TO DEMAND ACTION

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 879, 24 January 1930, Page 8

TO DEMAND ACTION

DELAY IN MAORI-ASIATIr FINDINGS UC SCHEMES TO ASSIST “A disgrace to New Zealand, was the comment of M- Geo ' Graham, at an Akarara m-® 5 i Association meeting last evening ‘ in a discussion on the delav ■ i giving effect to the official recn«!’ mendations on the Maori-AsLu question. Members of the association eta. ferred with Mrs. M. B. Soljak. 0 Auckland women’s branch of <b Labour Party, with a viuw to hast' ? ing action by the Government step decided on was meeting the Mil ister of Native Affairs, Sir T. Ngata, on his next visit to the eh,, with a deputation representing f; U! , pean and Maori opinion. A member Parliament may introduce the der tation. The inquiry into the living and th. working conditions of Maori women and girls among Chinese and Indian, took place last September, msd q,. Government commission reported re commendations for improving tie position in November. Since then letters sent by the association to the Native and the Labour Departments urging action, have not been an-' swered.

lu her address. Mrs. Soijak mentioned the success with which the Maori race had adapted itself, originally, to conditions in New- Zealand after migrating from the tropics, and, later, to European civilisation. There was again a change in circumstance by reason of the increasing landlessness, and she took it to be necessary to gain aid from the white people to allow young Maoris to face growing economic difficulties. GIRLS NOT TO BLAME Referring to Asiatic influences, Mrs. Soljak said:—“This thing has been talked about too long. There is no use complaining about the conditions unless we have something to offer. We realise the dreadfulness of the position of these Maori girls who are forced to depend on Asiatics, for employment, and we are unable to blame them. They have been forced, by landlessness, to seek work in the city; in some circles, in the city, there it social ostracism and lack of goodwill because these girls, honest in their efforts to find work, are classed as ‘native.’ It is to our neglect and ' shame that they have to work for Asiatics.” Mrs. Soljak suggested correct training in domestic work as an important scheme to assist the girls. Since the immigration policy had been in force. New Zealand had been well supplied with domestics, but not the sort to take full responsibility and to respond to sympathetic treatment Her plan was for training classes, for Maori and European girls, in technical schools, and then training in a hostel having a State subsidy. From the hostel, which would also give the girls social and recreational opportunities, the girls could be employed by families requiring assistance. While they were in employment in homes, the girls could pay, on a small scale, the costs of their residence at the hostel. FORESTRY WORK A second scheme was the employment of Maori girls in forestry and tobacco plantations. The girls already had been proved efficient assistants in handling seedlings in forestry plantations and tobacco culture was extending in New Zealand. Only lack of energy’ on the part of the authorities could account for the absence of a plan of action, for the ideas to improve the position had been ■: represented to the Government Mrs. Soljak thought action to give effect ;| to the commission’s recommendations should be demanded of the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward. Mr. Graham agreed with the proposals advanced, but he mentioned that a plan to grow forests on waste native lands had previously been submitted to the Native Minister. He believed an endowment plan in this connection w-ould be practical “We already have too many Asiatics in New Zealand,” said Mr. Graham. “They are still filtering in. We hare had regrettable cases reported to us since the report of the commission was published. It is a disgrace to New Zealand to allow the conditions to continue.” “With us, it is sad to think that a race, grand in its day, should come clown to this,” said Mrs. Maewa Kaihau. Mr. James Rukutai, chairman of the association, supported the proposal to take a deputation to the Minister. Mr. Samuel Maiohs. and Mr. Keiha Newton thought Sir Apirana still had the question closely in view.