RACIAL EQUALITY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 16 November 1927, Page 5

RACIAL EQUALITY

ABORIGINES AND WHITES AUSTRALIAN NATIVES’ APPEAL. PROPOSED SEPARATE STATE. [By Cable —Press Assn. — Copyright.] (Received 16, 9.10 a.m.) Sydney, Nov. 16. In connection with the suggested creation of a native State, a deputation of aborigines placed their claims to racial equality with the whites and certain other concessions before the Board of Missions. The chief spokesman was the president of the Natives’ Progressive Association, a self-educated aboriginal, who pleaded for the repeal of the Aborigines Act and the substitution of one to make less distinction bebetween them. The whites, he declared 1 , were definitely against the proposed native State on the ground that some of the less civilised tribes would insist on adhering to their age-old tribal customs and resist removal from the place of their birth, but he insisted that they should be provided with their own communities with schools and other public buildings and supervised generally by educated and capable aborigines. Complaining of present conditions, he said that some lands set aside in the early days were being gradually alienated from the aborigines. They did not want help or policemen in the concession that were being asked for as they feared the children might be taken away from the parents, which the natives considered harder than starvation. , The s’ -iker also asked that the liquor p bibition clause in the Act be abolished as it was insulting to the aboriginals. Two members of the deputation were women. One explained that she had written to the King protesting against the taking away of native reservations and had addressed the letter to “King George V., England.” Asked if she thought the King had received it, she replied: “He must, as T registered it.” She had not received a reply, but the land had not been sold.