiapu Natives that they must avoid the evils of drink, work upon the land, and live the-simple life. Like all counsels of .perfection, this one defines an end without furnishing the means of arriving at it. The white race has two courses open to it: we can either make up our minds t6 leave Nature free to save or destroy the Native race, or we can determine actively to assist the race to advancement. In the latter case, which is, of course, the only one which can be considered, the problem can easily be confused if-the-assistance given is to be nothing more than whatever happy accident may result from a scheme of Native 1 land settlement to meet the growing land-hunger of our own people. But what positive assistance can we give? In the last resort everything depends upon the Natives I themselves. Legislation cannot be passed enacting that the Maori shall change his nature and acquire in- a high degree the virtues of self-reliance, thrift and energy. It should be suffi-c-ient to give him such social freedom as will permit and encourage him to practise those virtues. In a recent lecture Edinburgh, Mr. Carnegie quoted an impressive mass of statistics to show that, with no more encouragement than social and economic. freedom, the negroes of America have multiplied enormously in numbers, and made astounding progress in wealth and industry and the' other marks of active citizenship. Yet with equal, lreedom the Maoris have made no progress as a race.. The Chief Justice must have discovered something of the causes that keep the Maori from taking his place as a citizen amongst his white fellows. He must have come to' some conclusions respecting the prospect of a racial resurrection, and he must also have made up his mind upmi such measures of assistance, beyond the mere allotment of lands, as are within the range of practical, politico. We trust that he will add to the recommendations required by his Commission a discussion of the fundamental question, which we should all desire to have settled: Is there a real hope of a Maori revival?