WORK FOR MAORIS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 159, 23 July 1937, Page 5

WORK FOR MAORIS

-Pr«8» 'Asgoeiatien.)"

Minister Says They Can Earn £1 a Day £270,000 STATE AID

(By Telegraph-

GISBORNE, Last Night. * An assurance that there was worh available for all Maori unemployed was given by the acting-Manister of Labour,, the Hon. P. C. "Webb, when speaking at, Ruatoria. This was in reply to a complaint thaf 50, Maoris were out of work in. th# Matakaoa County, but Mr. W. Brom* ley, of the Employment Departinent| pointed out that 50' jobs on the land were waiting for those men, who wero holding off in the hope of securing Public "Works Department jobs. Mr. R. T. Kohere asked whether tho Maori employed on the land wero paid as much as those on road jobsf The Minister replied that all Maori* were employed on contract on a 16/- 4 day basis, and they eould eaxn at much on the land as anywhere else on a contract basis. Mr. Bromley said that there wero 70 'private landholders in the district who were receiving assistanee from the Na« tive Department 's- funds. There wero jobs waiting for those 50 unemplo^d natives, but those men wer# waiting to get on to public works. Mr. Kohere eaid the natives main« taiued that they eould not earn atf much on f arm work as on the roads. Mr. Brondey said that the overseer said that many of the natives eamed up to £1 a day, and even over. On# party of two for 10 days eamed £13 each splitting posts and battens. The Minister said that the Govenp* ment had done a job for the Maozi that it eould be proud of, for therft was not one Maori who eould not saya "I can go" and get a day's work.'* There were 30,000 European unenw ployed who would be pleased to b* able to say that. By offerjng th« Maoris work on the land at standard rates, the Government should be given credit for^doing what no other Governv ment had done. , s The advantage of work on the land, the Minister continued, was that it was not spasmodic, and there was work for perhaps years ahead, while the Pub*r lic Works Department work might last only for a few months. If there wer* 300 Maoris ont of work here, the Gov* ernment would find 300 jobs. The Gov* ernment, Mr. Webb added, felt it had a duty towards the Maori race. It had been said that the Maoris were "booz« ers" and wasted all they eould get, but whatever the Maori was the puke* ha had made him. 1 Sir Apirana Ngata had done much for the Maoris and was a sample of what tho race eould produce. Th* Government was spending £270,009 a year from unemployment fhnds t* settle the Maori on the land- The Government was not satisfied with that, and also wished to induce then* to build proper homes. The co-opera-tion of the Maori was also required, and the Government was endeavouring to help the Maori to feel that he Yrae on the same plane with ofchers in thi community. He hoped that some day the Gov ernment would pay the Maori standaxd rates of pay to break in land they, would eventually farm,_ but in, th* meantime they were entitled to be «m* ployed on development schemes. H* wished to extend a word of warniiig that while the pakeha was accustoined to strong liquor for centuries th* .Maori had had it for only 50 or 6YLyears. He knew the good nature of the Maoris in spending their money.