&.— lc

22

Maori districts. In France the State has provided what are called "professors" of agriculture, who perform these functions amongst French farmers, and who advise them as to the management of their farms, point out to them if their cattle are unsuitable, if the mode of manuring their ground is not.suitable, and advise them as to what kind of stock they should raise, &c. If this is found necessary in a country like France, which has been farmed for hundreds and hundreds of years, and amongst a community so well educated as the French people, how much more necessary is it for the Maori race. If Maoris or halfcastes could be got to undertake the work they would no doubt be preferable, but we are afraid that there are none able to undertake the work at present. We think that this is a very pressing matter, and the Government should undertake at once to elaborate some scheme which would provide for the efficient teaching of Maoris in agricultural matters. The establishment of communal farms under the general supervision of the Maori Land Boards in matters of title and finance, and under the management of competent European managers such as suggested by us in connection with Morikau No. 1 Block (see p. 13 of Whanganui Report), and in our general recommendations as to Maori settlement, would provide the necessary impetus and organized practical instruction. It should not be expected that all Maoris that are put upon the laud will be successful. All Europeans are not successful, and there must of necessity be more failures among the Maoris than among the Europeans. But there will be, in our opinion, many successes; and if the Maori race is to be preserved they must be taught to be industrious, and to become efficient and scientific farmers. We cannot pass over one great evil that mu&t be combated. The consumption of alcohol has worked great havoc amongst the Maori people, and so far back as 1856 the report of a Board appointed by His Excellency the Governor to inquire into and report upon the state of Native affairs dealt with this question. At that time there was a law prohibiting the sale of spirits to the Natives, and that Board expressed the opinion that it had a beneficial effect, and stated, " There are doubtless many individuals among the Natives who wish the restriction removed, but the Board is of opinion that were all the tribes in the Island called upon to give a deliberate expression of their wishes on the subject, very few, if any, would be found in favour of repealing a law intended to prevent the spread of intemperance among them." (Proceedings of House of Representatives, Session IV, 1856, Vol. ii, p. 10.) Then, there is often found a breaking-out of credulity, which takes the form of following some tohunga or prophet. Sanitary measures are often neglected; though a great improvement has taken place in recent years in this connection. Further, there is a thriftlessness or a want of care of money earned or obtained from the sale of land that is appalling. have instanced cases in our interim reports. Such thriftlessness means that the money was wasted in ways that tend to the physical, moral, and intellectual deterioration of the race; and the sale of land by the Maoris is not only in many instances leaving them landless, but is killing them. No doubt, so far as indulgence in alcohol and in following false prophets is concerned, the Maoris may say that these evils can be seen among European people. There are hundreds of victims every year among the white race from the alcohol habit; and the race that can support Dowieism and Eddyism can hardly cast stones at the Maori people. If the best that is in the Maori is developed on systematic lines, if he were trained to industrious habits, and to the exercise of care in money matters that such a training would engender, many of the evils would be mitigated. But we have thought it necessary to refer to them here because of the intimate connection such matters have with the Native-land problem. One of the Judges of the Native Land Court (Judge Sim) has put the case well in the following words : " I do not think any attempt to dissever the Maori from his land will result in success. His only chance lies in being encouraged and taught to utilise his land "