MAORIS AND PAKEHA.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 24 November 1927, Page 4

MAORIS AND PAKEHA.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —In your issue of the 18th instant appeared a letter over the nom de plume “Aussis” wondering why some of us who are representatives of the Maori race have not put on our war-paint and stole after Mr. J. A. Thomson’s scalp. I feel rather sorry for Mr. Thomson. I am afraid he must have bumped up against some of our Maori legislators, or some highly educative member of the race, and they brought him down with a thud. He has certainly gone home feeling very sore. Had he been a New Zealander his remarks would have caused a lot of pain, but no New Zealander would think of using such extravagant language. Here are some of his expressions—“pandered to, arrogant, couceitive, spoiled, pushed whites off the footpaths, -whites and Maoris mix far too much, young Maori men sivaggering beside quite refined white girls, young Europeans of bank-clerk type taking up Maori girls, this is a tendency reputable people in New Zealand strongly deplore and becoming quite a serious problem.” What a string of expletives. Poor Mr. Thomson. I hope he feels better having coughed up so much vitrol.

But Mr. Thomson is not satisfied with besmirching the name of the Maori people, he must need hit out at the Government of New Zealand, and says the trouble is due chiefly to the Government’s desire for votes. Considering that we have only four representatives, surely this should give the He to such an untrue staement. I wonder if Mr. Thomson is a little jealous of our New Zealand Government and the comparative success they have made in the treatment of their native peoplef As for Australia and her aboriginals, what a tragedy. No, sir, I don’t think we need Australian legislatives to tell our New Zealand Government how they should deal with the Maori people. The Maoris are not perfect by a very long margin, but the wise humanitarian methods adopted by our various Governments in their treatment of the Maori people, and the success so far achieved, is one of the brightest gems of the British Crown, and the envy and admiration of other nations to the world who have similar problems to solve.—Yours, etc., F. A. BENNETT. Hastings, 24/11/27.