HOME AGAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 164, 10 January 1912, Page 8

HOME AGAIN.

GUIDE MAGGIE AND THE ARAWAS. TWENTY LEFT BEHIND By the Somerset, which arrived in Wellington on Monday, with over 250 passengers from London, there returned to New Zealand Guide Maggie Papakura and about twenty Maoris of the.Arawa tribe, in charge of Mr. C. B. Westmacott, who was manager for the Maoris' concert tour in the Old Country. Mr. Westmacott was interviewed by a representative of the Dominion about the tour. "They are all well on board,' he said, 'and very glad to get back again, I assure you." And they that were left behind t Mr. Westmacott shrugged his shoulders. "It was an unhappy business," he said. "We should all have come home together, but twenty of them insisted on staying behind, no doubt tempted by the inducements held out to them to try their fortunes at music-hall performances, instead of doing what most people advised them was the sensible thing to do. Business during the summer months was not so good as had been anticipated, and when we were ready to come home to New Zealand there was some delay in getting berths, owing to the heavy 'booking for third-class accomI Tiodation on the outgoing steamers at I hat time. These two factors told on our resources, but a three weeks' engagement at the Palace Theatre of Varieties tided us over our immediitoi difficulties. Then the New .Zealand High Commissioner came to our assistance, and through his good offices the syndicate in Sydney cabled the amount of the passage money. The High, Commissioner then purchased the steamer tickets*, but just before we were due to sail, Rangiuia waited upon Sir William Hall-Jones with a deputation from the party, and said that a number of them had made up their minds to remain. All arguments failed to alter their determination, and I just before the sailing date, the High! Commissioner got a letter stating that twenty of them had decided not to em- ] bark on the Somerset." What prospects had they of making a success of the music-hall venture! "It might turn out all right," said Mr. Westmacott, "but they would have done better to have ,come home with the others. Of course, Rangiuia, who has been Home for some years now,, has some i social standing.in London, atid under his! auspices they might get on all right. But their scheme is dead against the of those ibest qualified to express an opinion on the matter. They certainly acted against the advice of the j High Commissioner, who used every' effort to dissuade them from the line they had taken. The most unfortunate part of the whole business was that we had to leave without Mita Taupopoki's grand-daughter, Te Tai, a girl of fifteen, who remained in London Co the great grief of the old chief, her grandfather." There was some, trouble about their luggage, was there not? "It's all on the Somerset," replied Mr. Westmacott. It was stated that a cable message had been sent to Teneriffe, asking that their luggage be put off'and sent back to London. "Yes—but the Somerset did not call at Teneriffe," explained Mr. Westmacati. Guide Maggie, whose engagement to Mr. Staple-Brown, of England, was announced recently, will leave New Zealand m about four months' time. The wedIt is understood, will take place in England.