AUCKLAND SPECIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 403, 30 April 1902, Page 3

AUCKLAND SPECIAL.

• MR SEDDON’S QUOTATION. REMARKS OF WI PERE. (Special to Times.) Auckland last night. Mr Seddon, interviewed at Sydney, says :—“ I want to give an emphatic denial to the statement that in the course of a recent speech I advocated the letting loose of Maoris to roam in South Africa, and deal with the Boers in a cruel, savage way. Probably the mistake has arisen through attribution to me of tho utterance of the Chief Wi Pere, who said that if the fight had occurred in olden days, and the Maoris had been allowed to roam at large, the war would not have lasted so long. In those days the enemy never troubled the Maori a Becond time. Of course that was in accordance with their customs. In my speech I alluded to the arming and training of Natives, first for defence purposes, and secondly in tho emergency of tho Empire they would, 'with our other troops, be available for active service, and as such they would do good work. The Maori was always a chivalrous fighter, and the Maori of to-day is thoroughly amenable to civilisation and to discipline. In fact, he is a gentleman, and he could be as safely trusted to observe civilised usage m warfare as any European.” Dr Pomare accompanies the Hon. J. Carroll to Rotorua. The latter is to present the Duke of York’s Hag to the Arawa tribe.