NATIVE PROBLEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 November 1932, Page 3

NATIVE PROBLEMS

BY PARLIAjMEND. MINISTER VOICES APPRECIATION n • WELLLWjN, October 29/ A tribute no tiie .Eiircipton niemLers of Paiuament for ;their’ sympathetic tivann.ent of active'problems was.paid iii the House' to'-u,ay .by the Native Minister, the Hori. ,S.r Apiriana .Nghta,. during a fine speech in’ which he replied'to the protestatioas of the uew member for Southern" Maori, Mr E. T; -Mrikatene, that he had come to Parliament' to defend the . rights of the' Alnori’ people. Mr ' Tirikatenie had mentioned that lie had come ; to Parliament to ntarid up for the righ t s and privileges of the Maori people, - began Sir Apirana, but he -would find that .taking thaiii by and large the European members had been generous and sympathetic in their treatment of the problems of the native race. ‘T can say-, this with the authority of one who has been in the House for nearly 39 years,” added Sir Apirana; - “Mistakes have • been male, but -they were inevitable. Although theUe niny have been. ! sliort(,'oniings, the pakeha iriem'ler lias al-' ways'tried to be fair in his dealings' with the Maori- rare 1 "Mr R. • Sample ( Lab., Wollingto l ' EAst): Wllat about the bungling of the Treaty?

“NOTHING BUT FAIR TREAT- ' AIENT.” .'Sir Apirana reyfied that quite apart from sentiment and as a matter of' cold historical fact the Alaoi is bard received' nothing but fair treatn ent from thfe pakelras. Considering the manner in which other native races of the world had been treated, Le had never he.vitated to say that the greatest. blessing, that had ever fallen on the Maori's was the. .fact cif their' coming under the mama of the crown of England. ■

Turning to criticisms of the adini dstration of native'fiffairfe,''thie- Minister said that"’apparently he had tb till : the responsibility for all of the' DVjjArtment’s’ activities; even although they may have-been carried out under bis predecessors during thb past 30 or 40 ■ yefirs. Members of Parliament were f lir ofi the Whole, and l be thouobt that they would be Able to di tingiiish botiveen mri-'s, committed! by liim and acts oommitted' by" thoser in bhaf ge ef native affairs before he had come into office. He' would -take ffill' respons:biility' for. everything ddne during h:,s own tenure of office. EXTRAVAGANCE DENIED. Sir Apirana said lie could deny absolutely rue charges of. 'extra va'gance nitode .t'gfiinst '.his Department, es,.eaifiby in uegard to native-land' develop--tnent; and he' hoped to be able to make a complete statement before t.-e end of the session ,seating out ad the available, facts. ' /' " “I deny absolutely tlie chiirge of .extraVaganc-er so-rar as the Ngapuhts • of North Auckland are concerned,” ho sfiid. “They would not take anj money for their laliofif until unemp]joyn.ient became "acute. I have seen nikan cow-sheds ill the north and ’just two sheets of iron’over tlie separator, with no concrete underneiitliv They ■are able to get along with such resources. “Where eliie ltan anyone heard of bush being felled for 8s and 10s an acre?” " '■ " •' ■ 4 Mr F.’ v Langslonc (Lab.," ’Waimarino); A T ou ought to be „shamod to admit it. " The’ Minister: I am proud Of it They are reducing the charge on their land. “ ‘ PR AISE FOR NGAPUHIS.' ; “9he Maori may hot ' be a flash farmer,” continued Sir‘“Apirania. “IP may not get so much' but. of his lane? drifrom his cows as' the pakeha, or so wb have'been told. AVe null admit that the pfakelia’ iii the" better farrirer. Hr hds" more' resduVceS.- The Maori •!» the pakeha of yesterday, afid he is taking advantage of hiri" lower standards if" these ' times.' The loan oh his fend is oily £2‘an’acre. It is good gr.issi coufitry find is ’ carrying' 6600 head of cattle. As ah East Coast’ Maori ’ J talce hff my hat to.the Ngapiihi tribe' Un to last'March they had" rqpaid £6373. That Was in two /ears, 'and on the debt at that date what they hive paid represents 12,' psr cent How many concerns are nayinec that on' present conditions? Ido no'kknoW anything in any part of the Empire, apart pThans from’ the tropics, that can equal ’ tlie cheapness of the lahd i development scheme in North Auckland.”