SPEAKING IN MAORI.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1819, 4 August 1913, Page 6

SPEAKING IN MAORI.

MR, SPEAKER'S RULING TAKEN. When the Speaker resumed the Chair, The Hon. A. T. Ngata, w>o had been ruled out of order by the Chairman of Committees for speaking in Maori, rose, and onco again bega.il to speak in Maori. - Mr. Speaker said that there was no Standing Order 011 the subject, but that it was not upholding the dignity of the House that an hon. gentleman who could speak in English should speak in Maori. The Prime Minister cited a case whieh occurred in the Imperial Parliament in 1901, when an Irish representative who 6[>oke in Erse, was ruled out of order. He contended that this furnished a precedent. Mr. Wilford and other Oppositionists denied the validity of this opinion. The Hon. Dr. I'omare said that it might have basil the practice in the past for Native members to liavo interpreters, but that time had departed. Of the four Native' members in ttio House,. three were University graduates. The whole question had been raised as a matter of party tactics for tlie sake of obstruction, and not as a matter of principle at all. The reason he had voted against his friend the member for Eastern Maori was that he had looked upon the matter as wasting the time of the House. Mir. 6. W. Russell contended that the English case quoted by the Prime Minister was not analagous to that of Native members, who were special representatives. A Native member would naturally be more at home speaking his own tongue. Dr. Pomare: \Tlie Maori languago is dead.' ~ , The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher said that the 11011. A. T.- Ngat.i had habitually spoken in the House in English. -- The HOll. E. 11. Rhodes: Even when an interpreter was sitting beside him! Mr. Ngata confessed that the matter began by way of a. "joke, but. it had got beyond that now. The Speaker's ruling would be waited with some anxiety by members of the Native race. The discussion w.;s continued at. considerable length, and Mr. Speaker eventually ruled that a Maori member had a right to address the House through an interpreter, but that, in the absence of an interpreter he should do his best to spealc in English. A Maori member could not be. permitted to address the House in Maori when no interpreter was present. Some Protests. Mr. G. W. Russell now sought to put on record an oscomit of the night's .pro* ceed'ings, from the standpoint of the Opposition. He was advised by the Speaker, however, that he could not refer to tho "events of tho night, as flu's would result in reopening the whole debate. Mr. Bradney loudly raised a point of order, which resolved itself finally into a fierce protest against being kept any longer out of bed by the member for Avon or anybody else. M-v.. Russell submitted that tlie best possible* reason for adjourning was to be found in tho condition to which members were; reduced. Mr. Forbes: Worn out. Mr. Russell said that the Opnositinn were not responsible. He would take the first ODportnnity of dealing witli tho action of tho Government, and tlie ovents of this long sitting. The Primo Minister said that the speech of the member for Avon had supplied the strongest reasons for adjourning. On the occasion indicated by Mr. Ru.wpfl he would reply to tho fullest possible extent. Tho Houso rose at 8.15 a.m.