NATIVE INDUSTRY.

Waikato Times, Volume XL, Issue 888, 2 March 1878, Page 2

NATIVE INDUSTRY.

A letter, addre.-md by Mr R, R. Hunt to the Hon. the Native Miui»t«r when laot m the Waikato, has been handed to us for publication. Mr Hunt, hra struck the right cord m his suggestions for t'-e encouragement ot the native race m industries for whicn circnttistunceS Bi>ecially adapt them. The growth of hops and linseed are both of

! ll era outside* the means of the .European farmer, ■; for the simple Reason .that/t hey require a" very large amount of hand labour, and, j m the caseojf hops,' at a pajiiculalr'j time, Which* o^nnot by any possibility ' be delaye| without the entire'ios^.of,: the crop, -aad^tbat is exactly where the Maoris • Jwonld be successful. With them the labour of men, women, . and children ,wonld be available when required, and : wholeMaori settlements would tarn, out for the hop picking. Flax, too;- is a crop reqniring much hand labour, for evea where cultivated- foe the seed the fibre is of value also, though not so valuable as when pulled before the seed is fuily formed. Tobacco and silk" culture are also industries peculiarly suitable for the attention of the Natives. The; fiist of these, we are quite aware, is practised by them, bat when we speak of tobacco" we mean not the simple growth of the plant but the preparation of the crop to fib it for a European market.. To. enable the Natives. to grow any of these products "with success the idea suggested., by Me Hunt, of providing them with skilled assist.- • ance, must be carried out by the Government. Sericulturists from

Italy, and the experience of South American plantations m tobacco

culture and manufacture would be

easily procurable by the Government, and the cost of introducing

such immigrants, practical skilled workmen, and paying them partly by salary and partly by percentage on result, would be expenditure well laid out m the interest of the

peace and commerce of the colony. Flax glowers and hop growers may be picked up almost as^ plentifully as J.P.s. The following ib a copy ol the letter above alluded to : —

i Ngaruawahia, 31st January, 1878. Sib, — While you are m ' the native country permit me to have the honour to ! bring under your notice some industries I which I feel sure will, if fostered, be for i the welfare of the Maories, and tend to preserve peace between the two races. I wish, first, to inform you that when I came to Waikato m 1870 to manage the 1 Waikato Steam Navigation Company no , wheat was grown m the district by either Europeans or Maories, because there was no market for it. I therefore 1 induced 1 the company to offer a guarantee of at : least five shillings per bushel for all the , wheat that could be grown, and sent ' circulars to the natives printed m their language, conveying this guarantee to > them. I further got the company to t build the. steam flour mill new m opera- • tion at Ngaruawabia, and at my aolicita- . tion the late Sir D. McLean gave the Maories several hundred bushels of fjeed ■ wheat. By these v means wheat growing was again established m Waikato, and , though sufficient for its consumption is not yet grown, still it is increasing yearly, and I hope to see the time come again i when the Waikato will export it, as it did : m days of old under Sir George Grey's , wise native administration. Seeing the successful isaue of my scheme, Mr Charles Innes, 'brewer (then ,of ■ Ngaruawabia, but now ol Te A'wamutti), i gave the natives eoino sets of hop-plants. { These they cultivated carefully,, and thg first year they sold hops they obtained a 1 good price, but the brewers agon iound • that the hops, for want of being properly cured, made their beer dark, wluoji spoiled, their trade ; hence, the hopb cannot now be sold, and, thus, a promising kidubtry has died, for wane of a little practical knowledge on- the part .of the Maoris. It ia this knowledge which I beg to suggest the Government might provide them with. A practical man could bj procured from lielaon or Tasmania, and, if he were senc up to teach the natives, the industry would revive. It would bo neoeasary u> orniah him with a lriln (probably a portable one) a press, and .directions for growing hops, printed m Maori, aifould be circulated amongat them. If thin is I done, a profitable branch of industry will be established among them, and one very well suited to their style of field labor, another industry to which 1 wish to draw your attention is that of linseed growing. This is a thing which the natives could easily grow, and I am authorised by some capitalists to say that they will guarantee (as was done m the wheat case) to purchase all the natives. will grow, if the Government will assist m the scheme by, giving seed to the natives, and causing; a. pamphlet to be circulated amongst them' containing instructions as to its cultivation. The capitalists will also be prepared to erect a plant at Ngaruawahia for manufacturing linseed oil, and oil cake,, some £35,000 worth of which is annually imported by the colony. Pardon the liberty which I take m making these suggestions to you. I trust you will believe that I have only the good of the country at heart — I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient servant, R. R. Hunt. To the ±ion. the Native Minister, Alexandra. ;<