Correspondence.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 1, Issue 21, 13 December 1912, Page 2

Correspondence.

[While it is our endeavour to give corre pondents every facility for the free expression of their opinion, it should b? borne in flews 62 wS ‘1 d > not, necessarily, reflect the opinions of the Editor.] THE MAORI KINGSHIP V Sir, One would like tobeiieve that your encomiums relative to the influence of the Young Maori Party on the conduct which prevailed to Waahi during th? period th? recent tangi was observed, were deserved. Really, the Young Maori Party, assuch, have such little influence for good upon the habits, customs or manners of the Maori people. Tiie qualities you so kindly commend, of “attention to , minut'ae and detail, and the rv.iur 1 officearum on such i occasions”, were remarkable among the Maoris of past days, j The appointment of a health j officer to attend to sanitary ; arrangements so badly needed j at all Maori huias— is in a 'corj dance with the laws of the land ; . and if the tangi was marked by s obe r k rfi - tond uc t w e have around every hotel in the country where Maoris congregate, that it is not the influence of the Young Maori People which secured that. One exception I would make here. The young and elderly Maori Clergymen are trying their best to improve the social condition of their people, but with little result : these are, however, consistent in their conduct, because of the example and discipline of the pakeha brethren of their churches. The Young Maori I Party liavo n > infi i?nc? ex -?pt through the old chiefs. They have n > influence, bacauso they have n > land, and, as no doubt yo i are aware, Man i and power go with the land. Needless to add, moral force or logic does not yet apply where Maoris are I concerned. It L true the Young Maori Party claim to be proj gressive. “To lead their people j hand in hand with the Pakeha, along the lino of progress”, is a • pet platform platitude of the leaders of the Party, MrNgalaand Dr Buck, but here at Waahi, in the absurd continuation of Maori Kingship, wa have an illustration ,of what they understand by ■ progress. The best friends of the M i >ri race, including the j present Native Minister, have been striving for years to obtain | equal law and equal rights for the Maoris by placing them on , the same political and social platform us the Pakeha, and here the young and old Maori Parties give j> ajriical proof that the pakeha school education has ; signally failed to lift them out of the communistic idea. Even tire Maori Clergy have to acquiesce in the failure. And so another opportunity has been lost of securing that unity of the tribes, which L so necessary, if the Maori people desire to have their wishes treated with respect by the Pakeha. Sir James Cirrol, for once, gave them good advice, when he them t > dis- • continue the 'use of the titl^of ’’King” and substitute of “Ariki”. i I x ' • • of “King” is will be admitted by every one who remembers that it was not acknowledged by any tribes outside the so called ’’King Country”. And even there, Pepene Eketm? refused to acknowledge the late “King’s authority when opposing Hen are Kaihau as a candidate for Parliament; while the Arawa, Ngapuhi, and all the tribes I elsewhere have consistently rej fused to accept the Kingship idea, f regret exceedingly to j observe that my old friend Tupu Taingakaw iTe Waharoa has i been s ) badly advised as to have : made himself a party to continu- ! ance of tilts absurd tom-foolery. After this, all frien Is of the Maori people must give them up in despair as victims >f credulous, illogical inc insist *ncy. Tlve influence of the Young Maori Party! Wh it is it but a party of selfish young men, t) whom 1 a little knowledge his been -n ! dangerous thing. The so called : leaders I do not include as they, with one except! -l, are not pure bred Maori®. This is written for s*tch of tins - ) called 5 oung j Maori Parly to read, including, Dr. Pomare, Maori member for i the district, and representing Native Affairs in th? G ivernnient who attended the Waahi tangi and by so doing acquiesced in the bizarre and unlawful proceedings attending the so styled : “Coronation” of a Maori King. C. A. YOUNG. [Neither Dr. Pom\r? nor Sir James Carroll was present at tho “Coronation” ceremonies. The forn>**r. visited' W a ihi \\ .file 1 Mahutu’s remains were lying in j state, and the latt?r was pre-ent |at the funeral. Neither, a far jas their advice and presence went, acquiesced in the perpetuation of the title. Eliter, j Iluntly Press.]