ACTS AFFECTING MAORIES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 197, 19 August 1874, Page 2

ACTS AFFECTING MAORIES.

TO THE EDITOB. Sib.—This class of statutes is every year becoming more numerous, and Natives are frequently liable to be punished and occasionally are slightly and justly so punished, for the breach of acts of which they are ignorant; but it can hardly be said they are to be blamed for such ignorance since those acts appear in the English language only.

It is said to be the duty of every subject to be informed of the laws, and the plea of ignorance is useless; but who could be so unjust as to expect Natives to be acquainted with laws which they probably do not see, or if they did see, could not read nor understand ? Indeed the majority of Europeans appear to be in profound ignorance of many of the later statutes, as but few, save they be lawyers, (and even they disagree,) can answer even tolerably correctly, questions regarding them.

Take for instance the Protection of Animals Act. Before seeing that Act I asked several Europeans, who were above the average in intelligence, certain questions about it, but in no case did I find the persons enquired of, fully informed. This, and many other Acts, —notably the Highways Acts—affect the Maories here, though in the absence of Maori copies of those Acts it would appear very unfair to presume a Native's.knowledge of their contents; yet if a Maori be given the benefit, not of the doubt, but, of the certainty of his ignorance, it. affords some persons an opportunity to cavil at what they consider an inadequate judgment. It therefore appears to me that the Natives are at a considerable disadvantage ; and the desirability suggests itself of the printing and circulating amongst the Natives of those Acts, or clauses of Acts, which affect them.—l am, &c., W. H. Tuckeb.