MEETING AT WAINUI

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 1048, 16 November 1903, Page 3

MEETING AT WAINUI

ME W. COOPEE ENTEETAINS 300 MAOEI GUESTS.

IMPORTANT SPEECH BY HOST,

An interesting and unique ga therin « assembled at Mr W. Cooper’s residence at Wainui on Saturday evening last, Wh 300 natives o£ different tnbes assem to celebrate the marriage of tfrC°°P' adopted daughter, Hene t Car’rolJEruera te Kura, full cousin to Mrs Carroll. The charming grounds were ben best, and the scene ,in t. ho , cv , e ? f,’ hinego the gardens were illuminated by , lanterns and numberless torches, w™ sot off the varied and picturesque costurnes of the natives, was quite Oriental in character, and must have c os ol y « sembled the gatherings oi natives wh'C Sir George Groy and Sir Donald McLea so often convened at their private res dencoa in Wellington and j ag a fifties. The largo library was used as social hall, aod a very iino Pt°g ral f “ o ,° vocal music was gono through dur g evening, which proved that tho u are the possessors of most tuneful v , „many of the solos being urtistic traa ‘’all of the concerted numbers mos j y able. *■ Several splendid haku L*°™ c e i. formed during the evening, borne excel lent speechos were delivered g afternoon on topics of vital mte Maori race. In welcoming bis guests, Mr C Tot Ba mo welcome tho tribes present. There aro not so maDy of you as I would bavo wished, but considering tho short notice givon yon, 1 think tho four sections are"' very well represented espociall v tho Teitanga-amahaki, Ngatiporou, and Urewera. I am very pleased to soo you all assembled hore, and welcome you all, and especially tho Urewera, as thoy are a quiet and ordorly people, although thoy fought against us during tho war; but I think nono the worse of them for that, as no doubt they bolievod their cause to bo right. There is one thing I feol vory much —that in this gathering tho oldor pooplo and chiofs aro poorly ro* presented. Tho cause, lam sorry to say, is that they have passed out and gono to their lathors ; that is a road that we all have ttf travel sooner or later. I look baok with sorrow and regrot to seo that such a fine race is gradually passing away. Tho rangafcira Maoris, as I bavo known them in the past, I thiuu the strongest term I can uso in regard to them is that thoy woie nature’s gontlemen; and, though I must admit, that thoro aro some vory fine rangatiras, or gentlemen, in my own race, still I do not think thoy come up to tho rangatira Maori. Tho ohiof of old—his word was his bond ; in fact, ho was always willing to stake bis head on his word. It was some times a difficult mattor to get that word, but onco given you could thoroughly rely on it. With regard to my own race in this rospcct, even with doeds and documents you are not very certain as to where you are, and especially when the lawyers appear on the scone. lam now going to put beforo you a few ideas with respect to yoursolves and tho laws which were framed and supposed to bo for your bonefit; - but I am very sorry to have to say that there has been a terriblo lot of bungling with regard to this from tho start almost up to tho present timo. The first Native Land Act passed for your benefit was in tho year 1865 ; that was supposed to give you all the rights and privileges of a British subject. It was supposed to give you the rights to deal with your lands as /ou thought fit. Of course, thoro wore many defects in this Act, as thoro always are in all now Acts, but of course everything has to bavo a beginning. It was found, with these defocts, that tho Act did not work as well as was anticipated. The rosult was that two years afterwards thoro was another Act passed, callod the Act of 67. That Act workod very well, but there was so much land alienated under this Act that it was thought at tho timo that land-sharks and speculators wore swindling tho Maoris. In 1873 Sir. Donald McLean appeared on the scene. He was asked to framo an Act, which was called the Aot of ’73, and framo it as-much as possible on Native custom and usage. Ho did this, and, of course, he thoroughly understood, ns few men to the presont timo have done, Native customs and usages in regard to land tenure. And now let me tell you that there was no other land tenure in tho known world like yours, or as good. Of course this goe3 to show what wise men, and also good men, your ancestors wore. Your land tenure shows this all through. I havo no-doubt there are a great number of young people present who know nothing of this tenure whatevor ; but let me toll you that the commonest individual in the tribe had an equal right in tho land with the chief. But there is just this—that you could not disposo of your land without the consont of your chief, neither could tho chief without 6130 consent of his people, I consider ’this tenure, in great measure, was tho moans of keoping tho tribes together. Th.o-Act of ’73 was too cumbersome for Europeans to work, in fact there woro very few Europeans who understood the Act at ail.' It was construed in a number of different ways, and wits tho cause of endless litigation. Had the Europeans understood tho uSngOB and customs of Natives, I have no doubt that Act would havo worked vory well. It did this for you people—it gave you all your rights according to .your custom and usage. It gave you rights you never had bofore. But it had ouo vory uDfortunato thing about it, it was a very expensive Act to work. Sir Donald McLean framed this Act, Dover stopping to think that Europeans j would never bo nbio to construe it. Had all tho Europeans boon thoroughly versed in tho customs and usages of you people, tho thing would havo workod all right. I consider MeLean was one of tho greatest friends the Maoris over had. Thero never was a European post or present that over undorstpod you people os well as he did, and I am sure that you must havo missod him when bo passed a.vay. Ho, too, has gono to his fathers. I know a great deal of him from my boyhood tip to the time of his death, and witnessed in Wairarapa district, where I tbon lived, a great number oi his transactions with tho Maoris. You will never get another man to attond to your wauts as ho did ; although Garroll comes tho nearest to him, and I think that ho does tho very best ho can for you. I now come to the Maori Administration Act —that is, the present Act. There is no doubt but that it has given Mr Carroll an immense amount of worry and trouble. He has had to fight this through, you might say, almost single-handed, and 11 can assure you it has been no s oasy matter. Out of about 100 members in that House —that is, European members—thero aro only three or four that know anything about- yt'U Natives or tho Acts that are framed for you, and, I am spvry to say, earo as little. Of course, Carroll is a man that gets tho credit of not worrying over anything, but I toll you as a pooplo that ho has had a lot of worry, and very big worry, over this Land Act. Of course, what he is aiming at,in this Act is to proserve your lands to you and your children for all time. I must say that I am with him in this, and that the time has arrived when wliat is loft ot your lands thero is not a very i<t6B.t deal-should be perserved to you asd your descendants for all time Of course, we have heard a great deal of late •years about lanoless JTatives, but I am happy to soy such a thing has not occurred with your peoplo in our district. L°w,l will give you my views on this Act. lo start with, there is no doubt a few amendments aro still required, but the main thing lies with you peoplo yourselves, and that is that you must wake up, and not do what you have done in tho past, coolly look on and seo your lands passing away from you. which, I am sorry to say, has benefited no one, through no fault o yours or mine, or anyone who has dealt with you in your lands, but it was sunply the fautfeff the Native land laws. Every new Native Land Act (and there were scores of them brought in), and - every amendment to the same, only cropped up •f re sh batches of bungles and heaped up expense. I know as far as I have been concerned myself in the purchase of your lands that I always had to provide or allow 50 per cent, for expenses—that is, deeds, stamp duty, interpretations elc. Who benefited by this ? I sure you didn t, . and neither did I. lam suro these laws Were a standing disgrace to any civilised community. It would have been far better for you people, and everybody else con-

oerned, if there had never been any prh vato dealings allowed in Native lands. I have never known a European yet that has dealt in Nativo lands who lias ever made any money out of it. Lands that I bought from you people at a cost of per acre, besides losing endless time over the transactions. I could have gone to Government and bought equally as good land at 10s per acre. Whoso fault was this ? I am Bure it wasn’t yours, neither was it mine; but it was the fault of bungling legislators. I can’t use any other term towards them. Of course, it is impossible to say at the present stage how this now Land Act will work ; but, so far as I can sec, it will greatly depend upon yourselves and tho assistance you will give Carroll in the carrying out of this Act. There is one thing I feel sure of in regard to this Act—that there is not a clause in it but what has been framed for your benolit, and if the Act doesn't work well I am suro the

fault will be yours. You must put your shoulders to the wheel, and help to push things on. My advico to you now is to you all, all tho tribes that are present : You haven’t got much land left, but keep what you’ve got for yourselves and your descendants. Don’t leave your children landloss, for I shall be sorry to see such a fino race as you are become paupers. I use this strong term to try and stimulate you. It looked at one time as if my

friond Tutu Nihoniho was going to pass out without issue, but he has now two flue children, who I,hopo will live to represent his tribe. I have nothing moro to say in regard to your lands and your land laws, but I hopo you will bear in mind what I have said to you, and not go away and forgot it. That being so, it would spoil this happy mooting, which I can’t call anything else. I now come to your Native Councils Act —that is, tho fcjanitary Act. This Act, no doubt, has given Mr Carroll a great deal of work and thought, and I am sure that in framing this Act ho has dono it to presorvo you as a race, bo fur as I can boo tho Act is working very well. Of course, with regard to this also, everything has to have a beginning, and you will seo as you go on what amendments you will requiro for the carrying out of this Act. Of course, this occurs in every Act. Now what I want to impress upon you in regard to tho carrying out of this Act is this: to stop all liquor, go and work and earn monoy, build houses after tho European fashion, buy proper food (if you can’t grow it); in fact, live as we do. You will -then find that very little sicknoss will overtake you, or if it does, you will have strength enough in your systoms to rosist it and throw it off. What is killing you people is tho way. m which you live- not sufficient nourishing food, irregular meals, and in most cases living in miserable whares and lying on the damp ground. The pakeha, wore ho to live as you do, would soon becorno extinct ; tho death-rato would bo much greator. Wbat I would advise now that your Council should take up—and it is a thing that is absolutely necessary—is to establish Nativo hospitals at tho different big centres, so that any of you taking sick could bo removed thore, and got the propor nourishing food. If this wero done, you would find that tho death-rate would be very small. To prove this to you, Borne two or three wintors ago, upon the death of the cbiof Kuitenahmuaru, of Tolago Bay, it boing winter, and a vary wet wiutor. a erout number of Natives attend-

ing Gho taugi were taken ill with pueumonia. Several of them died of this, but with proper nursing and care several bad cases were pulled through. Of course, it was the pakehas that had this carried out. Now with regard to your Council or the Native, Councils Act, this lies entirely with yourselves. lam sure that you have a good workable Act in this, but it will all depend upon yourselves as to how it is carried out. I feel sure if you only follow out coy advice, and also what is laid down in the Act for you, your death-rate will bo small, and that you will increaso, instead of, as you are now, passing out. I have called this meeting chiefly on account of the marriage of my adopted child, Hone to Puna. I would ask you all to look at her ; she has had seventeen children, and my only wish is that she may have n dozen more, and that she will succood in rearing them. I am sorry to say that there are only two out of the 17 alive. I ask you again to look at her, and it will show you more than words what a little care, proper food, and a good house to live in, will do for you people. Her ago is something over 40, but most Europeans take her to be about half that age, notwithstanding the number of childron she has had. I feel pleased to see you all assembled hero and to welcome you to my home, which I hopo will not be the last time. But I cannot help but look back with sorrow at not seeing the old people amongst us who used to bo so largely represented at the gatherings in times gone by. Howover, they have gone to their fathers, and sooner or later, I suppose, we shall have to follow, as it is a road from which there is no escape, i/ot us hopo that they are happy in the land of their fathers. I should faavo likod this meeting to havo been a more representative ono, although the tribes aro bettor represented than I thought they would have been upon so short a notice, If I am spared till this time next year I hopo to bo able to invito to my homo all the tribes and hapus from Kawakawa or Hick’s Bay to Wairoa. I have heard the remark upon several occasions dropped from some of the older people ; “ Cooper scorns to have got above us now. He passes us by and very _ seldom speaks. But I can assuro you, friends —which you always have been and I hopo always will —that in my heart I have always felt otherwise. My heart has always been with you, and so long as I shall be among you it will always bo the same, hor a number of years I have had a lot to do ; i have had no time for anything. It was a different thing 20 or 30 years ago, when we had the good old chiofs with us. They wero happy times ; there was no necessity for the push and bustle of the presont day In those days we were content to walk but as the world moved on so quickly, wt had to start and run, or we should havi been left behind. That went on up to the present time, and now we havo to goliop I am happy to say, my people, that a gooc deal of this is over, and I hope I shall b< able to take things more quietly. I alsi hopo to havo a little more time to devoti to you and for your benefit. Ono thinj you can bo asurod of —I shall do all tha lies in my power to assist in trying to pro serve you as a raoe, I also feel tha if you pass away, there never will bi another race to take your place. N ow ' ' e me welcome you all again to my home and it is my earnest wish that wo shall b all spared to meet again this time nex year. Some very fine addresses in reply wor delivered by the chief Native represonto tives, in which tb® natural oratoricn abilities of tbo Natives were demonstrate to the utmost. All the speakers fun boro out the advice given by Mr Coope and also gave somo exeollent precepts o their own behalf. The large number of guosts were mo: hospitably entertained by Mr and Mis Cooper, suppor being laid in the library, in addition to several kopa Maoris in the grounds. The meeting was considered by many to be the most enjoyable private Native gathering over hold in the district, and the festivities were kept up until shortly after 11 o’clock.