NATIVE LANDS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 October 1928, Page 7

NATIVE LANDS

1., Av/in it v-.k. .. u,in l GEac iScA i r.D LANDS AND u«J w - Y> ELLiNC, Ajj-n, September 28. Hope t iul tne iuiig-st.im.tuig grievances it the Native race in until islands Mill be soiled by plans now in process of evolution was expressed by ilie J rime Minister and Sir Apirana Ngata (Eastern Maori rfiember) when iho report of the Confiscated Native lands Commission Mas presented to Parliament to-day. Sir Apirana reminded the House that this inquiry 7 commenced two years ;,igo,. and the Commission was five or six months making its investigations and presenting the report, which the Prime Minister nuns only' now making public. It required not a little consideration md a rood deal of courage td profile to the requests of the Natives that tlieir long-standing grievances should be inquired into.

WAITARA'.STARTS THE FLAME. Speaking particularly of the Waitara Names’ grievances, Sir Apirana declared it was a pity that tiie authorities of that clay did not comply with their request for an investigation, because their refusal started the fire, which spread into other districts and led to wars which cost this country something oyer ten millions sterling. It was the Waitara grievance which started the Taranaki war and the troubles which took place in the Bay of Plenty, for the Natives practically turned their backs on civilisation. H was the treatment of the Waikato Natives which led to the practical reservation of the King Country from the process of law. The Native chiefs determined that the Native Land Court should not deal with titles in that area, and a generation elapsed before the Court was, admitted. Failing in their effort to get justice from the New Zealand Government, the Waikat. people approached the King and the British Government, and the lattei took the view that the so-called rebel, should he dealt with leniently. He could not help feeling that the motive which actuated the New Zealand authorities at that time was not so. nnjch punishment of the Natives as a desire to utilise the rebellion to qc quire Native lands for European settlement. in making confiscations, in justices were done to loyal Natives and those who took very little pari in tiie movement. 1 The case now was before the bar of public opinion, and he hoped that as a result of the different attitude adopted towards ‘ the Maori of to-day the decision would be juster. In attempting to co-ordinate Maori effort along progressive lines, young Maori were hampered by the long-standing grievances, which stood

in the Way -of the progress of the largest Maori tribe in the North Island including some of the best human material of tlie race. INO RETURN OF LANDS.

It Mould be difficult to remedy the grievances by any return of lands, “and,” continued Sir Apirana, “1 di not think the Maoris are seriously asking that there should lie returned to them any large areas, hut they' do ask that you recognise that they' have a grievatre and that an honest alteinp' he made to remedy it.” The Commis si to i recommended that certain annua l denytioi s be rpproved by Parliament ■'li the lines of the payments to the Arnva Trust, hut he hoped his hearer would get out of their minds any idea that the Maori were sponging on the community. In the payment of direr' and indirect taxat ion the Maori people ranked with a very large proportion o' the pakcha as contributors to the Con solidated Fund, and when it came t r direct taxation, though there were exceptions made in respect to three million acres held by the Maori peoplo they did contribute to the land tax. which was taken out of leases by vari ous Maori Land Boards. The propose' 1 annual grants Mould constitute a fund to he raised for public purposes for the benefit of the Arawa Trust showed what was already being done in that respect. The revenue was applied to education, health matters, and giving assistance to Maoris to utilise their own lands. If it meant an expenditure of £250,000 it would be a small B compared with the psychological conversion of the Maori people. He did not know whether the Government in the present state of the finances could do anything with the report, but his own opinion was that the commission had been cautious, for it was reversing the judgment of history, and he hope'’ that the - Government would he more generous in its assessment. It M'ouh’ he advisable to delay somewhat in carrying out the recommendations, so that public opinion could uiMerst'a l and applaud the spirit behind it.

WIPING OUT PAST DIFFICULTIES The Prime Minister remarked tha he did not think the previous speaker had painted the picture to an undiy extent. The arrangements complained of were made by a people possessing a different psychology from the Fin peans of to-day. , ( Mr F baser (Wellington Central)am told there .was a. considerable section who objected in those, day's. The Primfe'"Minister: There were some. But you must realise that tin Maori himself has made a tremendous advance. Nor , was he in tjiose days capable of realising the points at issue. The Prime Minister went on' to poin J out that in dealing "with the whole problem there was a sum .of £.300,000 involved in the South Island and an annual expenditure indicated in the present report of, say, £IO,OOO. If any of his hearers were Minister of Finance they would realise the difficulties. Mention had been made of a Government grant of £IOO,OOO towards the National Museum, but the differ-; ence here was that one grant finished it. Mr H. E. Holland: Could not a final settlement be made ? . The Prime ..Minister: Yes. If it is possible to get finality' it is desirable, and we are endeavouring to get some scheme which will, work itself out. He agreed with . Sir Apirana Ngata .. that in Maori tribes there was fine human material with mental equipment equal to that of any race in the wide world, and it was the Pakeha’s responsibility to see that this material was,used. U the best possible advantage along lines of progress. This was the policy' of the Government, and its objective was to get a sound solution. The Maor was fair-minded, and could see both sides of a question, hut while there was underlying discontent there would be no progress. An increase in the Maori population of 10,000 in ten years was a clear indication that the race was not dying out, and the attitude of the New Zealander towards the Maori was that he was proud to recognise him as a fellow citizen of the Empire. THE PRACTICAL POINT. As for the practical point, continued the Prime -Minister, the CVy’erqjneni M’ould place an amount on ilm .Supplement:, ry E-i im:;te>. mu miu-Ii Imt sufficient xu px-opuUii'J a -dieu.e >u give effect to the Commission’s recommendations. It might lie necessary to altei the recommendations in certain cases, and it Mas not possible within two or three months to come to a final conclusion as to how the administration should he carried out. it seemed de sirahle that a number of Waikato srbfrilies should have a certain amount of land at their disposal, for they had m real kainga to go to. They travelled from one end of the country to tin other. They had no real home when they could get together as a people He realised all this, and he had sent a letter to the Minister representing the Native race in Cabinet, pointing out that •it Was the Government’s inteni.m''to air-roach the matter sympatlie tic ally, with the object, if possible, • o! wiping out all past difficulties and bit■ernesN which existed among the Mai koto peoplo. So lar as the Bay o 1 Plenty and Taranaki people Mere con corned their treatment had been r i.,.. | Potter, though there might b< differences of opinion as to whether the right thing had been done. On the oilier hand their country , was much better and they had 1 ended better than the Waikatos. The report was received and ordered to he printed.