MAORI CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 58, 27 February 1908, Page 2

MAORI CONFERENCE.

RTUKE OF THK LANDLESS iSATIVE. J Per I'rosa Association, i - Auckland, Tliu future of the landless native I ,wis discussed liv the 'J'e Aulc Confercm-. ;,i Oiakoi,' when Mr. W. KaucUs, 1 of 'l'e Kuiti, in this course of u naper on the Mihjecl, said that the time hud now come when the question was asked, I "What has Iwu or is done for the I Hndless Maoris" After long years ot stu.lyiiiK the -Mi'-.ri character he wis i„ „ j,o<ition lo say that liand.cralt was the. most congenial work for the Maori, his works of old, such as eanoehuilding, uii-liuiUliiig, carving, etc., showed" that he was a lover of the. j

In-aiitifiil ami also a handk-i-ni'Unian. t'iirmiii'' was mil a congenial work tor 1 him. fin" liciit tlii»is l» «« Wlls t0 P lttce tlu> saw null the blacksmith's hammer I intii hi n lianils, and then hi' would spun iiivi-ut. things whUl ' ll<! U "" U1 ''° ' in-olid nf. If> I'vun, lie fiiili'il with th.limber from tl»' ynnl, •»•■ W" 11 ' 1 J-"> l ,° Ihi" Irtish ami l»v means of tin- saw-nil nlilaiii whal hj" wanted. »'• did nol mi.aii to sav that favmiiiK was not suit-

.il.le for some Maoris. '»'t '»• llitl '"" 1 i Hri-iH' Willi Mr. N{!' ltll ' s mi '" "' allv "' ....tin.; lariniiiK .is tli.'_im»l suitable in-i-inwtioii I"!' ll" 1 M;U "'' „ „ . (;omino..l.iii K oil the l>. M >er. I >. Itm-k wi-die.l to point i>»t t-l»=»t H''.' M, " ,n ">' I hereditary had as mm-h respect, for the ~i m ils 'f„r ni.imi.il 'abor. I'*' '} m '-°. :...re.ed with tli« writer thai the Maori I was .i craftsman '»>* nature. Pine T.iinaliori gave some Inures *« „ive the members an idea of the spread of the fanning movement. There wi'V', I he aaid, no less than twenty-two fairly I 1-ir.re M-.ori sliecp stations on the coast behveen Tokoman, and Teararoa and 1 four of the woolsheds had the l.Ue4 improved shcaviiiK-niacliiiH'S.

MAOlil INFANTILE OKATII RAT

Auckland, Lust Nig! The ilciitli-rate of Maori infants was the subject of discussion at the conference of the Young Maori Party, when a , )al ,er on "Infantile Mortality" was read by Dr. Te liangi Tfiroa. He regretted that exact statistics were not availab e, but from his personal observation he knew that the Maori infant mortal y was verv high. This was due to the I I same causes as with the Europeans, but never to a greater extent. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Maori was a healthy race. At the present day, owin« to the clash between the two systems rthe Maori had suffered in physique and health. The mothers did not have the robust health of their ancestors, and as a result, their offspring suffered, the Maori mother of old had only one method of feeding her child. In these days there was cows' milk, tinned milk, and the various tinned foods to complicate I matters. If the European suffered as a result of this ignorance in the proper use of these alternate foods, then the Maori suffered still more. Excessive cigarette smoking and drinking were m- , dulged in during the period of suckling. ' Ignorance of proper clothing and nygi- ' ene helped to swell the mortality list. 1 He exorted the Association that, as 1 their ancestors had banded together la ' times gone by to raise men to ayenge , some tribal defeat, so now they should ' band together to raise a people with a knowledge of these matters to avenge the deaths that ignorance had wrought upon the race.

CIUSJ.WGGING INDUSTRY AMD TH MAORIS.

Auckland, Last Night. The gumdigging industry was one of I the topics discussed at the -session oi the Te Ante Association to-day. The Kev, H. Hawkins said lie had no sympathy for | the industrv. It iiad been the curse of the Maoris in the north. It had been found bv medical men that about 50 per cent, of the Maoris of the north had tuberculosis. The diggers resided in wretched houses, and they worked most of the time in the wet. Other speakers endorsed Mr. .Hawthorne's remarks. The Rev. G. Matinscll udded that the flax industry was akin to that of gumdigging- He had seen Maori girls working" in the Hax fields and standing lu water irp to the waist the whole day.