THE MAORI AGREEMENT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 164, 14 June 1909, Page 2

THE MAORI AGREEMENT.

Ancient History Revived.

For many years a great amount of public attention has periodically been \ directed towards the liquor question in j the King Country. Every occasion j upon which the residents of the dis- ! trict started an agitation with a view ! to having the existing state of affairs | altered, and the Robe Potae made sub- | jcct to the same conditions with regard to liquor as the rest of the Colony, the prohibition advocates and leagues throughout the length and breadth of New Zealnd started a counter-agita-tion, and presented voluminous petitions to Parliament to keep the district restricted. The chief argument used by the party was that the removal of restrictions would result in the ruin of the Natives through drink and, as the restrictions were placed on the district at the request of the Native chiefs, the removal thereof would be a breach of faith on the part of the Government with the Natives. These representations and arguments, known by tbe residents of the district to be ridiculous, were used by the Government to keep the King Country under the ban of la«', and no action was taken. Until a few years ago the European population of the Rohe Potea was, with the exception of the workmen engaged en the | Main Trunk railway, extremely small and scattered. With the opening of the land for settlement and the reading of the country new conditions have been created, and the demands of tbe people are more likely to be regarded with that degree of importance which the occasion merits.

The granting of wholesale licenses in isolated places within the prohibited area has provided the opportunity for prohibition advocates to resurrect the Maori agreement and refer to the breach of faith. In view of the whole circumstances whatever breach of faith has been perpetrated there has been none with regard to the Maori agreement. With a view to making clear the exact position taken- by the Maoris in the matter a "Chronicle" representative waited on Mr John Ormsby who acted as spokesman for the Natives at the time the request for prohibiting liquor in the district was made.

Mr Ormsby has always taken a prominent part in any movement connected with the district, and in response to a request to relate the facts connected with the historical agreement readily assented.

"In the first place," said Mr Ormsby, "1 must state that" am I proud of having been instrumental in having the restrictions placed on the district. That the embargo has keen kept on the district 3ftcr it has outrun its usefulness, and to the detriment of the district in general, is no fault of mine or of the Natives interested. We have more than once endeavoured to have the position altered, but without success.

As to what led to the request of the Natives the story may be briefly told. When the railway was started to come through the King Country, the leading Natives realised that the investigation of land titles must shortly follow. I, and others, had seen what had transpired at other places, and dreaded the association of land courts, and the sale of liquor to Natives. I had attended land courts at Cambridge, and had seen casks of beer carted to the Maori camps. Many of the Natives were never in a fit state to do business, and the result was that in consequence of the methods adopted, when the Court was finished, in many cases the Natives had parted with land and money, and were in debt. About the time the railway was to be started the temperance mission connected with the Blue Ribbon movement reached the district, and for a time influenced a large number of the people. I was not personally identified with the movement, but saw in it a means to check the evils attendant upon land courts in license districts. Several large meetings were held by the Natives to discuss the situation, notably a large gathering at Kihikihi, just before the turning of the first sod of the railway in the district. At the ceremony of turning the first sod, which was performed by Sir Robert Stout, there was a large gathering, and I was appointed spokesman for the Natives to make certain requests on their behalf. These were, that no sale of land should be allowed until after the completion of the investigation of titles, and that no liquor should be allowed in the district, as we wished to avoid the evils we had seen associated with land courts and the sale of liquor. Sir Robert Stout then promised he would have the requests Blended to, and the district was shortly afterwards proclaimed a prohibited area."

Did prohibition have the effect you intended it to have? To considerable extent it did. The courts were free from drunkenness on the part of the Maoris, and the Natives were able to conduct their business properly, and without loss. The other request as to the sale of land — well, you know how that was kept. Are you of opinion that the restrictions should still be kept on? Certainly not; they should have been removed years ago. The chiefs who framed the request for the restrictions signed a petition asking for their removal when tbey saw the effect of the prohibition. As far as the position today is concerned, conditions have changed entirely; the country has become Europeanised, and should be subject to the same treatment as any other portion of the Dominion. What about the breach of faith that is made/o much of by certain sections of the prohibition party? Absolute nonsense, said Mr Ormsby; those people can know nothing of the local conditions, or of what the Natives think of the matter. Besides there is special legislation dealing with the sale of drink to Natives. In summing up the whole matter I can only say again that lam proud of what I did towards having liquor prohibited in the district. It was an expedient to save the Maoris from evil, and in a measure accomplished its purpose. The necessiaty for the expedient has long since passed and lam willnig o take just as active a part to have the prohibition removed.