OTAKI MAORI COLLEGE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 629, 5 October 1909, Page 8

OTAKI MAORI COLLEGE.

~ OPENED; BY LORD PLUNKET., . ■ • ' INTBEESTING SPEECHES.,.. '. :V .NATIVES; STAY-AWAY- FROM CERBMONJ. The opening cerSmbny in connection with the Maori College (and Hostelat Otaki./'took place 'yesterday. 'O*iig; to a' misunderstanding aris-' :ing out of;the' making of .the arrangements, "the'Natives.'f or : *.tte.', most'-'part absented, thomselves. .The/noWvinstitution .was provided and -will be'maintained out of the'funds accruing from endowments:grnutfd by.the leading chiefs .of the Ngatiraukawa.-.Ngahtba, and/Ngatiawa tribes over.-'half:a,'century ago. Altogether the college accbminodate about •Wβ.- P"PU S ' whilst the hostel will accommodatp twenty boardern. The.Eov. J. A. Sl'Nickle, M.A., the principal, expects te.' bpen, the -institutipn within the nextifew days. ■ \ ' " ' \(Jppn his , 'arrival, nis Excellency the Gcvernor, Lord .Pjunket,- was welcomed by ■ the ; Anglican Bishop, pf Wellington (Dr. Wallis), and Mr. E; 'Bajcpmbe Brown, on behalf. of, the board of trustees. 'The Bevs. T.H. Sprbtt, arid A. W. H." Compbin, of Wellington, and. the Hera. , Cr.'J. Smith', and Temuera Tokortua, ,pf OlaM, /were : 'Mso.' present.. Subsequent- to -a briof religious''service, , Lcrd/Plunket declared ■the buildings.' "open for the training of our : fellow countryinen in the ■ faith • of, our Lord Jesus Christ, and in all such things.as shall make for .their-well-being, , soul and spirit." Owing to rain commencing to fall, ah adjournment was made into the college, where several interesting epeecpes : were ,made. . ,

■ History of'the Endowments. ■ Mr. Brown said it was- hoped by all that the. college Would prove of ;great benefit to the" Mabri pepple.;"Reference was made, by him to tho■ history bf the' endowments which' supperted the new; college;'and -he said .that, many of the Maoris would' continue to revere the name pf Mrs.. Jennings for' -'the wprk that she ;had deneV :.. "jin'-/ cennection , with the school.. (Applaiise.) It had been. deemed advisable tc amalgamate 'the Perirua' and Otaki trusts, with the , result that they had been able to .-build? the new college and hostel. For some. tim_e:.th.e Maoris .had been impatient owing to the delay in connection with'tho establishment of the institution, but ho could assure them that it was impossible to erect • it sqoner. The Maoris • were not financiers,' and did not very \jrell understand the that'had lain in the way.' It was hoped that the, colleges at:Otaki and Clareville'would prove of :as~weat benefit' as those of St. Stephen's ancf Te Auto. 'Everybody trusted that the establishment of the new.college would put an-end tc.the friction which existed in regard to educatiprial matters between the Natives of. that cpast and. thpse of the pther coast, and that , both'would now work shoulder to shoulder to. advance such a good work. The Natives who..had igiven the endowments 'had recognised that a man to be properly educated must.be educated in a threeifpld manner, or, as it were,.that the three sides pf their nature —the spirituali;.tho physical, and the intellectual—should.:be:ddvefoped.' ■ In making the gift of tho endowMentS '.the Natives.had invariably given them in , such -a way that training was made an essential.in connection with- the education to be' provided ' for; the children of their; race. v It was rather sad that those whp had -.followed . them had hot-been equally generous-in the matter-of setting aside endowments'/for/ educational purposes.- .Although they, had iboeri parting with. portionsTof their lands ..from, time to time,. ho one ■ additional endowment had since been i given for the purpose in questicn. On behalf of the trustees he wished -to; thank Lord Plunket -for his kindness "in performing the ppening ceremony. (Loud ;applause.).,',/,;. . ' ~.;...'

■■.;- ; ..' "■ ';,"f/A. Misunderstanding,'.-'•'■,'..'■ ,; vMr." , Field, M.P., iaiil ; ho was.' extrpmely.sorry that'a,misnnderstandihg had arisen as a result pf which .the Native's had decided not to bo present." ■ Ho' kWm- that' tho .Mapns, had for years past/ been - 'hinging 'for /the institution ■ whichnad just been declared open.-. For'quite a long time" there' : existed a •controversy.'as : to the"mahner ,j iri'which the 'endowment ■'•.funds shoul'd be lited.-,' 'Some "people had held that they /should'''b'eVutilised .for. the .purpose of maintaining /scholarships,at the' Colleger-under which .preference.."would, oe given to .descendants of-tho ; donors of the.:eri(lpwmen'ts/'whilst, pthe'rs, including". himself, had held that the'course which had now' been taken shpuld be "adopted. He would like to soc provision 'made tor tho inclusion ori'-'the Beard of Trustees of representatives of the three tribes which:made the gifts, of the endowments. ,:.(Hear,,hcar.)« That;was a.matter' :fo-;future'conmderatipn, and he did npt think there was any'legal'-obstacle- , in' the-,way, '■' If that were done it wpuld go a long way;'.'to-' wards smoothing over any possible, .difficulties 'between- the Natives arid, the:trustees.;: What was desired was that the' school should grow' into, an institution the work in .with which .would eiribraco technical .education. (Hear, hear.) 'He-would like to sefl!portion of tho .endowment .at,Otaki devoted to>the purpbse of "securing, for, the Maori ybuth instruction in, ! farming. operati'bnS.. (Load applause.) "::'■ / "'■■■■ •".•■' t ■•''!"■' hi ■■■'. ; " Remarks by Bishop Wallis.;.-;;v;v:;:

I .Bishop Wallis'said he .would'like,'to'remind his auditors that the scene'pf the ceremony was sacred and historic ground/ -That.was'the very first place/in the. provincial district of Wellington, at which theGojoel, was!preached, and it was also the spot; where the first church to be erected';in that .portion bf 'the""NorthIsland had;: been built. It was also particu- , larly interesting to him because his immediate predecessor "jyaa the-first .clergyman to .visit the district.'-The; old* church was constructed by the Natives,, who were rightly very proud of it" That /day..' was a 'great' day ;fpr.. tho Maoris, because if it ( 'had not.been for.their .gifts it would'"have/beon 'impossible to estab-' Tish the college'firid hostel. It was onlythrough;a'misuriderstariding in regard :■ to the -making pf tho arran|eiripnte that tho-Natives were net , at .the/cere'meny. absence, was net due to a: coldness in regard to the school, 'for they Welcomed, it'most heartily., He sup-' ported the^'proposal''that.;technical',educatio'n should be'given: at'; the'college,'' and h'ofied that ■it would-be/commenced'at the outset • (Hejir, hear.) >' InstructjAn of the -kind had proved 'very,beneficial',.atrClareville. aridiTe' Aute. He :was pleased tb.-be able to aifriounce that the trustees desired/'.that there should be no- delay, in 'conriebtiPh' ..with,'the, commencement of. technicar.,instructibn ,'*t. the new, institution.' It had. been found, that' the -ordinary- education alone .was..riot/sufficient." ■ At ClafevilleVshoemaking, carpentry,; farming, , etc., were taught, and the boys,'entered upon the lessons with zeaL ■ What .wanted wa.s that'the Maori youth should .&>':taught.first the faith of Jesus; Christ, arid;..secondly,-how to''earn thMr.own living -with-theii;,6'wn hands. .(Loud applause.)

■ ■■ ■. •;The i .' i Coyerirjor , s .Speech; .. '■'~;. Hiss Excellency;" the .Governor' , said 'that, the sm : all trouble'which he': had'..been put'to , in order was. undertaken-with- a heart and'-a-'half, because he had...'Always taken 'the deepest" interest' in ' the Maori race. (Applause.).' 'It 'he' had not'undertaken it he would not have . been doing. his duty to his ■Majesty,- the ■King,' who was,.also, deeply inter : . ested•• in theVweftare':. of i the; Natives of New 'Zealand. ,I , iye ? an'tt'a: i haU".yeaM j .'ago;on, the , 'eve" of his Zealand,-he.had ■the' honour rof-' an. interview- , , with/ hfe'- Majesty, iwho 'onth'a't'ocoasion referred'as. muoh : to the ■Maoris ■as.to/rthej'Eurppeans:.- There, were two '. special , ,reasons.-; why the college' commended itself to'Kiia'ii-In'ftn'e'.'nrst-'place it was an institution, at',which; there was- ■going to,be religious training, -and, 'eeobndly, because technical'instruction* was 'going to bo given at it. Those two 1 things combined would promise-' a 'great future institution. .-.Later the ipeople o£';Ofaki'' would; be,-very.' proud 'to have .it' in ■their' ,, inidst,-. and' several •• other : Maori schools - might l ;: have to' hide thoir diminished ■ heads;-; (Larighteir and applause.) ■/..

" i His'Esccenency.'t'Advice' to the Maoris. - ' After .-the 'opening' ceremony,: •Lord Plunket was' the. guest, ■. of'• the Natives.' It i was ex-, plained to-him; by-Mr.-H. Parata. and Mr. R. Ransfield that',the.Natives had no'iepresentation ou the' board of trustees. When- the time came to-make-.the arrangements for'the l opening .ceremony- , the 'Natives, had- not been consulted in;the' matter. : They considered that they.had been::slighted, because if.'it had not been - that their-: forefathers' ■'had', donated -Jhe endowmohtevthere would have:-boon .:no institution. ■ toi.open.';'. If' it-had'beeil. desired, ; they would have-provided halfithe oost of ■ the func-tion,-or,' ifl necessary,'•the. -whole of: it.;-: i '.Lord Srunkotj'-after-.thanking" them.' , for; their welcome, 'said he; felt'sure. the; Natives-wished him■ to'speak/his i 'irtind, and.:not'to pay them ■ idle compliments." :Ho'wns, : he very fiorry that; tho .'.Natives !had/not ■ attended the Hβ would not' eay. anything- more ■ about iti "the foot Jhat : 'he'- had accepted of •their hospitality .showed that' he ; had forgiven • what-" was , ', undoubtedly .-a '-'■ breabh of .'etiquette ■onvtheir .applause.) '' The' great thing now'was tp make : .tne school.'a-complete ' sucoees. '■_ , JEyery/i'ohild 'to whom .'■ instruction would be anj advantage should be .required to 'attend 'the college and work hard while there. If.some of those present wanted any information 813001 •' the Bonool, he was, sure it would ■be forthcoming. I n the .event of any iof them-being.dissatisfied in any..way, they.had 'a:remedy. I .'in-,t;ho' I .form: of agitation till they 'prot; their, rights.; v (Loud .applause.). Lord -Hunket added' that he. was pleased to see the. progress -were making. In.different piirrs, Natives skilful fnrniere. With the aid of .technical education there was no reason why .raapy more could not be made uinatwful jqttlei4, (Loud umUiueJ, ■.