The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9. THE MAORI'S SALVATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 334, 9 March 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9. THE MAORI'S SALVATION.

It is passing strange that whereas the communal system aas proved a curse to the Maoris of 'taranaki, the same system has been the salvation oi the natives of the East Coast. Here the wellwishers of the natives look to the individualising of the lands to bring about an improvement in their condition, on the East Coast, on the other hand, cooperation among the Maoris has been attended with the greatest success. In one instance it has resulted u the creation of farms aggregating 73,000 acres, having a value, including stock land improvements, exceeding £375,000. The conditions are certainly dissimilar. On the East Coast they have not had the blighting influences of a Te Wiiiti or a Tohu to contend against, nor have they been spoilt by drawing rents and sitting idly by watching their lands' being worked by the ipakeha. Instead, they have been wisely led by men like the Hon A. T. Ngata and the Williams, whose gospel has ever been "Work," and work the natives have with an industry that is an example to their brethren throughout the Dominion. Recent ly the Hon. Ngata gave an account of what they have done and are doing to the Wellington Times. "This co-operative system began about 1886," s'aid Mr Ngata. "The necessity for co-operation was forced upon the natives because of the congested state of their titles. Owing to the number of owners, a system had to be devised of consolidating the powers of administration in the hands of a few selected men, generally elders' of the tribe, the Ngatiporou. At first the method of financing was crude. What has since turned out to be the most successful farm was started on a capital of £7O, the balance of a sum raised at a meeting to discharge a church debt. Sheep were going at two-and-six a head for ewes, *nd the first operations were conducted on open land, naturally grassed. This farm is now paying its native owners an annual dividend of 7s fld per acre, or six times the rate of rental return d from native land adjoining, which is leased to Europeans. A more substantial method of financing was soon evolved, Mr Ngata explaining, that some adjoining land belonging to the same owners was brought into use upon a capital of £2OO raised by the issue of 200 shares of £1 each. "They have since cleared two-thirds of a block of 6000 acres," continued the Minister; "they have properly fenced and grassed it, fully stocked, provided a fairly upto date station and plant, and paid in dividends £10,800."

Sheep farming required more resources as time went on, and the co-1 operative farm 3 encountered a certain I amount of of financial difficulty for better sub-division, more up-to-date plant, and grading of the flocks. "This," said i the Hon. A. T. Ngata, "introduced a system of finance which, with slight! improvements, has persisted to the pre-1 sent time. The usual procedure was j for a native committee to approach, some local storekeeper to finance on | the security of their stock and wool,| the rate of interest being usually 10 per cent. There was a general understanding that all station requisites; would be bought from the lender. Figures for 1899 show that at that time the number of sheep was 42,800 on j eighteen farms. They were mostly! overstocked, and the average weight of < wool per sheep was 51b. Ten years' later the sheep had increased to 100.000, j and the last return showed 125,000,, while the number of farms has j doubled." The practice, on such a larg" | scale, of communal activity has led to j some very interesting developments, which the Hon. A. T. Ngata described. | A telephone system extending over -.200, miles' has been installed, to a large ex- j tent constructed out of moneys voted by the various sheep-farming commit- j tees. The communal funds were fven drawn upon for church purposes. ''There were frequent calls," he said, "for church work and requirements' of a social nature, and, being communal property, the community had little compunction in calling upon the resources of the communal farms, their latest contribution being towards the stipends of the native clergy. When the Government kindly took off the sheep tax, the communal farms continued to levy upon each batch of a hundred sheep for the benefit of the clergy." An element of groat importance in the success of the experiment has been the enthusiastic co-operation, not only with advice but with financial backing, of the late Archdeacon Williams, his nephew, Mr T. S. Williams, and another relative. Mr A. B. Williams. "Their assistance." declared Mr Ngata. "has enabled the Ngatiporou people to almost treble the area of land under cultivation, and to increase the stock proportionately, while the methods of farming have been so improved that a number of Maori groups' in the district vie with the excellent products of the Williams stations in the markets of the world." "As for the results of this co-operative effort, the Hon. A. T. Ngata states that it is the exception in many of the settlements to see any man or woman ?nio. counlcd with the spread of education and the inculcation of a more snnitarv method of living, the standard nf healHi and comfort hns noticeably improver l since the year 1892. The old nioturesoae but insanitary raupo hut has disappeared, and weather-hoarded houses are general. "One most importI ant effect nf the industrial spirit i'osI tered bv the communal farms, and Tithe'' an unexpected one." continued Uh» Hon. A. T. Nsrata, "is' to create a j spirit of individualism amoii'sst the younger members of the community, jfumbers of young men have been forced

from the ewiimunal farms, particularly] during the lust six years, to carve out homes for themselves on the heavy bush lands, lierc again the communal spirit has followed them, in that the communal farms, wherever possible, have assisted them financially and in other operations." It is a pity that Taranaki has not produced a Ngata or a 'Williams. If it had, the condition of the Maoris here would most certainly have been dill'erent to what it unfortunately is today.