The Manawatu Standard. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, SEPT. 12,1885. DECAY OF THE NATIVE RACE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1453, 12 September 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. SATURDAY, SEPT. 12,1885. DECAY OF THE NATIVE RACE.

Among the papers preset ted~t&~ Parliarpent that possess a considerable 4 «amount of special interest, ate the Reports of Officers m Native Districts, which, m accordance with the suggestion made by Mr Bali.anck, contain fuller information than, usual with regard to the social, physical, and political state of the Natives, their increase or decrease, their progress m industrial pursuits, and other features concerning them. It is rather saddening to notice that as a rule these reports confirm the impression generally entertained that: the Native race is undergoing . a gradual but sure process of v improvement off the face of the earth." Th 4- the Maoris are doomed to ultimate extinction does not, we belieyev admit of argument. One report-!, after another refers ..to this lamentable fact— for we consider it a lamentable' fact that such a maer- : nifi cent race of aboriginals should jbe, so rapidly disappearing. Neither •bavte" wfc far to look for the cause of yits 'decadence. Mr Yon' Sturmeu, Resident Magistrate at Hokianga, puts ,the matter very plainly. He, points. out that the Natives of to-' day, are not as provident or industrious as those of former times. They! do natcultivate and store up fond as their ancestors did, and now rely chiefly on the sale of their land for ...the supply of their necessities from time to time. We remember some dozen years a^o writing on .this ;same subject m tha columns of the Wanganui Herald % chiefly basing our deductions on the result of personal observations and inquiries made at various places on the West Coast of this island, where at one time the' Native race flourished, but frotn^wh'ch it had even then almost altogether disappeared. We then ventured to predict that the ultimate extinction of the Maoris was only a question of time, and that another generation or two would see the last of b them ; .. >; We still incline to the samd opinion, and a perusal of the Parliamentary paper.. under notice ; furnishes a 'mournful confirmation" of the conclusion we then arrived at Tfye,, children, Mr Von Sturm kr say^, oflten suffer from an insufficiency of wholesome food m cold winter and spring weather, and thus are (laid the too sure foundations of 'future- weakness and disease. If would also appear that the Natives themselves are not unaware of the fate m store for their race. Mr Bishop, R.M. of Mangonui, m his report refers to this feature, and alludfeVtiif the superstition entertained by many of their number, m the case of the prevalence of an epi--demieVby yielding to their supposed destiny., and concluding that they are a doomed people. Mr Bishop says he has endeavored earnestly, upon all possible occasions, to point oat to them the foolishness and recklessness of such reasoning, and that , bj| the exercise of care m regard to and more attention to'trielawsof health, they could attain the length of days which was peculiarity characteristic of their ancestors. He goes on to remark the "small quantity of land under cultivation by Natives throughout his (jistrjibt, as being very noticeable, as compared with that of previous years. The .same sad story is repeated m very similar language by Mr J. H. Greenway, another Native officer, who furnishes a report of the condition pf the Natives at Russell, m ".The Bay of Islands, fie refers to their- backwardness m industrial pursuits ; not even growing sufficient 'fb/od for their own wants. Then 'comes the inevitable addition told sin fey and simple words. " The r 'Natlve inhabitants of this '^district are, m my opinion, slowly "Tint surely decreasing; the deaths " exceed the births m. number, the " majority of tbe women have but " few children — many, none at all, "and a large percentage of those "die before reaching the age of " puberty." The same causes are

again alleged to be held attributable : br this prevailing decadence — viz , the mode of living, insufficient nourishing food, general want of attention and care during illness, and neglect of all sanitary precautions. Mr J. S. Clendon, 101. at Wangarei, reiterates the same gloomy story — viz., the steady decrease of the race. Mr Thomas Jag*son, reports of the Papakura District, that the Natives on the West Coast from Waikato to Man«kau Heads, have decreased m numbers very much during the past fen years. Tile same is said of those residing at Mercer, where many have succumbed to disease. A highly suggestive sentence m Mr Jackson's report may here be given, and with it we must conclude on the present, occasion our. extracts from the very interesting paper from which we have quoted. It is as follows :r—" The physical cond tion " of those Natives who adhere to " their old mode of living is, if not " generally very good, at any rate " much better than amongst the "Natives .who. live near white " settlements. The latter fall into "the vices of the Europeans, but "neglect to imitate 1 them m taking " means to preserve their health. "The Natives m all parts of the "district are rapidly decreasing m " numbers, and their physical con"dition is very much inferior to "that of the last generation. / ''refer more particularly t) Natives " tolio resile wrr European settle- " menis." Verily, this is a sad sad commentary upon the effect of civilization by the superior race. Physically, socially, morally, and intellectually the Maori race appear to have suffered by contact with the invaders of their soil, and the influence of the "white brother"" has been prejudicial to the well-being of the aboriginal, who before many decades will be. ajnong the other races that have passed away, and left not a remnant behind. Probably a finer people than the Maori has never lived on the face of the earth, and it is most sad to think that the final result, of European contact, of legislation, of missionary labours, of philanthropists, and of the Aborigines Protection Society, is the^ decadence of a noble race, which once was numerous and powerful, but whose place m the Lind of their forefathers will before long know them no more.