The Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3353, 18 November 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1873.

The voluntary abandonment of their self-imposed isolation by the King Natives, as indicated by the visit ol Tawhiao to persons beyond the prescribed boundaries, has drawn increased attention to the present condition of the Maoris. We have known them, during the past few years mainly as warriors; as antagonists or allies. Hei'bafter We trust they will dwell amongst us as fellow subjects of the same Government, sharing in the labors, profits; and advancement of fhe Gblony. Jn this changed relationship it is important to know what may be expected as a result. Are they increasing or decreasing in numbers? Are they becoming so changed in their modes of thought and habits of life as to render their ultimate complete civilisation probable ? Distant as we are from the mass of the Maori population, we can Only gather information from official records, to which but little attention could be given during the session of Parliament. In March last, in reply to a circular from the “ Native Office” addressed to officers in the Native districts, reports were sent in to the Government which throw some light on the subject. Some of the,reports are lengthy, some very meagre. In certain districts greater advancement appears to have been made than in others; there appear to be restless spirits located,in most tribes, but the general tenor of the reports is that the Natives are generally anxious for peace and friendly relatiofas with Europeans. The imprudence of which Mr Stafford was guilty the spssioii before last, when he held'out the prospect of abandoning the confiscated lands, produced its natural fruit. To the Tauranga Natives “ the hope of having all their confiscated: dands returned tb them—for such was the report in circulation amongst them—-was naturally a source of gratification ; and it was a great disappointment when it: was not realised.” The growing feeling regarding the chances of successful war against, the Whites ,may be gathered from the report of the Civil Commissioner regarding the Arawa. He says;— The Arawa are a very different people'’ to the Ngaitcrangi. They arc more warlike, turbulent, and from their extreme jealousy of each other, difficult 1 to manage—and yet, withal, loyal to Ohr Government. •• T have'’gathered from them that this was, in the first instance, made the subject of careful deliberations. The subject of taking part for or .against us was discussed at many a meeting; and it was finally decided that it would be impossible for them as a raqe to cope with the dogged, perseverance of the white man. and, therefore, it was to their advantage to ally themselves to the Pkkeha; To this early perception of the superiority of civilised to savage man was owing the valuable assistance rendered by'the Arawa' tribes in the latff wars. Accounts differ as to tire numerical position of the Maoris; In the Hokianga district, the Resident Magistrate considers they are decreasing : the deaths’ exceeding the births by about one-thirtieth. Xo bqujo districts, .there

had been much sickness and many deaths : in others the population was considered stationary, while in the Bay of Plenty it was estimated by tiie Resident Magistrate to be slowly increasing, the births being ; “ considerably in excess ” of the deaths. ' “There are few children as compared'with the offspring of Europeans, but those appear to thrive; and As the Natives, being well off, are able to give them a good deal of European food, they are better nurtured than those in some districts.” So far as positive crime is concerned most of the Native districts appear to be comparatively free. The general testimony of the magistrates is pretty much the same throughout as that of the Resident Magistrate at Opotiki, who reported;— Some improvement may baaeen in the morals of the Natives. . The criminal cases brought before the Resident Magistrate’s Court in which Natives are defendants are few, and in no case has any serious crime been charged against them. Drunkenness certainly prevails to a great extent, especially' among the chiefs; but I think there is improvement. In their social habits I fear, however. there is no change. One can only hope that’ the schools now being established, may effect by degrees an alteration tor the better.' , Throughout the whole of the reports the schools are favorably spoken of, and the desire for education of children appears to be general. In the Opotiki district a school was conducted, at which both European and Native children attended ; two tribes at "W hakatane subscribed £SO towards a school building ; at Oraarumutu the Natives were supplementing the gift of a schoolhouse by the Government by giving labor in fencing the reserve, roadmaking, carting material and other work at Torere and To Haka ; the chiefs collected subscriptions during the harvest for schoolhouse construction ; but a free school at Opotiki “ open to all Natives” who,, chose to attend it, was not largely availed of. Mr Booth, Resident ‘ Magistrate at Wanganui, reported:— One great want, most keenly felt by the more intelligent dhiefs of my acquaintance, is the want of literature in their own language, or (which comes to the same thing) ability to read and understand English. . . • Having this feeling, therefore, the Natives very gladly welcome the .establishment amongst them, by Government aid, of schools, in which their children can be taught the English language. We do not agree with Mr Booth that it “ comes to the same thing ” whether the literature is Maori or English. It is far better that it should be English than Maori, for then the barrier to communion of thought through the use of a common language is broken through, and the Maoris become British excepting in the color ol their skins. The school will prove the surest peacemaker between the coming generations. In general the Natives have turned their attention to cultivation of their land, and in some instances have made their own roads. Some of the young men in the Wanganui district are able to compete very favorably against all European ploughmen at the annual ploughing match held at Aramolio. We will conclude our hasty sketch by an amusing extract from Mr Booth’s report It is not an uncommon occurrence for a young chief to spend LSO or LOO in giving a dinner, with beer, champagne, kc. , to his friends, and this is to be particularly noticed after a sitting of the Native Land Court. If judgment has been given on a long-disputed question, both parties (claimants and counter-claimants) vie with each other as to who can give the most expensive entertainment, in order to prove to each other and to the world that no illfeeling exists between them. In this manner hundreds of pounds have been squandered away during the past three or four months; and lam afraid we must not look for much improvement in this respect while the Natives possess so large an extent of waste land, which can at any time be turned into ready money. In fact they are now in a transition state between barbarism and civilisation, and consequently they be fairly judged either by the former or the latter standard; Having a large amount of available capital in the shape of land, they are the mort easily drawn into habits ‘of idleness and careless extravagance. The remedy to tins unsatisfactory state of affairs; lies, I believe, in the disposal of all their waste lands ; reserving sufficient land for themselves to yield a handsome income. When they have to turn their attention te the means of obtaining a living by their own industry, they will, I believe, compare favorably with the European settler, and will be, led to adopt habits of industry and sobriety.' . ’ ’ ■