THE MAORIS DYING OUT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1823, 13 March 1884, Page 4

THE MAORIS DYING OUT.

(Lyttelton TrMES ) D VILY we present to oUi* readers long, exciting accounts of siu veyora stopped by armed Maoris in the King Country. Now and then we have thrilling accounts of the dangers run, or supposed to be run, by these explore! s. Keeent arrivals in Jjew Zealand might infer from these graphic pictures, diawn by the Press Association, that wo were on the brink of an exterminating war of races. Oldei colonists, especially in the North Island, however, know how absurd are all such fears. Constantly the Press Association assures us that Mr Bryce is settling the Maori difficulty, and Ministerial organs never weary ot praising this Ileiven-sent Native Minister. These journals would have us believe that the natnes are still disaffected to wa ids European inle, and that nothing but a firm and bold line of treatment, and the exhibition of much clever diplomacy alone will save us from the threatened outbreak. The whole thing is a farce. It was all very well as a joke when fresh, but now it is very stale. The truth is that Mr Bryce, naturally hard and overbearing in temper, is often exceedingly rude to high-born, stately, dignified chieftains, who bitterly resent his rudeness. They would rebel but they dare not, they are too weak and they feel it keenly. The real fact is the Maoris aie fast vanishing, and they know it. They know full well that resistance is hopeless. They know rebellion means much misery, certain defeat, and confiscation of their land. Our years of fighting with them have thoroughly cowed and disheartened them. The finish of our last tight w them defeated for e\cr. Since then they have ne\er dreamt of fighting. Tiuc, they have blustered and swapgeied, but all wise men Knew they never meant fighting. As for Te Whiti, the pretence that he ever even dieamt of fighting is now acknowledged by all to have been as false as it was absurd. His methods are better, and if the Native Minister only had the moi.il courage to recognise his value the greatest benefit would lesnlt to the Maori lace. But the benefit of the race is the List thing that is allowed to fashion Native policies m thesu times The real truth about any of tiie obstructions is that we make them. Often a little preliminary talking, or a little of that negotiation which the natives so dearly love, would in every case have led

to a peaceful settlement. No one can appreciate the utter absence of all danger of ait outbreak who is not fully alive to tlio fact that the Maoiis are vanishing with terrible rapidity. This was, we notice, cleaily demonstiated by Dr Buller in his recent inaugural address as President of the Philosophical Society in Wellington. His words are weighty, because he is an observer of great repute, and in the very fiont rank of experts in Maoii matters. His statements are startling. Ridiculing the accuracy of Government statistics which, nt last publication, showed a slight in crease, and a total black population of about 45,00), lie boldly asset tod that these figutes wcie a gross exaggeiation. He thought 30,000 was neater the mark. Knowing that this bioad statement would at once e\cue opposition, he piocaeded topiove his position. '' He knes\ of districts su aiming with Maotis in former yeaih, now depopulated. He had known whole li.ipiw disappear, and ho had seen an entiic family die out in the eouise of a year."' Twenty yeaia ago, as Resident Native MagKtiate, he had under his control in the Maiuwatu, 2000 Natives ; now there aie not as many hundreds. In ISG'6, when they weic paid £22,000 purchase money foi the Manaw atu bloc 1 ;, 1.300 Natives assembled : now not 300 could be gatheied. He instanced Otaki, where Aichdeacon Hadheld formetly pi cached to 1000 people; now there are but a few scoie left m the village. Reviewing tlie state of affairs in the North Island, he showed that wheteever we looked the Maoii was vanishing. In Taranaki the natives aie few. In the Bay of Islands scanty indeed is the population compaied with that which existed when the missionaiies fiist aimed. In Hawke's Bay t lie decrease was staitling. In the Waikato the deciease was equally appalling. In the Hot Lakes distiict, even in the labt ten yeais, the diminution in numbers was stt iking. In the Povei ty Bay district they weie fading out at the same rate. Dr. Buller effectually disposed of the eironeous belief held by many that the natives had not died, but had gone inland. Thetc aie people who think the Maoris ha\e merely gone back, have only migrated to some other distiict. The fallacy of this is demonstrated by a survey of the island, which shows that in not one single district have they become more numerous, but, on the contrary, every district showb the same appalling decrease. The Government {statistics are altogether wrotig, and it would be well in the next census if efforts were really made to census accu racy. Tlio census-taker \isit3 a district and interviews a chief, who gives linn tho numbers. Each ohicf, anxious to make himself as impoitant a& passible, counts as belonging to his lupu all his most distant kinsfolk. The nughbouring chiefs act in like fashion and as they frequently count the same Maoris, wheiethe hapus overlap, the result is many are counted twice, and the totilb die grossly exaggerated. Jn founer years thr> census showed the number of people in the districts where most ccitainly no white man would have dared to go. Journeys through the North Island, with visits to all the principal pahs, would at once convince every ttaveller that there are not 45,000 natives; and the doubt would strongly suggest itself whether 30,000 were not too large an estimate. With the exception of a few cxpeits, the people of this colony have had no idea of the speed with which this unfortunate race is hut tying to extinc tion. To those who know the facts, amusing indeed aie the speeches of the politicians who talk of settling the native difficulty. Thete is no native difficulty, and there never can be a native difficult}'. All the proudest tribes ate humbled in the dust. Were the famous Te Ranparaha to come to life again, he could not muster 200 fighting men fiom amoni! his beloved Nsratiiaukawa. The fieice Ngapuhi are a remnant, and the bold Arawas wasted to insignificance. Te Whiti had at his back the whole of the Maoris from Wellington to New Plymouth, and his followers capable of bearing arms were only about 800. In Waikato the natives ate a small ft action only of those who fought at Rangniri and the Gate Pah, or entrenched them selves at Mere Merc. Knowing all those things, ridiculous indeed is the costly fai cc of keeping our Armed Con &tabulary. The colony has paid long enough for the joke. The Maoris know as well as we do the rate at which they are approaching extinction. Anything like an organised opposition on their part is out of the question. A little talk, a little negotiation, ami every native difficulty will disappear like the morning mist. This dying tace should be tenderly treated. We, the strong, able to crush, should be Kind to our btave but vanquished foe. Dr. Buller quotes the words uttered by Dv. Featherston iust eight and twenty years ago : " The Maoris are dying "out and nothing can save them. Our plain duty as good compassionate colonists /* to smooth dou'ii their dying pillow. Then histoty will have nothing to reproach us with." That this is our duty we know, and we hope that in future harsh treatment will be replaced by kindness.

Life in tiik Bush— Tiien axd Now.— It is generally supposed that in the bush we have to put up with many discomforts and privations in the shape ot food. Formerly it was so, but now, thanks to T. B. Hill, who has himself dwelt in the bu<sh, if food does consist chiefly of tinned in<«ats his Coj on ialSauck Rives to them a, most detef tf»ble flavour, making- them as well oftheplaw«tfr'od most enjoyable, and instead as hardbisqu^tjfcand indigestible damper his Im*Kdv«DCoi#.vlst Baking Powphk makei thevery be»t'l>reaa/ /topes, cakes, .and pastry far superior i and tnbro wholesome than yeast or &w<>n. Sold, Jby,,alL»tof|slcjMeri. who. can oof