THE MAORI AND HIS LAND.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 75, 27 March 1908, Page 3

THE MAORI AND HIS LAND.

Meetings at Wah?»roa and Ngaru aw ahia. A representative gathering of Natives was held at Waharoa on March 17th to present a petition to His Excellency, the Governor, to be forwarded to the King, regarding the grievances of the Natives in connection with the alleged confiscation of their lands. The vice-regal party and a Parliamentary party, which included the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), and the Hon. James Carroll, journeyed up from Auckland to the meeting by special train. There was a large gathering of Natives, many tribes being represented. The Governor was presented with an address of welcome, and the petition, praying the King to right the Natives' grievances, was presented with it. Tohanga Kawa, chief of the local tribe, told the Governor that the Maori race and their land were disappearing, and asked him to try and save them. Lord Plunket, in his reply, said that the petition stated that the Treaty of Waitangi was not being kept, and he had been further informed that if the Natives did not get a satisfactory answer to it, they intended to send Home a deputation to His Majesty, the King. If they were so foolish as to send a deputation Homethey would be told, as they had been told before, that the aflairs of the Maoris and Europeans in New Zealand concerned the Government of New Zealand, and not the Home authorities. No one denied that /the Treaty of Waitangi Iwas not carried out as originally specified, but times had changed. It was a question of fair treatment, not of particular clauses. The New Zealand Government meant to do right by the Maori people. He (Lord Plunket) advised them not to throw away the substance for the shadow. He advised them to turn their attention to modern education for their children, the teaching of agriculture in Native schools, a modern and better system of farming, and improved sanitation and drainage in Maori homes and villages. Let them ask their Parliament to improve their laws, where they needed lit, rather than make such an impossible demand as to have the laws repealed. The Prime Minister, in the course of his remarks, pointed out that the Government had helped the Maori in many ways not provided for in the Treaty, notably by the "Old Age Pensions Act," and the advancement of money for the improvement of land. There was every desire on the part of the Government and Parliament to have a practical settlement of the Native land difficulty. The Hon. J. Carroll upbraided the Maoris for inconsistency. In one breath they complained bitterly that their lands were slipping away from them, and in the next they besieged them with applications for the removal of restrictions in order that they might sell it. He urged them to give up squabbling amongst themselves, and to unite in a common cause with a determination for educating themselves in dairying, farming, sanitation and other matters. Thus they would not only promote their own material prosperity, but would remove from their doors all cause of complaint and gain the assistance of willing workers to their progress. He advised them to make the most of the presence of the Native Land Commission when it came amongst them. Another large gathering of Maoris was held at Ngaruawahia on March 19th to iconsider the Native Lands Question. The Covernor, the Prime Minister, and the Minister for Native Affairs were present. An address of welcome from Mahuta, the King of the Maoris, was presented to the Governor by Henare Kaihau, the Native member for the district. Mr Kaihau also handed His Excellency, as a gift from the King, two handsome wearing mats. Lord Plunket, in reply, said he hoped that the deliberations that day would bring about a satisfactory conclusion. The Prime Minister, in the course of an address to the Maoris, advised them to show on the plans of all blocks of land, of which they were custodians or owners, what was required for use and occupation of Maoris for permanent reserve and recreation purposes, and what part was available for leasing and selling. If the Maoris would apportion their lands conscientiously and honestly, their proposals would be confirmed by the Royal Commission and made law for all time.