MAORI RIGHTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 76, 19 March 1908, Page 2

MAORI RIGHTS.

JiIiPRIiSJCXTATIVE GATHERING. OF NATIVES. ADDRESSES BY, THE GOVERNOR AX.D PREMIER.

THE MAORIS REBUKED. I Ter Press Association. Hamilton, Last Night. A representative gathering of natives was held at Waliaroa yesterday to present a petition to His Excellency the Governor, to he forwarded to the' Kins, regarding the alleged grievances of the natives in connection with the confiscation of their lands. The vice-regal party and a Parliamentary party, which included the Prime .Minister (Sir .loseph Ward) and the lion, -lames Carroll, journeyed up from Auckland lo the meeting by spccinl train. There was a large gathei. , ing of "natives, many tribes being represented. ■ The Co\ernor was presented with an address of wehome. and the petition , praying the King lo light the natives' . grievances was presented with it. Tohanga Kawa, chief of the local ,' fribe, told Ihe Governor that the Maud . race and their land were disappearing, , and asked him to try and save them. , l/ord I'lnnke't, in his reply, said that ~ the petition stated that the Treaty of ~ Waitangi was not being kept, and he ,f had lieeii further informed that if th?

natives did not get a satisfactory answer to it they intended to send Home a deputation to His Majesty the King, i If they were so foolish as to send a deputation Home I hey would be told, -.is they had been told before, that the affairs of the Maoris and Europeans in Xew Zealand concerned the Government of .New Zealand, and not the Home authorities. Xo one denied that tha Treaty of Waitangi was not carried

out as originally specified, but times it had changed. It was a question of fail treatment, not of particular churses, The New Zealand Government meant to do light by the Maori people. He (Lord Plunket) advised them not to throw away the substance for ths shadow. He advised them to turn their attention lo modern education for their children, the leaching' of agriculture lit < native schools, a modern and better sya- I tcm of farming, and improved sanitati >n ' and drainage in Maori homes and villages. Let thcin ask their Parliament ' to improve their laws whore they needed it, rather than make such an : impossible demand as to have the laws repealed. : The Prime Minister, in the course o! his remarks, pointed out that the Government had helped ■J.hp Maori in many ways not provided for in the . Treaty, notably by the Old-age Pensions Act and the advancement of money for the improvement of land. There w.is every desire on the part of the Government and Parliament to have a practical settlement of the native land diflicnlty. The. Hon. Mr. Carroll upbraided the Maoris for inconsistency. In one breath they complained bitterly that their lands were slipping away from them, and in the next they besieged them with applications for the removal of restrictions in order I hat they might sell it. He urged them to give up squabbling amongst themselves and to unite in a common cause with the determination for educating themselves in dairying, farming, sanitation, and other matters, and they would not only promote their own material prosperity, but would rei move from their doors all cause of com- , plaint and gain the assistance of willing workers to their progress. He advised . them to make the most of the presence I ot'fhe Native Land Commission when it | came amongst them.