CORRESPONDENCE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1965, 28 December 1906, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

DFS

To the Editor of the Gisborne. Turns. Sir, —While the public here in liie| North are commenting freely on the I lecent hopeful utteiances by the Premier at. Napier, relative to the Nat- I ivc Land Question, with your permission 1 would offer a few remarks. En passant it may be remarked there are qnestitns other than the laud question which vitally affect the natives, which the Government would do well if they took into euily con sideration For instance, the placing of the ’Maori on the same electoral roll as other colonists, in fact the removal of all restrictions, and the] placing of the Maori upon the same social and political plane as wo al. stand upon. This would open the door wide for his education, and the concession would soon produce results surprising and satisfactory to both races. Simplification of the, tangle of native land laws, increased facilities for technical cducati jn, etc., etc., would follow as a natural sequence. Of course after these concessions the Maori must bo protected in some degree by the common law of the colony, as are our women, children, and weaklings generally. With regard to the Premier’s suggestions, which we may* lake for granted are honest—but iic will forgive tile suspicion in view of past experiences—it may he conceded a powerful commission is absolutely necessary to penetrate and open out fox public scrutiny the tangle of native affairs. Commissions of any kind are naturally loked upon dubiously by the average colonist as being slow in action and more often than net unsatisfactory in their results, blit in this ease nothing less will satisfy the public mind and conscience, and .m the end it may prove wisdom not to be in too great a hurry in acquiring tile Maori's lands. The colony wants the natives’ lands brought into profitable use, hut surely we want this done with some measure of justice; and, as the Premier remarks, al’+ e \ making due provision for all the natives, so that the State be protected from the possibility of future, native pan pel ism. 'There appears no reason why the entire native question should not be handed over to a commission, rdi the necessary powers, as has been the system in .India for years past in tinease of native States. The colonial Legislature and the colonial Government have tried to solve the question. Why not, then, try a system which lias proved snceessl ul in other lands, viz , India, Bimnali, ami, to some extent, with the Real Indians in Canada. One thing is absolutely certain. No system will be successful that duos not take the natives themselves lalpe ly into the administration of their own lauds. If, as Sir Joseph Ward suggests, a commission be‘appointed in the colony, the natives would not have confidence in it unless one at least of its members wore appciutel by the Clown from’ the old country. If this idea find acceptance, why not apply for some retired Indian official -a lawyer for choice —who lias had experience of native States? If such a gentleman were of rank, experience, and social status to iijj the r position of president of tile commission all the better. With regard to the inclusion of the Native Minister in the coinmission. Notwithstanding iiis bmg experience, this aouid be- a great mistake, because lie lias already h-sen weighed in the balance ami found w.ini-.iig Jle was a member of Le’.d Onslow’s Commission in „891, in,, none of the trees of knowledge he grew then have produced fruit in his day as head gardener: for these reasons he is distrusted by the Maoris, except those who benefit m dev his administration on the East Coast. Whatever is done, let us have nr repetition of the evils attending administration o fixative lands under a public trustee, such as we see on the West Coast, where certainly the natives are not being encouraged to work out their own salvation Ty the sweat of their brow in the cultivation of tliei rown lan,d§. Public trustee administration has made the ’ West Coast a seething cauldron of discontent. Any system is to be condemned which would admit of the Maori living in idleness as a mere rent receiver, .riio.i'clore, any rents accruing ii'oin lauds other than his homestead farni pioduces should he: adniinjstc* ed in the way of encouraging him to improve Jo's homestead, and jn sup porting institutions for the beudh, and improvement of his race. The handing over of the entire native question to an administrator, into a commission, responsible only to the Governor and the'Audit Department of the State, would imiiic'diaieij release the native lands from all last.lie tic n, ami the Administrator wild place those not required for Hie natives ini the .market so soon as Jn> understood the situation. One tiling all men mav rest as sored of, which is, that the natives are quite willing to place their surplus lands upon the market, so long as thev are themselves permitted to do so; that is, that through their ;■(>.. prosc-iitavivc men, elected by themselves to assist in the administration they will loyally and willingly pl'or < their surplus lands to the Admins < tiator for disposal in the open market.

Surely any Premier nnrl f.'oven mi'llt, which could brine such asc tlemenfc of the native land questio ibout, avould not only deserve well i die colony, but would elect an in verislmble monument, to theinselvi n the hearts of posterity. The principle of limitation of larg ■states can hardly be -applied to tii Jaoris, as in the event of their sliari n their lands bei 11.-2; individualise; 'one of them would be individ.ua wners within the moaning, of tin let.

- or the rest of the Premier’s proposals. they are good in the main, and the best tiling about them is that they appear to mean well; but the late Premier gave utterance to -similar ideas on different occasions, but. so far. nothing good lias come if them. It is not the Maori but the Government who have been placing at ‘‘tailioa,” —Yours ,etc.. C. A. YOUNG. See, JUI.'CU,

THE HOSPITAL. At a meeting of the Friendly Soieties’ Conference, held last night, l which every lodge was represented, he following resolution was tiinuiilously carried :—“That the United

Friendly Society’s Conference begs to suggest to the Trustees of the Gisborne Hospital that it is advisable to appoint a Resident House Surgeon, and an honorary Visiting Surgical and Medical Stall.” The lodges represented at this meeting number over two thousand members, so that the resolution should have some weight in the final deeision of the matter by I he Trustees.

GAUMONT CHRONOPHONE. The Sloiihain-Morrisnn Co. gave a second entertainment last night with the Gaiiinont Chronophono. The programme was of equal excellence to that on the first night, and warm appreciation was manifested by the audience, the variety of the programme adding considerably to the general enjoyment. For to-night a complete change of programme i.s promised, I and as Lliis i.s tile concluding night of the series, a large audience should lie attracted to the novel and ploasl iug entertainment.