Siberian Immigrants.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 September 1910, Page 4

Siberian Immigrants.

FROM THE -MAORI VIEWPOINT

The Chronicle is moved to reprint from Hansard the following interesting reference to the curlew or gochvit, an edible sea I>ird nvhich comes to New Zealand every year from far-off Siberia. The' comments were made by Mr Kaiahau, M.1 , ., in the House of Representatives, during tho reading of the Ainmnls Protection Bill:—"As to the godiwits or curlew, the Bill proposes that these birds shall only be taken within the same season as other native game; and that is entirely wrong. This bird- does not breed on the mainland or in tho bush. > I cannot tell you where the place is where these birds come from, but it is thousands of miles away from hero—so 1 have been told by the old Maoris along the coasts of these _ Islands. If they were to be restricted in the manner proposed in this Bill, injury would done—the 'birds would ' iboeomo thin; there would bo too many arriving hero body after body,' and they would eat up all the food and become thin. That is why I object to this proposal; and I say that it is not right that tho same' provision which covers the birds on the mainland should be made to apply to apply to sea-birds, such as these. Another thing I object to is this : people should not be a Mowed to shoot birds in the bush; and T suggest to you if shooting in the 'bush is not prohibited the birds will be exterminated, and is it fair to the Maoris that this should be allowed to come to pass? You will have to ask yourselves this question : if you are going to prohibit the shootinp of native birds in the bush, how are you going to obtain any in future? But the Maoris know how to obtain thorn by snaring; and various other ways," apart from shooting. You should have separate and distinct bird-preserves for European purposes, and there should be separate ones for the use of the Maoris. I will explain my meaning. Formerly, when matters were managed in the true Maori way, no one was allowed to kill one single solitary bird. Xo person was allowed, on any pretext whatever., to enter upon any bush that was preserved as a bii'ding-graund. Each man would have his own particular bird-trap, from which he could take birds. They had snaring-apparatus called a teka, and as many as two hundred birds have been taken by this means by one man in one day. r)iio form of taking; these 'bir&j toy the Maoris was snaring them, which made no noise, and thus diid not startle the other birds that were still flying about. Now that guns have come in, I say that there is no object in preventing shooting by European or Maori at any time. r.ot him shoot all the year' rouiuli. Even if you no that, I say you will not exterminate the birds. What will exterminate them is this: if the Government do not make large forest reserves for the birds to feed in wo shall soon find ourselves without any of these birds. Supposing any member of this House had an area of two thousand awes of forest land, would ho allow anybody to go there, without right, k> shoot? Certainly not. Yet the Maoris are to be shut out from useing their forest land, under this measure. Why do the Government mako provisions like tlnis for Maori lands? Why do they not make provisions applying to lands that are in their own hands? Those are my reasons for standing up to-night and voicing my protest against this Hill."