MAORIS BARRED

Hokitika Guardian, 6 December 1927, Page 2

MAORIS BARRED

AUCKLAND BARBER’S ACTION. AUCKLAND, Dec. 2. Maori residents of Auckland learned recently that they are “coloured gentlemen” in the eyes of a city hairdressing saloon keeper, who has drawn the colour line to these fine limits.

The first hint that the embargo had been extended to the native race came early hist month when the Akara.ua Maori Association received a complaint. The Secretary of the association accordingly wrote to the proprietor of the establishment as follows: “We would be much favoured if you would state explicitly what your term gentlemen’s saloon connotes. It should he quite unnecessary to inform you that the Maoris have some of tho finest gentlemen in the world in their race. Some of our members hold very responsible positions in Auckland, some arc personal friends of the Prime Minister, others have conversed with the Governor-General and others have dined with the Archbishop. Further, some of our members have European names and. in your promiscuous distribution of cards, it is a certainty that some will receive cards from you. You will agree that it would be most degrading for one of our members to be refused attention after receiving your very polite solicitation. The highclass New Zealander is not ashamed of his Maori brother, and both brown and white know that the Maori and the European 'gentlemen differ only in colour, which should moke no more difference in reciprocity than different colours of clothing. I sincerely hope that vour views and mine are mutual.’’

On November loth, the proprietor of the saloon replied: I have always excluded all coloured gentlemen from my saloons since starting business in Auckland nine years ago. The new saloon is conducted on similar lines.” The situation was discussed again at a meeting of the Akarana Maori Association last evening when members alternated between indignation at their exclusion and amusement at their classification as “coloured gentlemen.” The secretary was instructed to reply regretting that the saloon proprietor did not appreciate the fine effort of the Maori to equalise his social status with that of the European. It was also decided to state that the association considered that the quality of whiteness was not an essential t-o a gentleman. A draft of the letter concluded with the query: “Why should a barber sell tobacco to a Maori but refuse to cut his hair or shave his whiskers?”