DRIFT TO CITIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 768, 14 September 1929, Page 12

DRIFT TO CITIES

DR. ELLISON AND MAORI PROBLEM LAND INTERESTS NEEDED The only cure for the drift of Maoris to the city is to give them an interest in the land. fjPHIS view on an important division of modern native social problems —the attraction of the city for indigent natives —was given to the Akarana Maori Association by Dr. E. P. j Ellison, director of Maori hygiene. Dr. Ellison gave an address on problems in the activities for the health of the native race. He held an optimistic view for the future. His reasons for this optimism were the closer attention to sanitation in Maori villages, the keener interest of Maoris in all phases of civic life, and the effect of instruction in health. Dr. Ellison’s remarks on the drift to ihe city of a section of the natives interested the association particularly because of the efforts made recently to gain from the Government consent to withhold from settlement by Europeans and Maoris certain areas of land in the Auckland Province originally set apart for occupation only by natives. The landlessness of Maori families has been blamed largely for the drift to the city of natives without means. Departmental regulations for the j conduct of dental clinics among I schools were placed before the association by Dr. Ellison and their application to native schools was discussed. The association has reason to believe that an officer will shortly be appointed for clinical work among Maori children. It also understands that two young Maori students have qualified for dental clinic work under the Department of Health.