STRANDED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 852, 21 December 1929, Page 13

STRANDED

Effort to Help Maori Girl in Sydney PITIFUL CIRCUMSTANCES The pitiful story of a young Maori girl’s experience in Sydney has brought a response from Auckland. Friendless, the girl arrived in Australia in search of her father. Her meagre amount of money soon dwindled to nothing, and the police, ! who had observed the unfortunate cir- | cumstances in which the girl was | placed, arrested her on a charge of i vagrancy. | It was explained in the Central ■' Police Court in Sydney that the arrest I was made simply to protect the girl j from dangerous associations. The 1 girl, who was poorly dressed and starvi ing, was left in the charge of a police matron. The circumstances of the case were represented yesterday afternoon to a leader in Maori life in Auckland. He immediately decided to communicate with the Sydney police, offering assistance, if it is necessary, in ensuring her safety. It may be desirable to bring the girl back to New Zealand. The police in Sydney think she has little hope of finding her father in Australia. POLYNESIAN ALTRUISM A characteristic of the Polynesian races, developed from the ancient communal system in village life, is will- j ingness to assist unfortunate fellows. ! This altruistic attitude has, in recent years, been made difficult owing to economic conditions. Many native families have lost possession of their ancestral lands after the Maori Wars. The present generation, under difficult circumstances, is suffering from what were not always errors on the part of the natives of the time. A search for a livelihood in the cities, particularly in Auckland, is the result. Many natives are successful in commercial employ, but social organisations view the position of scores of indigent natives as a problem of the race. Instances where Maori girls in poor circumstances have been assisted are not uncommon; the position of the girl in Sydney, 1,200 miles from her home, was one quickly to arouse the sympathy of her people.