MAORI SOCIALISM.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 2032, 20 December 1907, Page 2

MAORI SOCIALISM.

*‘lt was a marvellous eye-opener to me,” said the Chief Health Officer (Dr. Mason) to a Dominion reporter, in referring to his justcompleted trip through the interesting country of the Ngatiporau Natives, that lies between Gisborne and the East Cape. Dr. Mason, who was accompanied by Dr. Pom are and Mr Ngata, M.P., tells us what appears to be a veritable fairy-tale. ‘‘lt is successful Socialism or Communism, whichever you like. It has been ail over the world, but I have never heard of such success being achieved as I saw with my own eyes. Between Tolago Bay and the East Cape there are six large Native-owned stations worked by Maoris exclusively on the most perfect system I have ever seen. Apart from wool-grownig, these Maoris are shearing their own sheep, and growing grain and vegetables in the happiest communism. “I saw one, of the biggest shearing sheds up the Coast that I have ever seen, with no fewer than ten machines going—worked by Maoris, who tell off from 120 to 150 a day, at £1 a hundcrd. This work falls to the vigorous young men, but the older men are engaged in froadmaking and lighter work, and even the old women take a hand in doing light scrub work. The work is apportioned according to age and ability, and they' ail seem as jolly as sand-boys. They are not paid the same—that wopld be too .Socialistic —thy are paid according . .7 -"vrfc they do. There are too to the v>— J j and fcQ many owners to 0 £ iliyidualise blocks, but the vaiu^ each person’s claim is known, and on this the profit-sharing from the station is based. ’ ’ “How is it managed?” “They have appointed an old man—l forget his name for the moment—to look after their affairs, and a very keen old man he is, and they have Mr Ngata, and Mr Williams (of the Coast) to advise them. Mr Williams advanced the money to the Natives that is enabling them td work lands, and he takes a lively interest in their success. There is no question—there you seethe Maori working out his salvation, working a pakeha business pn lines considerably better than the average pakeha farillel 1 . “Do you know what:—they’ve got 125 miles of telephone fixed up to connect the stations, and in the house where I at Kakariki near the East Gape, there was a room set apart for a telephone exchange. “The villages or kaiugas are a treat to see —nearly all the Maoris living in comfortable cottages made from timber they have felled themselves, and all kept sweet and clean. The only exception to this rule are some of the pakeha houses. I believe that many of the Maoris burned down their old palces, and built new cottages ou|highcr ground, and everywhere I noticed that they were sleeping on beds, and not on the floor as is the accepted way in most Native settlements. The sanitary arrangements were quite adequate. Indeed, they, are so strict on the point that they have combined together to pay a sanitary inspector, who is a Native. He does his duty all right, though! “What they are asking for now are doctors and nurses. The one doctor up there cannot cover the ground, and they want assistance. If a doctor went up, they would say: ‘There is laud for you to build your house —it is yours, ’ and they would pay well. They don’t ask things for nothing.”