A BIG " KORERO."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 321, 22 February 1910, Page 4

A BIG " KORERO."

MEETING OF NATIVES AT OKAIAWA. • LAND QUESTION DISCUSSED. ("Daily News" Special Reporter) One of the largest gatherings' of Maoris seen in Taranaki .since the days when the late Parihaka prophets (te Vjhiti and Tohu) were in the zenith of their power is at present bcinir ]„.|,i ftl the To Aro!,a (Okaiawa) pa on the Normally road. For some tinu> past the natives have been keenly interested in the land question, and meetings have been held in various parts of the province. The cry of the Maori has been and still is: *"We want back some of our land that is leased to the Europeans at small rentals, in order that wc may farm it and get the full value of the producing power." As tile result of meetings held a large deputation proceeded to Wellington Inst November ami interviewed the Minister m charge of Native Affairs (Hon. .lames Carroll) with a view of getting legislation formulated to deal with *th-\nrf question. It was decided to invite the Premier, the Native Minister and other Maori members to attend a meeting nt Okaiawa and the present month "was chosen for the date of the meeting. . ARRIVAL OF HON. JAMES CARROLL. For the past week the natives have been assembling at the pa, and some big koreros hove taken nhce. The Maoris expected that the Hon. Carr-wl would arrive on Thursday or Friday, but that gentleman could not be present until Saturday. The natives, as is thei r custom, waited with calm,'stoical ratience for his arrival, but when it wis announced that he was in the district and would shortly arrive at the pa excitement ran high. The welcome to their great friend and chief was an impressive ctne, and performed in the true old-time native style, so interesting to the pakeha onlooker. Several hundred took part in the welcome, and if some enterprising moving picture nroprietnr had been present he would have secured a film that would probably have represented a snug little fortune. With the inception 01 civilisation into the Miori ha pus the*e old customs are fast falling into desuetude and the occasions for Ivg native gatherings becoming more rare. " It was decided on Saturday night by the Native Council and the Native Minister that the deliberations should resume on Monday, and that Sund-iv would he set apart for religious observances.

SUNDAY AT THE KAINGA. A large number of Europeans visit'd the pa on Sunday, including the Manaia Brass Band, the latter playing a programme of sacred music.' The Rev. Haddon's Eraser' road native ehoid, in charge of a young Maori conductor. aty> attended, and sang a number of wellknown hymns in the Maori tongue. The singing was distinctly good, the blending'of the parts being most harmonious and pleasing. FEEDTNO THE MULTITUDE.

The arrangements for accommodating and victualling the large crowd assembled, varying from eight to fourteen hundred, are decided good. Tents arc laid out in the order of streets. The sanitnrv arrangements arc n\v> good. T-Tnw quantities of food have been provider!, Thi« is ill catered :n Kuronenn fashion bv natives set fi'>art for the duties in big marauds. Men] times are announced by the tolling t>f a bell and good oivior and pn«a'ile tablo manners are ob="rv°l b" all.

There is m-i i»ntir-e absence of alcoholic liquors at the function, which strikes tho visitor as lipinc in complete eont'-.i-dist.inotion to the native githerinsrs of half-a-dozen or move rears a so. SOME NOTABLE PERSONAGES.

In addition to the Native Minister a number of other distinguished native personalities are present. The Taranaki Maori Council is composed of the following:—Kahu I'ukoro, president (representing the Okaiawa natives); Dr. Pomare and Dayman (representing the Atiawa and Xgatimarn tribe*, of Waitara and Saw Plymouth); Rev. R. ITaddon (represent!!" the Xgarauru and the Xgatiruanui tribes, from Waitot.ira and Oeo); and G. Marriner (representing the Taranaki tribes from Opunalco to Okato). Amongst other visitors of note are: CliieTtainess Wiki Kecpa (\Ynnaanui). Eruera te Kaliu (Tnrakina), Hori Pukehika (Wanganui), Tarana Marumaru (Rangitikci). Raihnuia (IVinganui river), Tutu Xihoniho (East Coast), and Xgahuka '(East Coast). In addition there are the head men fro>n all tke Taranaki hapus. including Tanke (an oTTT warrior wiio until the present time has been hostile to the European). This old chief is of higher rank than any of the other local chiefs. A spcci i] house has been set apart for the use of the Hon. Carroll and visitors of no>o. The interior of this has been suitably fitted up for the occasion. Outside a canvas .pavilion has been set up to shield tho sun's rays from those taking part in the deliberations. On Sunday a number of pakehas unwittingly .gave 'great offence to the Maoris bv taking shelter in the pavilion. The mats therein had been specially laid, and no one should have entered until the Native Minister had passed over them. Some '.if the older natives were highly incensed at the action of the Europeans in assuming charge of the pavilion, and one hoarv-headcil old chief proclaimed bis displeasure in terms almost sufficiently potent to wreck the whole island. Dr. Pomare ivas requested to interpret 'be remarks for the benefit of the offender", but recognising that the insult was owing entirely to the ignorance of tV whites, he j'espeetfullv requested them to retire, which was done with commendable alacrity. YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS.

Yesterday was a bio; day and tlie deliberations and speeches of the big- men commenced at an early hour. The listeners congregated in a huge ercsce-it-shaped mass in the marae, or courtyard, outside the !>ieetin<r-honse. The Hon. Carroll spoke to the natives for aboiit ar }]ovr. admitting rhe justice of i.h:» clnims of the Maoris for land and exhorting them to unite and work hard if the-'- desired to .train their ends. The sn"cch"s continued until after midday, some twentv or more orators haranguing the crowd. The gestures of the sneakers, nnd the kern attention paid to I heir remark', spoke elomienllv of the interest the topic had for .ill present, and how vital was the question under discussion.

THE HATCHET TSI'MED. During the morning a ceremony of considerable importance took plaie. The natives of Taranaki have always been hostile to i]\- fiovernmont, especially in respect to the legislation controlling their lande. The passing away f

the "Parihaka influence" has in a gnit measure helped to break down this projudiee. until at the present time even the oldest natives recognise and advise that it is not in thuir best interests to hold aloof from f the powers- controlling their affairs. IWn-injr a lull %n. the proceedings .yesterday a loud u-taint was raised at the back of the. by a woman of rank. She approached the pavilion, oontitiuing heWloud weird intonation and was followed by two other native women bearing several handsome native mats. Thetfe' were laid at the feet of the Native Minister, with the request that they be presented to the Government, as an earnest that. the ( hatchet had been buried for ever between the Europeans and the native*, and that the two peoples were now united into one harmonious whole. Yesterday afternoon matters quietened down, and the natives' were to le found in little groups, some earnestly and quietly discussing the speeches tfiey had heard, some wildly protesting «u'ir gesticulating and evidently laving down the law according to their particular way of thinking, other solitary individuals seated far from the crowd in Ihe open paddock and thinking hard, while others, who appeared to care not too straws what happened were either basking in the sun or sleeping off the effects of a sumptuous repast of fragrant dainties dear to the. heart of most members of the Maori people. The Hon. J. Carroll takes his depirture from the nieetirg some time t*day. Tt is expected this will be the signal for the break-up of the assembled tribes.

NATIVE MINISTER INTERVIEWED.

THE MAORIS' WISHES EXPLAINED,

Interviewed by a "Daily News" representative, the Native Minister stated that at the present time there were about 3000 beneficiaries from the native reserves in Taranaki, while about. 400 Maoris \ver? landless. The whole area of land belonging to the natives in the province was about 103,000 ncrw. Of this area there were some 117.000 acres leased under the perpetual lea<n tenure. Eighteen thousand acres that were leased under the Land Aet. 1881, were not perpetual and the leases would run out in a year or two. There were also 3000 acres under short leases that would expire at an earlv date. Further, there was an area of native land, «?ome l."), 000 acres in extent, near Parihaka, that the natives desired to have cut up into areas suitable for farming pursuits. As matters at present stood there was a great dearth of land for the natives to farm and live upon; in fact, the areas held by the natives wore much too small for the number of Individuals. The Maoris recognised this, and desired to secure more land for ihe future, so that they conld go in for farming operations themselves. They were prepared to farm the land on "he same lines as Europeans, and would he snhject to the same taxation. Their condition at present was viewed with alarm by the more enlightened numbers of the race, and thev looked io the land to better that condition. They claimed that what they asked for was on fair and legitimate grounds. Regarding the 18,000 acres the lease of \vhi?lt would expire in a year or two, the natives contended that there were many imore of their race that required the country than those at present in occupation. At the present moment this land was held by some 135 Europeans, while there were 3400 Maoris who required it to divide amongst themselves to enable them to live under better conditions. The natives did not object to any reasonable claims that the Europeans might make should the land revert to the Maori, and thev furthsr thought that th-> time had arrived when the Public Trustee fas administrator of Maori land affairs) had fulfilled his •mission, and tint a change was desirable whereby the management of their own lands might be more in the keeping of themselves. Te Whiti and Tohu had gone, and hundreds of frheir followers were seeking unavailincrly for land to settle upon, having looked in vain to the prophets to secure it fur them. The natives were desirous that the question should be viewed from every standpoint, and that legislation should be framed to re-adjust the whole of the reserves at present under the jurisdiction of the Public Trustee. were aware that a great deal of hard work and careful deliberation was necessary in making such re-adjustments, and were putting their side of the question forward earlv in the dav.

Ouestioned as to what scheme the. natives had in view with respect to mying the claims for improvements : »y the occupiers of native lands, the Hon. Carroll stated that a fund < had been stnvted. At present was some £14.0(10 in the bands of the Public Trustee, from which the natives secured interest at the rate of 4% p.»r cent. Tn addition, the cost of administration by the Public Trustee, seven ier cent., could be devoted to a fund, should the administration be taken over by the natives. These sums would form *.h» nucleus of n. fund for payng off the pakehas' improvement ■claims, and the natives honed further to receive assistance from the Government, by means of advances, pledging the land as security. The Native Minister further stated that he had come to the meeting to «et cfoser in touch with the whole of the position as affecting the natives, and thereby enable him to formulate legislation that would be fair and equitable to all concerned. The natives had :v good and just claim, but there were so many issuer that a very <rre.it amount of work was neccrsary before any finality wmhl be arrived at. The whole riuestion would be broucht before Parliament during next session.