COST OF GENEROSITY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 883, 29 January 1930, Page 11

COST OF GENEROSITY

MAORI’S HOSPITALITY EXPENSIVE BANKRUPTCY REASON Expense incurred in maintaining dependents and visiting relatives was the unusua. reason advanced by a bankrupt yesterday as a cause of failure. The bankrupt, Pehi Karaka. a labourer, of Te Kohanga, said in his statement to the official assignee, Mr. A. W. Watters, that he was not able to escape this liability, according to the the Maori custom in hospitality. Karaka advised by telegram that he could not reach Auckland in time to attend the meeting, but the meeting lapsed, for want of a quorum of creditors. The deficiency was reported to be £460 17s 4d and. Karaka numbered three horses and a wagon among his assets.

Karaka said, in his statement, that he was married and had eight children, from three years to 23 years. About; 10 years ago, he began to get in debt to a storekeeper for supplies and clothes. He lost a position and the account reached £lßl 10s. Since then, he had not been able to reduce it. He had had no permanent work, but he had expected to pay the storekeeper from a crop of oats on his father-in-law’s land. The crop, however, had been a failure.

“COULD NOT TURN AWAY” “I have been trying to sup>poit my father-in-law, who is an old man, two orphan girls, aged 12 and 14, who are relations of mine and are without support.” added Karaka. “From time to time, other children came to stay with me. According to the Maori custom, I have fed and housed them during their visits. On many occasions, adult Maoris have come to stay. 1 could not turn them away. /‘Although all the goods are booked down to me, I think some of the natives should help. I have approached them without result. Everything that has gone to my father-in-law’s place has been booked up to me, and, on account of the large number of my dependents, I nave got hopelessly behind.” Bankrupt mentioned an order cn a judgment summons which had been made against him when he could not attend court. He had lately been driving a truck for his son. but the arrangement was “purely a Maori one.” His wife had 20. cow r s and was paying for the goods she bought at present. He believed he had an interest in a block of land at Waikato Heads and he had an undivided interest in land at Te Akau.