TO STUDY MAORI RACE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 361, 23 May 1928, Page 14

TO STUDY MAORI RACE

DUTCH JOURNALIST HERE NEPHEW OF COUPERIS **| Have come to New Zealand to see the Maoris. As far as time will permit I want to see as many of them as possible, and will endeavour to understand some of their problems and yours.” Mr. Jan Henrdik Rogge is a young Dutch journalist and the representative of the largest newspaper syndicate in the Netherlands and Java. He also writes for American journals. He arrived in Auckland yesterday by the Marama from Sydney whence he travelled from the Dutch East Indies. It is Mr. Rogge’s intention to spend about a fortnight here before proceeding to the South Seas. Mr. Rogge, incidentally, is a nephew of Louis Couperis, the famous Dutch author, who died about three years ago. Owing to the translation of his works Couperis was immensely popular with British readers and the best-known Dutch writer. A fortnight was hardly time to do the North Island justice and to get into touch with the Maori people he wanted to meet, Mr. Rogge admitted, but engagements ahead in the United States made it impossible for him to stay longer in New Zealand. COMMUNISM IN JAVA The Dutch journalist is particularly interested to investigate the position in Samoa. Compatriots in Java, he declared, were watching the proceedings very carefully. Two years ago the Dutch had a serious uprising to deal with in Java, and strong measures were taken to quell the revolt. “Of course the cases are by no means analagous,” Mr. Rogge added. “Our trouble was Communism pure and simple.” As one of the great colonial powers of the East, he said, Holland had her problems. There was a desire on the part of a certain section the Javanese for home rule. It was plain to see, however, that they were no more fitted for self-government than kindred people. “One interesting development of recent years owing to the spread of Communism in the East is that Britain, France, and Holland are joining hands to suppress it. They realise its great danger among the coloured people in their respective possessions. “We have our problems in Java and that is why I want to see how you have settled your difficulties in this part of the world,” he continued. ‘I want to find out something about your native lands policy, and the present-day aspirants of the fine race of which we have heard so much.” The Dutch of the East Indies were keenly interested in New Zealand because of its tourist possibilities, just as the New Zealanders were attracted to Java for the variety of scenery and people it had to offer. He felt quite certain, said Mr. Rogge, if his countrymen of the East were satisfied that they would receive comfortable facilities for seeing the country, both by steamship and rail, as the journey from Java was a fairly long one, they would come to New Zealand in increasing numbers. “Like any other people they only want to be shown the way,” he added: “In return we want to point out to New Zealanders the attractions of the Java route when they go to England.”